Hawkeye Report Podcast

It's become an annual tradition for the podcast to have Luka Garza and his father, Frank, on the podcast every summer to talk basketball and promote his upcoming camps around the state of Iowa.  For those who are interested in having their children attend the camps taking place in Urbandale, Cedar Rapids, Dubuque, Davenport, and Keokuk early in the month of August, please go to this link: www.lukagarzaacademy.com We open discussing the camp and what it will be like for children attending the events and how he uses what he has learned to give back to the kids in the state of Iowa. We also talk about his amazing physical transformation and the role his father played in it.  Then we talk about being able to sign a two year contract with the Timberwolves and his four year journey to make it in the NBA. We also talk to Garza about playing with Anthony Edwards as he becomes a star in the league.  Garza also keeps an eye on the Iowa basketball program. He discusses what he has seen from sophomore to be Owen Freeman

It's that time of the year. Once again on the 4th of July, we have predictions to make. Tom Kakert is joined by old friend Jon Miller to do a game by game breakdown of the Iowa football schedule and give our overall predictions for the outcome of each contest.  Before we get to the game by game outlook, we have a general discussion about the state of Iowa football and the change at offensive coordinator. Will that have a significant change in the performance of the Iowa offensive in 2024.  Then we dive into the schedule for the Hawkeye football team, beginning with Illinois State and ending with Nebraska. We also look at the overall result of the season and what it might mean. Could Iowa be in the conversation for a trip to the expanded College Football Playoff?  We than wrap up with a few bold predictions regarding the Iowa football team in 2024.   

It's a special edition of the Hawkeye Report Podcast. We turn our attention to the upcoming Big Ten football season with our good friend Scott Dochterman from The Athletic. He has taken a new role at The Athletic as more of a Big Ten reporter and talks about that to open the show.  Then we discuss Kaleb Brown and his DUI arrest this past weekend and how Kirk Ferentz might handle it. After that we move on to some heavy Big Ten talk. We start first with a look at the four newcomers to the conference and how they might perform. Can we learn anything from previous new conference teams and how they have done after joining the Big Ten? Which team might be overrated and underrated coming into the Big Ten season and why? Is Ryan Day officially on the hot seat heading into this season? Are we giving Michigan too much credit heading into this year? Is Nebraska actually going to be good this season? Who are some of the top players on offense and defense heading into the season in the Big Ten? We also talk about the Coll

It's a good news and bad news podcast to start the week. Tom Kakert and Matt Randazzo are back together and we open with the news of the day, wide receiver Kaleb Brown was charged with a DUI early Sunday morning. What does that mean for his status with the team? What sort of suspension will be in order?  Then we move to the good news and that's a pretty successful big recruiting weekend for the Hawkeyes. As of Monday evening, Iowa has picked up four commitments from the visitors with another one potentially happening on Tuesday. What are our thoughts on the commitments from this past weekend? How Iowa did well with offensive linemen and what do they still need in this class? We also discuss the recruitment of Iose Epenesa, who wrapped up his official visits this past weekend. 

Our summer of podcast series continues. This time we are joined by Masters and British Open champion and Iowa superfan Zach Johnson. On July 1st, Johnson will be hosting his foundations golf classic, which benefits his Kids on the Course program that has impacted thoughts on kids in the Cedar Rapids area. You can learn more about the event here: https://zachjohnsongolf.com/zjf-classic/ We also talk about the upcoming John Deere Classic and former Hawkeye Keegan Murray playing in the event this year. Last year it was Caitlin Clark playing in the event with Johnson for the first nine holes. Johnson talks about how impressive Clark has been in handling all the attention that is coming her way and if the comparisons to Tiger Woods and what he did for golf vs. what Clark is doing for women's basketball are fair. Then we discuss some Iowa football and the upcoming season. Will the Hawkeyes exceed their 7.5 win total this year? Can they get to 10 wins and potentially be in the mix for a spot in the college football

