January 30, 2025 • 52 mins
In this episode, we dive deep into Iowa's women's basketball with David Eickholt, discussing the team's top recruiting weekend, Caitlin Clark's iconic status, and potential future stars. We also touch on the men's basketball struggles and Fran McCaffery's tenure. The conversation shifts to Iowa football, highlighting key transfer pickups, including quarterback Mark Gronowski, and what they mean for the program.
If you love the show and want to show support, tell your friends! And, check out our exclusive content at Patreon.com/washedupwalkons where you can find extra podcast episodes, exclusive merchandise, Merch discounts with every tier, private Walkon discord channel access, and more!
Find us on social media @washedupwalkons
Visit TheWashedUpWalkons.com for all of our episodes, merchandise, and more!
If you love the show and want to show support, tell your friends! And, check out our exclusive content at Patreon.com/washedupwalkons where you can find extra podcast episodes, exclusive merchandise, Merch discounts with every tier, private Walkon discord channel access, and more!
Find us on social media @washedupwalkons
Visit TheWashedUpWalkons.com for all of our episodes, merchandise, and more!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Great podcast lined up.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
David Iicult returns a lot of good feedback on the
weekly series we did with him during the season. Gonna
try and make it a monthly thing in the offseason.
And this is the first installment. We catch up on
the five transfer portal grabs for the Iowake Eyed football team.
David's thoughts on those transfers, including a lot of basketball
talk here, Caitlin Clark, Jersey retirement, recruiting, tons of stuff.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
Let's have a day.
Speaker 3 (00:24):
Let's go this morning Wednesday morning, January twenty ninth, first time,
(00:54):
Welcome back to the new year.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
We have David back on the podcast.
Speaker 4 (00:58):
Long January, are you Yeah, it's been It's been pretty long,
but you know, life's good man. I did not get
the reset I was kind of hoping to get obviously
with everything going on.
Speaker 5 (01:09):
But I got plenty of time in the future do it.
So we'll just going on keep with it.
Speaker 4 (01:15):
Well, I was hoping to go on vacation and like
drop off the face of the earth for a couple
of days.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
But where's Vaca.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
Where's the like number one vacation spot for David Eicle
On a beach, Mexico.
Speaker 5 (01:26):
On a beach, somewhere. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (01:27):
I usually go to Grand Cayman Island's been going down
there for like twenty plus years. I was hoping to
get to Florida, uh like on the beach, but you know,
I might want to stick in Iowa just based on
the weather that's been down there lately.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
Dude, my nose is peeling. I was in Florida this weekend.
Oh yeah, I was in Miami, but it was cold.
It was cold, like.
Speaker 5 (01:48):
Yeah, that's all I'm saying.
Speaker 4 (01:49):
The SEC is so upset the fact that they haven't
won titles in two years that they're converting to Midwest
weather to try to regain some of their mojo.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
It's tough, tough down there in the SEC. Just means
more up here.
Speaker 5 (02:02):
Uh, just different.
Speaker 4 (02:03):
I'll tell you what, though, love to see Rodrigo Blankenship
try to kick in that weather, because I can tell
you Dy Duncan wouldn't hit it.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
You want to put me on a soapbox and just
turn this into a different podcast, We'll just go right
into that.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
I mean, the guy missed this.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
There's God, there's some serious problem with choosing all Americans
and or like the Groza Awards specifically that year was
chosen I think before the conference, before.
Speaker 5 (02:37):
The two in the SEC Championship.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
Yeah, indoors, indoors in the biggest game of the year. Meanwhile,
Keith Duncan is just banging them through off of like
bad grass in thirty seven degrees, like oh my god.
And even even in complete vacuum outside of that take
the weather away, I'm pretty sure Keith still has like
(03:00):
nearly the exact same percentage he did. So it was like,
it was, no, we've got We've We're glad to have
you back here on the on the walk Ons.
Speaker 5 (03:11):
There's been different not being here, man, it's been weird.
Not gonna lie.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
I know, well we just you know, not that you're
not important, but there are other guests that we want
to bring on in the off season.
Speaker 5 (03:23):
I think have a you know, I think they got
the one up on me.
Speaker 1 (03:28):
Decent start for the walk Ons in the off season.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
Like when Jay and Luke both responded, I was like,
oh man, it's gonna be a good year.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
I know well received podcast.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
Even Luke Elkin was on Monday and somebody was like, man,
I know it was a nerdy long snapper podcast, but
this is like top.
Speaker 1 (03:46):
Three for me.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
It's very cool to hear about an eighteen year old
being thrust in there like three weeks onto campus.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
Most people didn't even know that. So yeah, we're no,
we're we're happy to have you back.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
We're going to talk about a couple of things today,
might even talk a little basketball, your full swing basketball
right now.
