Hawkeye Report Podcast
A collection of podcasts from HawkeyeReport.com
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Hawkeye Report Podcast 758
01/27/2026
Hawkeye Report Podcast 758
The Big Ten Conference has officially released the football schedule for the 2026 season and the Iowa Hawkeyes now know who their opponents will be each week in the final nine weeks of the season. Tom Kakert and Kyle Huesmann hop on the podcast to discuss the very latest on this news. Iowa opens their Big Ten schedule with what most would consider to be their three toughest games of the season, including road games at Michigan and Washington and in the middle is a visit from Ohio State. We talk about the entire schedule for the Hawkeyes and how it is laid out this year. Which games are the most challenging beyond the first three games? How do we see the season playing out for Iowa at first look? Then we move on to women's basketball. The unfortunate season ending injury to Taylor McCabe is now offical. We get Jan Jensen's reaction to the news and that Addie Deal will be moving into the starting lineup. Plus we preview the next two games for the Hawkeyes, at USC and UCLA. After that we move over to men's hoops. Wednesday evening the Hawkeyes will be playing USC in Iowa City. We take a look at that contest and the upcoming road trip to the west coast. Plus we look at how the analytics sites are viewing the Hawkeyes next ten games, which is pretty favorable. Finally we talk about the news that the Iowa women's soccer coach is leaving for Michigan. What's the impact and why is Beth Goetz the perfect AD to hire a replacement given her soccer background.
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Hawkeye Report Podcast 757
01/26/2026
Hawkeye Report Podcast 757
It's a special Sunday evening edition of the Hawkeye Report Podcast. Tom Kakert and Kyle Huesmann are on for just over thirty minutes talking exclusively about Iowa women's basketball following the Hawkeyes convincing 91-70 victory over nationally ranked Ohio State at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. We discuss the hot start for the Hawkeyes, clicking right out of the gate from the floor and continued to play solid basketball, particularly when it comes to scores in the paint from Hannah Stuelke and Ava Heiden. There was also a downside to the game for Iowa and that was one the headlines. That was the possible significant injury to Taylor McCabe, who left the game just 23 seconds into the contest. What did Jan Jensen say after the game about her status? One player who really stepped up in that opportunity was Addie Deal. The freshman scored a career high 20 points in the contest and filled that void. Will she get the opportunity to move into the starting lineup if McCabe is out longer term? How does that impact Iowa's rotation moving forward? We also discuss the strong play of Chit Chat Wright, who has been an outstanding point guard and also shooting very well from beyond the arch. Then we wrap up looking ahead to next week as the Hawkeyes head to the west coast for a pair of very tough games. The first face USC, who has been up and down, and a week from Sunday they face the #1 team in the conference in UCLA.
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Hawkeye Report Podcast 756
01/23/2026
Hawkeye Report Podcast 756
Back to back days of shows for the Hawkeye Report Podcast. This one was not an emergency podcast, but it might as well be one as the Iowa women's basketball team held on for an overtime win at Maryland. What made it more dramatic than it needed to be was the Hawkeyes blowing a 17 point lead with 3:15 left in the fourth quarter before outscoring the Terps in overtime, 12-5 on their way to a seven point victory. Tom Kakert and Kyle Huesmann headed to the podcast shortly after the game and broke it down from all the angles. We open looking at the end where Iowa somehow got off the deck after blowing that 17 point advantage and held it together in overtime to get the win. We discuss that while the blow lead might get a lot of attention from fans coming out of this game, the bottom line is Iowa won on the roat at a Top 25 team and that will matter when we get to March. We also dive into the big plays from this game. That includes Journey Houston coming up huge early in the fourth quarter to help Iowa build a lead. Also some huge free throws in overtime from Chit-Chat Wright and a massive game on the glass from Hannah Stuelke as well. Plus Taylor McCabe finding her three point shooting stoke and how important that will be moving forward. We also look ahead to Sunday's game against Ohio State and where Iowa might sit from an NCAA Tournament seed perspective heading into that game. Finally, Iowa has officially landed their Aussie punter and we discuss that latest roster move for the Hawkeye Football program.