We continue our summer podcasts and go off the beaten path a bit as we are joined by fantasy analyst for Yahoo Sports and Iowa alumni Andy Behrens. We talk about the Chicago area native landing at the University of Iowa and what attracted him to the Hawkeyes. What was his college experience like from a sports perspective going Iowa football and basketball games and some of the special games that he attended.  Behrens is also a women's basketball fan even before Caitlin Clark arrived. He talks about being a season ticket holder and making the journey to their NCAA Tournament run this year, including being at the iconic win over LSU to clinch a trip to the Final Four. He's also a Chicago Sky season ticket holder, so how is he approaching the conflict between Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark. Then we discuss how he got involved as a fantasy sports writer and turned it into a career. We dive into the Iowa tight ends in fantasy football and how he was telling anyone who would listen heading into last season that they

We continue our coaches series for the summer podcasts by visiting with the Director of Player Development and Assistant Coach for Iowa Basketball Tristan Spurlock. His daily job involves helping to develop the Hawkeyes players on the court and also now he is getting involved on the recruiting side as well with several prospects.  We open discussing Spurlock and his early life in basketball as a player and the journey that it took him on around the world. Then that journey somehow ends up in Iowa City at the gym ran by a former Iowa player and during Covid, a place where Hawkeye players began playing pickup basketball. That evolved into working out players like Patrick McCaffery and then being offered an opportunity by Fran McCaffery.  We talk about his job in player development and what that is like on a day to day basis. How he developed the way he works with players each and every day. Also, does that conflict with players who have their own workout coaches? Then we discuss the current Iowa roster of playe

Our week of podcasts continue with a turn to Iowa Football. We are thrilled to have Iowa defensive line coach Kelvin Bell on the podcast today. We open talking about growing up in Olive Branch, Mississippi and making his way to Iowa City, IA to play for the Hawkeyes.  Bell talks about his coaching journey, which began at Iowa City Regina High School and included stops at Cornell College, Wayne State, and Trinity International coaching offensive line, before landing a GA role at Iowa. We discuss the coaches along the way that were important to Bell and his development and then we turn the discussion to playing defensive line and the current roster of players. We discuss the four likely starters and the key reserves who could play a role this season along the defensive line and the potential of some true freshmen who just arrived on campus.  Finally we wrap up talk about the state of college football recruiting and the role of NIL in sports. How is it impacting recruiting and what parents and prospects want to

Our summer of podcasts continues, this time with another great one featuring an Iowa women's basketball player. We are joined by a new member of the Hawkeye squad, transfer Lucy Olsen, who speaks about her reaction to the retirement of Lisa Bluder in great detail and how she got a call from her and Jan Jensen before the news was released.  We talk to Olsen about arriving in Iowa City and getting right into the gym to get shots up and that gym rat mentality that she has to her game. What have practices been like for her so far in Iowa City? Does she have a strong relationship with Taylor McCabe so far and how has Abby Stamp been to work with from a coaching perspective?  We also discuss Iowa fans and the reception she has gotten so far since arriving in Iowa City and the type of player that Hawkeye fans should expect to see this winter. Also how excited is Olsen to play in front of big crowds in Iowa City? 

We continue our summer of fun interviews this week on the podcast. We are joined by Iowa women's basketball shooting guard Taylor McCabe. The sharp shooting guard is very honest and open about her career at Iowa and how she may have thought about leaving after this past season.  McCabe also talks about what it was like the day that she and her teammates found out on a Zoom since they are all at home that Lisa Bluder was retiring as Iowa's head coach and that Jan Jensen was going to replace her. She also talks about how much she will miss Coach Fitz, who also retired with Bluder.  Then we dive into the first few workouts with the new team and how things are different without Caitlin Clark, Kate Martin, and Gabbie Marshall. What does she think of her new roomate Lucy Olsen and how they are both gym rats. She also has praise for one of the new freshman players early on in practice.   