Speaker 5 (04:05):
Yeah, things are. That's why I didn't get the break.
Speaker 4 (04:08):
I think kind of given everything with with the women's
team and obviously the men's team, and that's we can
probably do a whole podcast and what's going on right now.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
But yeah, I know nothing about basketball in the sense
that like I can stand here and talk to the
people and give them valuable information. I am on the
same level of them as just like speculation, and I
see scores and and them, you know, put out certain
performances against teams.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
So I am.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
I am a pure observer of basketball. And it is
where I wanted to start today. Not just because this week,
I think yesterday or two days ago, your big podcast
came out with Caitlin. Congratulations on that, not that like
that's some for you personally. You're like, yeah, I can
do a podcast with Kate, like you have that relationship
with her covered her for four years all this stuff,
(04:52):
but that is a huge deal, Like she's not just given,
she's not just giving podcast interviews to anybody.
Speaker 5 (05:00):
Yeah, it's going to.
Speaker 4 (05:00):
Bring that up to me, Like does people are making
full YouTube reactions to the podcast, like.
Speaker 5 (05:05):
Oh yeah, like people magazine picked it up, Like this
went way bigger than I thought it was going to be.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
Dude, So I'd love your opinion on this. She has
continued to elevate into this icon outside of even sports
at this point where I actually think if you're going
to have the argument of like most influential athlete to
ever wear a Hawkeye uniform, like it it was at
(05:32):
one point her and Nile Kinnick, and I think she's
and it's not fair because social media wasn't a thing,
And yeah, that's the big thing for me.
Speaker 1 (05:43):
If Nile Kinnick was around today, like how big is he?
Speaker 5 (05:45):
Right?
Speaker 2 (05:46):
Yeah, and if he doesn't pass away like tragically in
his life continues on in the government like he was
going to like people were saying he had a.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
Great chance to be the freaking president of the United States.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
Now that's another level. Never got to do that, but
like he did what he did his legacy is what
it is. I think Caitlyn is on an entirely new level,
untouched by anybody.
Speaker 4 (06:11):
I'll tell you this because it's funny you brought that
up because I was talking about with some of my
media colleagues last night at the women's game when I
was covering the north the wind over Northwestern. I think
there's a legitimate argument to say that Caitlin Clark is
one of the fifty most famous people in the world
right now. Oh, because because here's why. And somebody related
(06:32):
it to Michael Jordan. The fact that people who didn't
even like basketball knew who Michael Jordan was.
Speaker 5 (06:38):
They pay attention to Michael Jordan.
Speaker 4 (06:40):
There's a significant portion of Caitlyn's fan base now I
feel like that don't like basketball.
Speaker 5 (06:47):
Yeah, they don't even watch a mass cultural icon.
Speaker 4 (06:50):
Like when you transcend what made you famous and you
just become this brand, that's when you know you've really
made it. Like I mean, shit, Tyler, She's sitting in
a box with Taylor Swift at a Chiefs playoff game
and like, now they're best friends.
Speaker 2 (07:06):
I was gonna say, now, like in the in the swifties,
you get on their good side, like you know, they're
you just.
Speaker 4 (07:13):
Gained very happy in my real opinion on Taylor Swift,
let's put it that way.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
You gain their you gain their favor, like you just
gained millions of followers slash like semi fans. Yeah don't
who don't care about the basketball. But she sat with
Taylor in the box. Taylor seems point example, Taylor seemed
to be happy that that that.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
That they're friends. So she's good with the Swifties.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
So now Caitlyn has, you know, forty million Swifties that
are her fans.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
Like she's uh, I don't.
Speaker 2 (07:44):
Yeah, fifty fifth, top fifty in the world, certainly like
the top fifty trending in the world.
Speaker 5 (07:49):
Yeah, easily, she's.
Speaker 4 (07:50):
I mean, it's tough because politicians and like obviously musicians
like Taylor Swift is arguably the most famous person in
the world. When that's insane to say, probably alongside you know,
probably the world leaders and stuff.
Speaker 5 (08:01):
But it's it's crazy.
Speaker 4 (08:03):
You think this girl from Des Moines, Iowa, who was
hyping up her dog and that was a cardboard cutout
in Carver Hawkeye Arena, is now this larger than life figure. Uh,
but no, it was interesting too, because I had a
couple of people bringing up on the podcast and I
didn't even think twice about it, but they were saying,
you know, Caitlin hasn't done any actual media and like
(08:24):
since the Kelsey podcast and before that, she hadn't done
a and like a few weeks before that. So I
was like, oh, yeah, I kind of got a shout Caitlin.
That's all I can really say.