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Hawkeye Report Podcast 755
01/22/2026
Hawkeye Report Podcast 755
It's another busy edition of the Hawkeye Report Podcast with Tom Kakert and Tanner LaFever covering a lot of ground on all the winter sports. We open the podcast actually going back to a fall sport, football. The Hawkeyes may have wrapped up thier portal work on Wednesday when they landed Ohio State defensive back transfer Cody Haddad. We talk about how he might fit into the Iowa secondary and the impressive haul and re-working of the safety position this off-season. Then we moved to Iowa men's basketball with a discussion of the Hawkeyes win on Tuesday evening over Rutgers. We also look back a bit at the win over Indiana on Saturday. Our main focus was on the win over the Scarlet Knights and how Tate Sage and Isaia Howard really stepped forward to save the day for the Hawkeyes. Plus we look ahead to the off weekend and why this break comes at a really good time for the Hawkeyes before they get back to action next Wednesday. After that we take a brief look at the Hawkeye women's hoops team and their big game on Thursday evening against Maryland. We look at how Iowa has a tough stretch against ranked opponents that started this past weekend against Michigan State. Then we move on to the final portion of the podcast and talk Iowa men's and women's wrestling. We open with the men's squad and the continued drama off the mat and how Tom Brands responded to it on Tuesday of this week. We look back at the one-sided loss to Penn State and preview Iowa traveling to Nebraska this Friday. We also updated a busy weekend last weekend for the Iowa women's wrestlers and how they are racing towards the nationals portion of the schedule.
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Hawkeye Report Podcast 754
01/16/2026
Hawkeye Report Podcast 754
It's another very busy addition of the Hawkeye Report Podcast. This time it's Tom Kakert and Tanner Lafever talking Iowa athletics on the podcast. We open the show discussing Iowa hiring a new special teams coordinator. It's a name that you probably heard here on the pod when Levar Woods departure was announced, Chris Polizzi. We look at his background discuss why this is a good hire. Plus we mention that Iowa appears to be closing in on a punter who is from the land down under and has the same trainer as Tory Taylor. Then we discuss some potential late additions to Iowa's portal class that are on campus this week. What impact could they have and who are new targets at positions of need. After that we look back at Wednesday nights game at Purdue. How did Iowa play in that game and what led to the game being very tight from start to finish. Which Iowa players stood out in the game? What was the factor in the second half that led Purdue to hold on for the victory. Finally we do a complete and total breakdown of the upcoming Penn State at Iowa wrestling meet that takes place at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Friday evening. We take a look at each match-up at every weight class and if Iowa is favored against Penn State in any of them. Also, we take a look back at the national duals last weekend for the Iowa women's wrestling team and the surprising loss in the semifinals by the Hawkeyes.
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Hawkeye Report Podcast 753
01/13/2026
Hawkeye Report Podcast 753
It's another busy week of Iowa Hawkeye athletics for us to review and preview on the podcast. We are joined by Tom Kakert and Kyle Huesmann to break it all down this week. This week we start with Iowa women's hoops. Huesmann was in Evanston and Bloomington this week to cover the Hawkeyes two road victories. Neither were pretty, but they were victories and he talks about how they got there in those games and the way they rallied on Sunday in the victory over Indiana. Plus we look ahead to this coming week that begins a very challenging stretch of basketball for Jan Jensen's squad, including home games against Oregon and Michigan State. After that we slide over to men's basketball where Iowa has dropped two straight, one on the road at Minnesota and on Sunday a home defeat at the hands of Illinois. Why slow starts have become a real problem for the Hawkeyes and they couldn't quite dig out the hole, particularly against the Illini. Is Ben McCollum going to have to work the refs more aggressively in conference play? How big is this week with road games upcoming against Purdue and Indiana? When was the last time that a Ben McCollum team lost three in a row? Hint it's been longer than a decade. Finally we transport ourselves into the transfer portal, where it was a busy couple of days for the Hawkeyes. More importantly it was positive and productive one. We look back at Iowa landing a pair of players on Friday afternoon. Both were their top targets with interest in the portal, including a wide receiver and a safety. Then on Sunday Iowa lands a safety, running back, and another wide receiver. Are they done?
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Hawkeye Report Podcast 752
01/08/2026
Hawkeye Report Podcast 752
The transfer portal is open and the Iowa Hawkeye Football team has been busy shopping for players, and yes, losing a few on the way. We discuss that and more on the Hawkeye Report Podcast. First, we talk some Hawkeye Basketball. We open discussing the Iowa men's team having a shot to tie the game at Minnesota, only to miss three shots and lose by three to the Gophers. Tom Kakert was in Minneapolis for the game and discusses what he saw and the conversations he had with Ben McCollum and the players after the game, including the Hawkeyes dealing with illness among several team members. Then we preview the huge game on Sunday against the Fighting Illini. They are the biggest team in all of college basketball and Iowa will have to deal with those size issues. We also talk about the rivalry between the two schools and how important this game is with Iowa having to travel to Purdue and Indiana next week. Finally, we dive into the transfer portal talk. We discuss the players who have left the Hawkeyes, including the surprising departure of Koen Entringer and Brian Allen. Then we discuss the players who will be joining the Iowa program later this month and equally as important, we have a list of potential targets that are still out there and we break all those down, plus how much room is still left on the roster.