We have a very interesting podcast for you today. Joining us is Bailey Turner, who is the Assistant Director of Strategic Communications for Iowa athletics. His job the last two years has been being the sports information director for Iowa women's basketball.  In the last two years, Turner, who is a native of Boone and Iowa graduate, has had a front row seat for the historic Iowa women's basketball team and the play of Caitlin Clark. When did he realize that this team would become as iconic as it did in the last two years?  What was it like working with Caitlin Clark from his perspective the last two years and how impressive has it been the way that she handles the media? Did she come to Iowa pretty much completely fully formed in dealing with the media.  We discuss Wright Thompson contacting him wanting to do a story on Clark and how that process worked. He also talks about how Thompson went about plotting out the story and the time he put into it.  We also discuss some of memorable and amazing moments that

It was a big day in Iowa athletics. The replacement for Ed Podolak was named it's our good friend Pat Angerer. He will replace Podolak in the radio booth this fall and be paired with Gary Dolphin on Saturday afternoons to call the Hawkeye football games.  We talk to Angerer about his process in getting involved and interested in this job. What was the interview process like for him and he talks about his recent simulated game with Dolphin prior to being offered the job. What does this job mean to him? Will he be nervous once he officially gets started calling games on Saturday's?  Then we move on to discuss Iose Epenesa and his official visit this past weekend. Did Iowa move into a lead position to land the legacy prospect and four star defensive end? What were some of the key parts of Iowa's sales pitch?  Finally we talk about the latest Caitlin Clark drama and being left off the USA Olympic team this year. 

Time to get the podcast machine fired up again to start the month of June. Tom Kakert and Kyle Huesmann get you caught up on the latest news in the world of Iowa athletics. This week there is plenty to cover when it comes to Iowa baseball, Hawkeye men's and women's hoops, an update on Caitlin Clark and the abuse she is taking in the WNBA, and we have a lot of football news as well. We open the show discuss the news this past week regarding Iowa baseball and Rick Heller is looking for a new pitching coach. What's the latest on that front? Also the portal for baseball opens this week. Which players could be return for the Hawkeyes and what might the starting rotation look like for Iowa next season? Then we turn our attention to Iowa women's basketball. Jan Jensen could be making the hire of an assistant coach as soon as this week. What do we think that assistant might be like and what skill set do they need? We also talk about Jensen making a couple of new offers and hosting a 2026 visitor and we get a status r

It's an annual tradition for us on the podcast this time of year. We are joined by former Hawkeye football standout Jake Gervase, who is holding his fourth annual Rally for Reid Football Camp coming up on June 21st.  You can learn more about the camp here at the link: https://www.rallyforreid.org/ It also includes a cheer camp for girls on the same day. Gervase discusses how he became friend with Reid while in college and the impact he had on his life. We also talk about his star studded list of former Hawkeyes serving as coaches for the event.  We also catch up with Gervase about his potentially last football game, which was for Minnesota where he was signed on  Thursday for a preseason game and then played over 90 snaps with basically no training camp. We talk about his time with the Rams and the surprising retirement of Aaron Donald and how good he was as a player. Finally we wrap up discussing Phil Parker winning the Broyles Award and how great of a coach he is for defensive backs at Iowa. 

It's another edition of the Hawkeye Report Podcast and this time, unfortunately, we are wrapping up a very frustrating Iowa Baseball season. Tom Kakert and Kyle Huesmann discuss Iowa's controversial loss on Thursday to Illinois. Kyle was in Omaha and was actually the pool reporter who spoke to the Big Ten head umpire about the interference call that essentially ended the Hawkeye comeback in the tenth inning and the Iowa baseball season.  We look back at the missed opportunities in the last two games of the season and go in-depth on the season, which is filled with what if's all over the place. We discuss the season and how the pitching, particularly the bullpen, struggled a good portion of the season and how the team gave up too many walks.  Then we look at the hitters and how two key injuries late were essentially a final blow to the season. Finally, we look ahead to next season, at least as much as we can. Brody Brecht is moving on, but beyond that a whole lot of question marks that we explore.  We wrap up