Speaker 1 (08:36):
Like, yeah, absolutely, I mean I reached out.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
I sent her a DM on Twitter and I was like, yeah,
I know that this isn't gonna happen and this should
have been done like three years ago. If you ever
want to come on the podcast, we'd love to have
you for like twenty minutes even, like.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
I you know, our fans would love to hear from you.
But I understand you've elevated yourself.
Speaker 2 (08:59):
The The Jersey Retirement is four days from today.
Speaker 1 (09:05):
That's Sunday.
Speaker 4 (09:05):
Yeah, it's gonna be Sunday at twelve thirty and it's
gonna be insane. Yeah, Like I think it's gonna be
a top three atmosphere that's ever been in Carver.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
And that is for the USC game, which.
Speaker 5 (09:20):
J Watkins coming to town.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
Yeah, they're they're fourth in the country or something that
like that right now.
Speaker 4 (09:25):
Yeah, and their second best player just got cleared off injury.
So I mean they're they're they're great. Like it's they're loaded,
and everybody kind of knows that. And I think Juju
Watkins is gonna come in and be extremely competitive, like
she's gonna want to come into Carver and drop forty.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
Oh yeah, I mean she's yeah, which is such a
sick like if you're a competitor. Yeah, you go into
somebody else's jersey retirement like ceremony, and you know, they're catching.
They're catching the Hawks at a decent time, a decent
year like this has turned into it may be unfair
for me to say you could reclassified if you want.
(10:01):
I would call a rebuilding year for Iowa.
Speaker 4 (10:05):
And Jan said herself too, I mean before the season,
because she knew the expectations were going to be just
extremely unrealistic considering that the fact that they just made
two national championship games.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
Yeah, you know, I think you were hoping, probably as
a fan, that you could just reload. Just really it's
just when you have an app when you have a
nuclear bomb, you can't just reload in nuke, right, and
so like we're working with great weapons. Still not to
get militaristic here, but uh, but they're not Caitlyn.
Speaker 1 (10:36):
They're not Caitlin. They're not and they're not Kate Martin,
who's who's doing her own.
Speaker 2 (10:40):
Thing, balling in unrivaled and like she's done her own Yeah,
like she's got her own lore that's like attached to
Caitlin and the rise of I Like, it's it's crazy
just the cultural impact that this.
Speaker 4 (10:52):
So I'll tell you this because I'm previewing it for
this week too, and I know we've got a lot
of football and stuff talk about, but this is important.
Speaker 5 (10:59):
I will say this.
Speaker 4 (11:00):
This is the most important recruiting weekend the history of
Iowa women's basketball. And it's the biggest because you have,
again I don't know how much you've really dope into
this with everything you're doing. They have seven visitors on campus,
including five star ass and Deal, who's obviously signed.
Speaker 5 (11:15):
They have the number one overall recruit.
Speaker 4 (11:18):
In twenty twenty six taking an official visit, who is
extremely close with Addison Deal, and I.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
Do think that is that the Welixe girl.
Speaker 4 (11:27):
She is. Her name's Kate Harpring. She's from Atlanta. She's
a five to eleven guard that's averaging thirty six points
a game in the highest division in Georgia.
Speaker 1 (11:37):
Thirty six game.
Speaker 4 (11:38):
IOWA has a realistic shot at landing her, and her,
like I said, her and Assen Dealer are very close.
Speaker 1 (11:44):
And deals like the twelfth rated player, isn't she.
Speaker 4 (11:47):
She's ninth by us, but she's a consensus five star.
She's legit. And then they're also bringing in I think
another two or three different five stars. So I mean
this is I'll tell you this, if they land Kate Harpering,
Long said ass and deal with this freshman class, I
was going back to a final four.
Speaker 2 (12:07):
Yeah, yeah, well, because that's the thing is is, And
I hope that Iowa fan see this. I don't think
the hype is gonna.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
You know, it's a tough year. They're battling, as I
understand it.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
Right now, I think I saw something maybe even you
retweeted it where they're like last four in right now
this year.
Speaker 5 (12:23):
Yeah, they needed to win last night, but you got
to keep in mind three of their losses have come
down the final possession, and every single loss they've been
within a possession. The fourth quarter, like Iowa was not
getting blown out by any means.
Speaker 4 (12:34):
Yeah, and I think that's encouraging for a lot of
the younger players. But they know they're right there, and
you know, ultimately, I think people underestimate, like overestimate recruiting
when they go to a visit somewhere. It's not all
about the wins and losses. I think a good win
really can help elevate the visit. But they're looking at
(12:55):
fan base, looking at nil now, they're looking at resources,
looking at the coaching staff, they're looking at the weapons
around them. Because if Iowa, you know, people go visit Iowa.