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Hawkeye Report Podcast 751
01/01/2026
Hawkeye Report Podcast 751
It's a post bowl game edition of the Hawkeye Report Podcast. Tom Kakert and Matt Randazzo join up to talk about the Iowa football team beating Vanderbilt in the ReliaQuest Bowl, 34-27 on New Year's Eve. It was a strong performance for the Iowa offense, led by Mark Gronowski and featuring huge plays in the passing game from DJ Vonnahme and others along the way. We talk about the fast start, led by a huge run by Gronowski and the huge trick play early in the second half to put points on the board. Plus we discuss the defensive effort of the Hawkeyes, who did a pretty solid job against Diego Pavia and in the first half in particular, Iowa put plenty of pressure on the Heisman Trophy runner-up in the game. We also discuss the game changing strange play on a Vanderbilt punt along with one poor decision that we think Iowa made that took possible points off the board. Finally we look ahead to the portal and the next season also gets a quick look at the end of the podcast.
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Hawkeye Report Podcast 750
12/28/2025
Hawkeye Report Podcast 750
It's a very special edition of the Hawkeye Report Podcast as we record from Tampa prior to the ReliaQuest Bowl. We are pleased to be joined by the two gentlemen who will be calling the game agianst Vanderbilt, Gary Dolphin and Pat Angerer. It's a wide ranging conversation talking a lot of Iowa football, starting with our memories from this bowl game with Dolphin ready to call his seventh bowl game from Tampa and Angerer having played and won the 2009 then Outback Bowl over South Carolina. We walk down memory lane discussing this bowl game. We talk about the state of the Iowa program under the leadership of Kirk Ferentz and why the program continues to have success year after year and we look back at this season of Iowa football. We look at the culture in the Hawkeye program and why that is such a key to the success of the team and the program under Ferentz. Then we preview the keys to the game against Vanderbilt and what they have to do to slow down their quarterback Diego Pavia. Also, what does Iowa have to do on offense to have success in this game. Finally, we share some great Norm Parker stories and the link that he created between Kirk Ferentz and Tom Izzo.
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Hawkeye Report Podcast 749
12/23/2025
Hawkeye Report Podcast 749
It's our year end wrap-up Hawkeye Report Podcast. Of course we will probably do one or two more before the end of the year, but this is our wrap on the entire season for all the various sports that we cover. We are joined by Tom Kakert, Kyle Huesmann, and Tanner LaFever to discuss the various sports and beats that we cover. We start with Iowa football and earning the Joe Moore Award on Monday and why it's a special award for this group and for Kirk Ferentz since Moore was his former high school coach and mentor. We then highlight some of the top stories from the Iowa football season, including LeVar Woods moving on, the close losses this season and other storylines this year. After that we move on to Iowa men's basketball and the stories of this past year, including the firing of Fran McCaffery and the hiring of Ben McCollum, along with a massive roster change. After that we move on to women's basketball and the stories from last season, which was the first for Jan Jensen leading the program. Plus, Kyle gives us an update on Emely Rodriguez and her status with the team. Kyle also talks about his other beats and the stories of Iowa baseball, women's soccer and field hockey. Finally, Tanner discusses the top stories for Iowa men's wrestling, including an individual title for a Hawkeye wrestler. He also gives us the top stories for the Iowa women's wrestling team, who won a national title for the second time. Plus what's ahead for both wrestling squads.
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Hawkeye Report Podcast 748
12/19/2025
Hawkeye Report Podcast 748
It's a semi-emergency edition of the Hawkeye Report Podcast. We have some breaking news today that long time special teams coordinator for the Iowa football program, LeVar Woods, will be departing the program after the bowl game. Woods will be headed to Michigan State to be their special teams coordinator and also assistant head coach. Tom Kakert and Matt Randazzo discuss this surprising news and the impact it will have on the Iowa program. We look back at the great success that Woods had in this role and the challenge that Kirk Ferentz will have to fill this role. What are some potential options for the Iowa head coach? Are there some internal options that he could look at to fill the role? We also talk some portal news. Yes, the portal isn't open quite yet, but the is plenty of chatter. We look at some of the positions of need for the Hawkeyes this year and wonder if Iowa will start a youth movement at linebacker this season. Then we move to basketball and discuss the suspension of guard Emely Rodriguez, who did not make the trip to NYC where the Hawkeyes will face #1 UCONN on Saturday afternoon. What are Iowa's chances in that game? Finally we discuss some of Ben McCollum's comments on Thursday regarding what he will be looking to add in recruiting this spring and his thoughts on fouling if you are up three late in a game.