It's a rare solo Hawkeye Report Podcast. Tom Kakert flying solo to discuss the latest news in the world of Iowa athletics.  First we once again pub the Chuck Long Charity Auction that wraps up on Saturday night. You can register and bid at this link: ctcqc.home.qtego.us/ We also give some early pub to the Rally For Reid football camp coming up on June 21st in Davenport. More on that event, hopefully next week.  Now the news of the week. We do a little housekeeping getting everyone caught up on what turned out to be a very busy and eventful week in Hawkeye sports. We first discuss the start for Caitlin Clark in the WNBA. She's being guarded closely and tighter than any player in the league. What should be take away from the start she has had and is there glimpses of progress?  Then we stick with Iowa women's hoops and talk about hte Jan Jensen hire. What did she have to say about recruiting? What about hiring an assistant coach to replace herself on the staff? They will be on the road this weekend, how was tha

EMERGENCY PODCAST!!! Massive news for the Iowa women's basketball program. Lisa Bluder has announced her retirement. That's huge news, but Iowa also announced that associate head coach Jan Jensen will be taking over as the new head coach.  Tom Kakert and Kyle Huesmann dive into all of this. We start with Lisa Bluder announcing her retirement and try to put her career in perspective. From her humble roots coaching at St. Ambrose to 24 seasons leading the Iowa program, Bluder did it by building a great culture at every stop. We discuss her legacy and how she was able to take the program to a level no one thought was possible going to back to back national title games. We also talk about how it is fitting that Bluder and Caitlin Clark end their Iowa careers together.  Next we look at the immediate hiring of Jan Jensen. It should have been a surprise, but we talk about the quick decison and the impact that decision will have on the Iowa program moving forward. What could be some of the assistant coach options for

A special edition of the Hawkeye Report Podcast. On this show we are joined by J.R. Koch and his son Cooper, who will be headed to Iowa City to play for the Hawkeyes this fall. We catch up with both of them for a joint podcast to discuss Cooper and his development as a player. How does he compare to his father in terms of a game? We discuss Cooper starting to come to Iowa camps when he was in fourth grade and how he eventually earned the full attention of Fran McCaffery, who offered him a scholarship before his ninth grade year. We also talk to J.R. about his relationship with McCaffery and how he actually recruited him when he as at Notre Dame.  We also discuss how J.R. Koch looks back at when he arrived on the Iowa campus. We also discuss with Cooper about how excited he is to get to campus and be with his new teammates in the month of June to start working out as a Hawkeye. 

It's a new Hawkeye Report Podcast and we launch the bidding for the Chuck Long Charity Auction which benefits the Children's Therapy Center of the Quad Cities. Listeners of the podcast can enter a special drawing for gift cards and special gifts by registering and placing at least one bid on an item. Just place an HR (for Hawkeye Report) a space after your name when you register. You can bid at this link.  https://qtego.us/qlink/ctcqc On the podcast, we are joined by our great friend Dan Burich, who was the first emcee of hte auction and he also covered the Hawkeyes for many years in the 80's and 90's. He has plenty of stories about Hayden Fry, Lisa Bluder at St. Ambrose and much more. Plus we tell some other fun media stories as Dan was responsible for Tom Kakert and Matt Randazzo meeting each other. After we visit with "The Wildman" we move on to discuss the latest edition to the Iowa football team, quarterback Brendan Sullivan. What are our thoughts on the Hawkeyes adding a quarterback? Do we think the Haw

Even though it's technically the off-season, there's always plenty going on in the world of Iowa football and basketball. Tom Kakert and Matt Randazzo jump on the podcast this week to discuss all the latest Hawkeye news.  We start with a look at the quarterback situation in Iowa City. Deacon Hill hit the portal last week. Tommy Poholsky joined him on Monday. That leaves the Hawkeyes with just three quarterbacks on the roster heading into the summer. Should Iowa fans panic? Nope. We discuss why Iowa has already been looking to the transfer portal this spring. We also look at why it's not as crowded in the transfer portal so far this spring and why the Hawkeyes will eventually find someone. Also, Iowa is hunting for a wide receiver in the portal. We discuss their main target and look at other potential wide receivers in the portal if they were to miss on their #1 choice. Finally, we look at the scholarship situation for the Hawkeye football team and as of Monday, they are still over the limit. Then we move on t