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Hawkeye Report Podcast 747
12/09/2025
Hawkeye Report Podcast 747
It's the latest edition of the Hawkeye Report Podcast and we are talking bowl game invites and and a pair of huge in-state basketball games on the schedule this week in Ames. First, we start with the news that the Hawkeyes are going bowiling once again this year. Iowa is heading to Tampa for the seventh time in the Ferentz era and it's a new opponent. This time the Hawkeyes will face Vanderbilt, who had a 10-2 record this season, has scored over 30 points in all but one game this year, and have a Heisman Trophy finalist in Diego Pavia. We look at their season and take an early look at their key players. Also, we look at the bowl season in general. With what happened in the College Football Playoff selections aren't we looking like a new 16 team playoff coming next year? Perhaps even more? Then we are off to talking basketball where it's Cy-Hawk week in the state of Iowa. First we discuss the Iowa men's team, who picked up a significant win on Saturday afternoon over Maryland. What did we think of the victory for the Hawekyes, who shot it well and got out shot from the foul line by a significant margin. Finally we wrap up discuss what was almost a battle of top ten teams when the Hawekye women visit the Cyclones. We discuss the key match-up for the game in the post.
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Hawkeye Report Podcast 746
12/03/2025
Hawkeye Report Podcast 746
It was night one of Big Ten Basketball play for Ben McCollum and the Iowa Hawkeyes and the first road game was not a successful outing as they lost at Michigan State 71-52. On this edition of the podcast, Tom Kakert and Matt Randazzo discuss the defeat at the hands of the Spartans. What went wrong for the Hawkeyes and will those issues be a problem longer term this season? We look at the upcoming games for the Iowa men's team as they host Maryland on Saturday and then travel to Ames next week. What would be a realistic outcome for both games and we discuss why it is very important for Iowa to get a win on Saturday over the Terps. Then we move over to Iowa football because it's signing day on Wednesday. We breakdown the class of 18 players and discuss nearly all of them on the podcast. We talk about seven four star prospects and who stands out from that group. We also discuss the new trend with high school players, early enrollment into college and how 11 of these future Hawkeyes will be on campus startng in late January. Also, we talk about the transfer portal, which will become a hot topic in the coming weeks before the portal officially opens up after the first of the year. What are the positions of need for the Iowa football team in the portal this year and could there be spots where some Hawkeye players might be leaving? Finally we talk about the upcoming bowl invite and how it looks like the Hawkeyes could be headed to Tampa later this month to face an opponent from the SEC.
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The Chuck Long Podcast
12/01/2025
The Chuck Long Podcast
It's another edition of the Chuck Long Podcast with the former Iowa All American quarterback breaking down the Hawkeyes latest game. This week it's another win, in fact a rivalry win over Nebraska. We get Long's views on the play of the Iowa offense an how they were dominating the line of scrimmage and were able to run the ball for over 200 yards and pass it effectively for nearly 170 yards in the game. We discuss the plays that were called by Iowa OC Tim Lester and how they were executed by Hawkeye quarterback Mark Gronowski. What did we think of some of Gronowski's throws to the Iowa tight end DJ Vonnahme and wide receiver Reece Vander Zee. We also discuss the Iowa defense and how they also won the line of scrimmage and made the Cornhuskers one dimensional in the game. How did Iowa improve agains the run in the second half and the younger players who stepped up due to injury. Then we are going to discuss the next couple of week as Iowa prepares for their bowl game. Does a coach work a lot with their younger players? How do you handle the reserve quarterbacks as you try to get players out of the transfer portal. We wrap up talking coaching changes in college football and pick some games this weekend.
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Hawkeye Report Podcast 745
11/28/2025
Hawkeye Report Podcast 745
It's another post game edition of the Hawkeye Report Podcast. This time it's another pod following a win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Iowa blew open a close by by outscoring the Cornhuskers 30-3 on their way to a convincing 40-16 victory. Tom Kakert and Matt Randazzo dive into the win and the plays that were key in the game. We also discuss the incredible day for Aaron Graves, who became a father for the first time on Thansgiving Day and then rushed to Lincoln to play a football game. We discuss the strong performance from Mark Gronowski at quarterback and his key plays to DJ Vonnahme for a score and the amazing throw and catch to Reece Vander Zee. Then we dive into a look at this season and where the Hawkeyes might be bowling. Could a trip to Tampa be on the agenda? Finally we wrap up talking some Iowa men's basketball after their 2-0 trip to Palm Springs and what we learned about the Hawkeye team.
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The Chuck Long Podcast
11/23/2025
The Chuck Long Podcast
The Hawkeyes rallied in the fourth quarter from a double digit deficit to pick up their seventh win of the season. This week on the Chuck Long Podcast, we dive into what happened on Saturday in the Hawkeyes 20-17 victory over Michigan State. We talk about how Mark Gronowski and how much he struggled in the first three quarters of the game and how he picked it up and made huge plays in the fourth quarter. Long talks about what he would have done with Gronowski when he was struggling. Would he have potentially made a quarterback change? What did he think of the way Gronowski rallied and played in the fourth quarter? What was his analysis of the massive throws to Jacob Gill and Reece Vander Zee? We also discuss the crazy decision by the Michigan State head coach who said he wanted to challege Iowa return man Kaden Wetjen and how he paid for that decision. We then talk about hte Iowa defense and how they were able to get four straight three and outs in the fourth quarter. Finally we look ahead to the Nebraska game and how both teams will be on a short week and how travel on Saturday could impact hte Huskers in this game. What do we think of the new Nebraska quarterback? Finally, we pick some of the top games in the Big Ten during rivalry weekend.
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Hawkeye Report Podcast 744
11/23/2025
Hawkeye Report Podcast 744
It's another post game edition of the Hawkeye Report Podcast combined with Off the Air with Matt Randazzo as we break down the latest Iowa football game from all the angles. First we open discussing the Hawkeyes come from behind victory. How did Iowa rally from down by ten points early in the fourth quarter to raly and win by three points over Michigan State. What did we think of the incredible performance by Kaden Wetjen? How does he continue to make huge plays in the return game? Why do opposing teams continue to kick to Wetjen? Then we talk about the early struggles from Mark Gronowski that were the main part of the Hawkeyes offense for the first three quarters. What happened in the fourth quarter as the Hawkeyes rallied to win? What about the huge throws that he made to Jacob Gill and Reece Vander Zee? Finally we talk about the Iowa defense with four huge stops on the last four possessions from Michigan State. We also wrap up talking a little Iowa women's basketball after they beat Miami (FL) in Orlando on Saturday.
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Hawkeye Report Podcast 743
11/20/2025
Hawkeye Report Podcast 743
It's a special edition of the Hawkeye Report Podcast! To open the show we are joined by cross country and track and field athlete Will Ryan, who this week was named one of two Iowa student athletes named as winners of the Jackie Robinson Community Impact Award. The honor was created by the Big Ten to recognize student-athletes who strive to have a positive impact within their community along with excellence in competition. Ryan talks about his time as a teen at the University of Iowa Children's Hospital and the impact that Iowa athletes visiting him had on his life and how he has done that since arriving at Iowa as an athlete. He also discusses his Hawks Supporting Hawks wrist bands that athletes and others are wearing to support kids in the Children's Hospital. Along with that, Ryan is raising money for the Iowa Dance Marathon. To learn more about Hawks Supporting Hawks, To support Will Ryan at the Dance Marathon . After that, we dive into the rest of the Iowa sports news. Kyle Huesmann joins the pod to preview the Iowa women's basketball team playing Baylor on Thursday and we get the latest on Iowa women's basketball recruiting. Then we talk Iowa men's hoops. They have one final warm-up game against Chicago State on Thursday, followed by biggest tests next week. We dive into the men's team and what we think so far. We then move on to football and preview the game against Michigan State. Who starts at quarterback for the Spartans? What are we hearing on teh injury front for the Hawkeyes? Then we wrap up by picking games, including the Iowa game against Michigan State.
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The Chuck Long Podcast
11/17/2025
The Chuck Long Podcast
It's another edition of the Chuck Long Podcast! Tom Kakert and Chuck Long take their weekly look back at the Iowa football team and what happened on Saturday. This time it's a look back at the fourth game this season that got away from the Hawkeyes, the loss at USC on Saturday afternoon in rainy Los Angeles. We open discussing the 26-21 loss to the Trojans. Long really loved the way that the Hawkeyes started the game, basically for the entire first half with Tim Lester clicking on just about every play he called. Long discusses what he saw from the Iowa offense and how he wished that they would have stuck more with the run game in the second half. We weigh the idea that perhaps they were a bit too conservative in the second half? Also we look at the other side of the ball. The pair of USC wide receivers really impressed Long with what they were able to do. What did we think of the pass coverage? Was it simply a couple of great receivers making plays? How much of a factor was the weather in this game and when it stopped raining, was that the point when USC got their offense going? We also look into the idea that these four losses could have a mental impact on the Hawkeyes in the final two weeks of the season and how Senior Day is a pretty significant distraction. Plus we talk Big Ten Football and pick some games for the coming week.
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Hawkeye Report Podcast 742
11/16/2025
Hawkeye Report Podcast 742
It's another post game edition of the Hawkeye Report Podcast. We have a lot of ground to cover and Tom Kakert and Matt Randazzo do just that following Iowa's tough 26-21 loss at the hands of USC at rainy Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Saturday afternoon. We start with what went right for Iowa and that was just about everything in the first half. We discuss the trick play that resulted in quarterback Mark Gronowski catching a touchdown pass from Reece Vander Zee. We also talk about the fast start for the Hawkeyes overall, scoring on their first drive and using the pass to do most of the damage. Then we flip to what went wrong and there was some of that too, but a lot of it was simply the USC receivers going out and making huge plays. We discuss Makai Lemon and Ja'Kobi Lane and the impact that they had on the game and how Iowa's defensive backs would play good in coverage and still come up short. Finally we talk about fan frustration that we are seeing on social media and how this Iowa team is so close to being really good this year, but how they have been just a few plays short of that level of success. We also look ahead to senior day and update some significant injuries to the Iowa offensive line and secondary.
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Hawkeye Report Podcast 741
11/12/2025
Hawkeye Report Podcast 741
It's peak crossover season for college athletics and the rest of this week and into the weekend is certainly the case for the Iowa Hawkeyes. Tom Kakert and Kyle Huesman break it all down from football, to both basketball programs and recruiting, to field hockey, women's soccer, and both wrestling programs. First we open the show with a look back at the Iowa game against Oregon. What are our final thoughts on that dramatic game and is this going to be a Hawkeye Football season that will be remember by three plays that kept Iowa from being undefeated? Then we move over to this weekend and discuss the match-up with USC on the west coast. Iowa has not had a great deal of success out there in road games and we talk about that along with what looks like another heavy rain game for the Hawkeyes to navigate on Saturday. We also dive into what we see from the Trojans this season. They have a very talented quarterback and two very good receivers on offense to go with a solid defensive unit. After that we switch over to women's basketball where Kyle gives us the rundown of the Hawkeyes win over Evansville and his visit with former Hawkeye Molly Davis, who is a graduate assistant there. He also previews the Hawkeyes in-state battles this week, starting with hosting Drake on Thursday and then traveling to UNI this weekend. We also discuss the Hawkeyes signing a five star hoops player in the Class of 2026 today and what the latest is on another five star prospect who is considering the Hawkeyes. We then move over to men's basketball where the Ben McCollum also signed a player today in 6-8 forward Ethan Harris. We discuss him and what McCollum said today about recruiting in general and where they might be headed with signees in the spring. Also, we preview the game on Friday night against Xavier, who has struggled early in the year. Finally we wrap up with Kyle previewing Iowa field hockey in the NCAA Tournament on Friday, the Iowa women's soccer team hosting an NCAA Tournament game on Friday, and we also note our coverage coming this weekend of a special event for the Iowa women's wrestling team wrestling on a battleship and the Hawkeye men's squad at the national duals. And we also pick some college football games!
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The Chuck Long Podcast
11/10/2025
The Chuck Long Podcast
This week on the Chuck Long we have plenty to discuss with the former All American Hawkeye quarterback. This week we begin with the heartbreaking loss on Saturday to Oregon. We review everything involved in the game, starting with spotty special teams play, including giving up two points on a bad snap by the Iowa long snapper. Has that been a problem area all season? Then we move on to Iowa's struggles on defense against the run. What happened up front for the Hawkeyes? After that we talk about the two huge drives that ended the game. First, we discuss the impressive 93 yard drive led by Mark Gronowski. What did Long see on that drive from the Iowa quarterback? Then we get his views on that drive by Oregon QB Dante Moore, inlcuding that incredible throw that essentially won the game. We discuss the importance of leadership this week in bouncing back from a tough loss to the Ducks and we start our preview of USC. What do we know about the Trojans so far this year and what type of offense does Lincoln Riley run? What will the challenge be like for Iowa this week on both sides of the ball? Finally we wrap up with a look back at the weekend in the Big Ten. Who had a good weekend? Who had a rough one? After that we pick games for the upcoming weekend of college football.
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Hawkeye Report Podcast 740
11/09/2025
Hawkeye Report Podcast 740
It's our combined post game podcast with Matt Randazzo from the Off the Air Show. This time we are breaking down the Hawkeye gut punch loss on Saturday to Oregon. We start with where it ended, the drive by the Ducks to get into the red zone and kick a game winning. How Iowa almost got a stop and then one big passing play changed everything. We then work backwards to the outstanding 93 yard drive that Mark Gronowski guided down the field for a score to give the Hawkeyes the lead for the first time in the game. What went right in that drive and the big plays that Iowa and Gronowski made in it. How the Iowa quarterback has been pretty clutch in recent weeks. We talk about the concerns that came out of this game, including a regression in tackling by the Iowa defense after it had been improved in the last three weeks. Also we talks about hte special teams issues in this game that proved costly, specificially a pair of wayward snaps, Finally, we wrap up discussing what's next. Can Iowa get off the deck? How will they do it? What will they be facing in USC and what do they have to play for with the College Football Playoff now out of reach.
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Hawkeye Report Podcast 739
11/06/2025
Hawkeye Report Podcast 739
It's a three man weave on the Hawkeye Report Podcast this week. Tom Kakert, Matt Randazzo, and Kyle Huesmann come together this week to talk about Iowa women's hoops, Hawkeye men's basketball, and we preview the huge football game this weekend between Oregon and Iowa. First, we talk about the start of the college basketball season and begin with the Iowa women's hoops team. They were dominating in their performance, pulling away for comfortable win. Kyle Huesmann guides us through our discussion of the season opening win and what he saw from Hannah Stuelke and Ava Heiden on the court as they led the way for the Hawkeyes. Also, could there be a change in the starting lineup needed in the near future? Then we are off to talk about the beginning of the Ben McCollum era of Iowa men's basketball. It was a strong performance from the Hawkeyes, scoring 101 points in the win over Robert Morris. We talk about the strong start from the Iowa team and how they established their defense. What did we think of the rest of the game and the play of Bennett Stirtz and his teammates? After that we move on to Iowa football with a huge game coming up on Saturday afternoon. Iowa hosts Oregon and the winner stays alive to make it to the College Football Playoff this year. We run down the Ducks roster on both sides of the ball and the challenge they present. We discuss what the Hawkeyes need to do on both sides of the ball to beat Oregon and give our prediction for the outcome. Plus we pick several other games this weekend.
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Hawkeye Report Podcast 738
10/31/2025
Hawkeye Report Podcast 738
While the Iowa football team is on a bye this weekend, that doesn't mean that the folks at Hawkeye Report are taking time off. In fact, we have a lot going on with a busy week of Iowa sports to discuss on the podcast. We open this week with Kyle Huesmann breaking down the Iowa women's basketball team and their exhibtion game on Thursday evening. Who were the surprise players from the game and who made the biggest impact on the contest? Did this impact how we view the Hawkeyes heading into the season and what might the fearless forecast look like this year? Then we move on to the Iowa men's basketball team. They start play on Tuesday and we have not yet had the chance to see them play after having a pair of secret scrimmages. What did we hear from those scrimmages and what might be an area of concern coming out of them? We look at some amazing Ben McCollum stats and give our fearless forecast for the upcoming season. We move on to Iowa football where a rather honest quote from Iowa defensive coordinator Phil Parker about Oregon has set off Ducks fans. Is it much ado about nothing? What do we make of the Oregon team being a 6.5 point favorite Finally we move to wrestling where Tanner LaFever joins us to break down everything he learned at Iowa westling media days for the men and the women. What were some of the storylines coming out of what Tom Brands had to say? What about the Iowa women, who will be chasing the first NCAA title in the history of the sport?
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The Chuck Long Podcast
10/27/2025
The Chuck Long Podcast
The Hawkeyes dominated the Golden Gophers on Saturday afternoon and we are breaking it all down on the Chuck Long Podcast. We get the views of Chuck Long on the performance by Iowa quarterback Mark Gronowski. What does he say about how you need to view the Hawkeye signal caller in terms of his total yards? We also discuss how this game was basically decided in the first quarter and certainly early in the second quarter after Iowa has scored on a punt return, interception return, and scores on offense. We discuss the remarkable achievement of Iowa returning an interception for a score in 18 straight seasons. We also talk about the comparision of Kaden Wetjen and Tim Dwight as far as punt returners. Lastly, we talk about how just about every year we see the Iowa defense really take steps to improve during the season and how they have done that in a rather dramatic way in the last few weeks, particularly when it comes to tackling. Then we look ahead to the bye week and get Long's thoughts on the way that Iowa should apporach their work this week. Would it be the same way as the first week? Can players make a leap during bye week? Yes, they can. Finally we take a trip around the Big Ten and what we saw this past weekend and wrap up picking games this week in the Big Ten and around tthe country.
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Hawkeye Report Podcast 737
10/26/2025
Hawkeye Report Podcast 737
It's the post game podcast with Tom Kakert and Matt Randazzo. We breakdown the Hawkeyes dominating win over the Golden Gophers, which was a victory from beginning to end. Iowa dominated Minnesota from the start of the game, scoring on a the first drive of the game and building a 31-0 lead at the halftime break. We discuss the Hawkeyes scoring in just about every way possible. They scored on a traditional touchdown on offense, a pick six (for the 18th straight year) and also a punt return by Kaden Wetjen. We breakdown all those key plays that helped builid that lead. Also we are talking about Mark Gronowski and his performance. All he does is win and keep Iowa moving in the right direction. Then we discuss the Iowa defense and their improved play, particularly when it comes to tackling and creating turnovers in the last couple of weeks. Then we look ahead to the rest of hte season. There are four games left in the regular season and plenty to play for this year for the Hawkeyes. Why do Ferentz teams get better as the season goes along and which games remaining are the toughest on the schedule.
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Hawkeye Report Podcast 736
10/24/2025
Hawkeye Report Podcast 736
It's a special edition of the Hawkeye Report Podcast as Tom Kakert and Tanner Lafever are joined by Mark Bader from FloWrestling to discuss his outstanding documentary on Iowa women's wrestling and their first year of competition. By the way, Bader and FloWrestling got the finish that they hoped for as Iowa won the national championship. We discuss how this project came together heading into their first season of team competition and how he had to convince Iowa women's wrestling head coach Clarissa Chun that she should allow them into the wrestling room to chronicle that season. Bader discusses what the challenges were for the project and who some of the stars of the documentary were from a wrestling perspective and how he was able to tell their stories. He also talked about how he had a breakthrough moment with Coach Chun and what that fairytale ending came together perfectly for the project. You can watch the three part documentary for FREE at this link: Part three is released next week.
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Hawkeye Report Podcast 735
10/23/2025
Hawkeye Report Podcast 735
It's getting to that very busy time of the year for Iowa athletics and the Hawkeye Report Podcast has you covered on all the fronts. Tom Kakert and Kyle Huesmann are on the podcast to review what we have learned this week and preview a busy weekend ahead. We open with a quick look back at the win over Penn State and some last notes on what we learned from that game. Then we move on to this week and what we have learned in our press conference with Kirk Ferentz and talking to the Iowa players. What will happen this week at middle linebacker for the Hawkeyes? Who will Iowa be getting back from injury this week and how do they fit into the plans? Then we preview the game this weekend against Minnesota. While PJ Fleck is the anti-Ferentz in terms of his personality, he's built a program that mirrors Iowa in a lot of ways as far as how they go about winning football games. We discuss the Gophers and what we have learned about them heading into the game and how they match-up with the Hawkeyes on Saturday afternoon. We also talk about a potential busy weekend for Iowa football recruiting before moving on to Iowa men's basketball where the Hawkeyes will host Texas Tech in a secret scrimmage on Friday. What should Iowa fans be looking to learn from that scrimmage this week? We then move on to talking Iowa baseball, which wrapped up their fall ball this past week. Also, we talk some field hockey as they host two big contests in Iowa City this weekend. Then we wrap up by picking some college football games, including the Minnesota/Iowa contest.
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The Chuck Long Podcast
10/20/2025
The Chuck Long Podcast
This week on the Chuck Long Podcast, we open discussing the fact that it was 40 yards ago this past weekend that Iowa and Michigan matched up in a #1 vs. #2 game at Kinnick Stadium. We get Chuck's memories of that historic game. We take a long look back at the Hawkeyes win over Penn State. We start with the performance by Mark Gronowski, who had runs of 67 and 38 yards in the game against the Nittany Lions. What did Long think of his performance as he ran for 130 yard in the contest. We get Long's thoughts on the overall play of the Hawkeye rushing attack. How underrated is Kamari Moulton as a running back? How well is the Iowa offensive line playing right now? On the other side, what can be done to get the Iowa passing attack moving? Also we talk about the Iowa defense, which continues to get better with each passing game. This was potentially the best game of the career of Xavier Nwankpa. We look at his performance and the fact that Iowa is really using the blitz more this season and it's been very effective, particulaly late in the game. Then we preview the game against Minnesota and discuss whether P.J. Fleck is trying to build a program that looks almost exactly like Iowa under Kirk Ferentz. What will be the keys to that battle for Floyd of Rosedale? Finally, we wrap up picking games this week, including the win of Minnesota vs. Iowa.
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