Right in Iowa gets beat by ten to fifteen points.
If Iowa say's competitive with USC, that's a big win
because every female basketball player knows, like that's a top
five Final four caliber team.
Speaker 1 (13:14):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (13:15):
If I'm the Iowa coaching staff, they say, Okay, look
how great our freshman classes. We're losing these couple of people,
but look how good they're going to be. Insert you
into that and look where you guys can go.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
And that's what you have to try and translate to
these young girls in high school.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
Like and it almost is a.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
I would never advocate to be like where the Iowa
basketball team is right now record wise, and like where
they sit in the like where they'll be in the
tournament and stuff. But as a product of that, when
a team is down, there is a certain extent to
a recruit. And I know these five star recruits and
whether it's a girl or a boy, or a basketball
(13:54):
player a football player, these five stars have this mentality
and it's part of why they are who they are.
Yea of like I'm him or I'm her, and I
can go in and change it, like that's who I am.
Speaker 1 (14:09):
I'm that good. And so with a little bit of
struggle this year, they can see that opportunity there.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
Oh Iowa was Iowa is lacking something and that something
could be me And like.
Speaker 4 (14:25):
Yeah, Clark, so she wanted to take him back to
a final four. She didn't want to go to a
perennial blue blood exactly.
Speaker 2 (14:31):
And then you get you know, if you get Addie
Deal and this other girl from Georgia and you insert
them with Stremlo and get.
Speaker 1 (14:40):
Geiton is unbelievable.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
Gen has been so impressive, I think maybe the most impressive. Uh,
she's she's Ian Mulaney.
Speaker 1 (14:51):
I mean, they're these these girls.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
Can play and and and Jan is playing them. There
was at one point like she runs this like all
friends lineup.
Speaker 1 (15:00):
That's like she just lets them go.
Speaker 5 (15:02):
It gave him the spark.
Speaker 4 (15:03):
Last night, they had one senior and there alongside three
freshmen and a sophomore, and they made that run that
first quarter and that kind of separated them, kind of
gave them the least the wiggle room because I was
down eight early last night.
Speaker 5 (15:15):
Yeah, but Aliah getten again.
Speaker 4 (15:17):
So I believe her mom is a former Brazilian national
team player basketball player.
Speaker 5 (15:21):
Her dad's aj.
Speaker 4 (15:23):
Geidon, who's a third leading scorer in Indiana basketball history.
Speaker 5 (15:27):
Like she knows the game.
Speaker 4 (15:29):
And on top of that, the thing that really impresses
me the most, Tyler is a week ago we talked
to Jan and we'd asked her, you know, who's speaking
up in the huddle. We didn't even get the question
now about who the leader is. And she said, Aliah Geiden,
you have a freshman who wasn't fully cleared until November
twenty six because she tore her acl or senior year
(15:49):
of high school, so she didn't get a do fall
like any practice with them whatsoever. Wasn't fully cleared till
the season actually started. And then you go in there
on a team that has seniors who have been a
two final fours and have won three Big Ten tournament titles,
and you say, hey, yeah, this freshman's one of the
biggest leaders on the team.
Speaker 5 (16:08):
Like that's got to be so encouraging. And I know
people are thinking about, oh, that's bad for.
Speaker 4 (16:12):
The short term. Don't think that way at all, because
jan knows this. Jana is so smart. And this is
why I try to convey to people. They know it's
a short term struggle right now, Tyler, they're coming, Yeah,
like they're they're going to be really damn good for
the next sever like the foreseeable future.
Speaker 1 (16:31):
Yeah, I know, it's so sick.
Speaker 2 (16:35):
I think people just have to get through this year
and then it's going to be like another like like
what we've had with Caitlin is going to be back
as far as what it will satisfy that urge of
like being a top team again. I think immediately next year,
like another year for like a year of development for
all four of these freshmen that are insane, Like you
(16:57):
had a couple five stars to that potentially and it
could be dangerous. I watched that and play and it
was so fun to watch her be so aggressive like
against like and she's not big and she's so aggressive
and she can handle it and she finishes at the
rim like it's it's incredible. So to hear that she's
got the vocal leadership already, it's dangerous, standarous.
Speaker 1 (17:19):
It's fun. Let me see.
Speaker 5 (17:22):
I was.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
I was. We got into the.
Speaker 2 (17:25):
Oh yeah, and then the pod with Caitlin. I just
think it's cool. It's cool for you to get that
pod because you cover these players and you have a
unique relationship with them, and then that relationship turns into
you being able to land that podcast.
Speaker 1 (17:45):
Four years later, right Yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
I just think about like, like you approaching that with
players now, like cause you're you're doing that every year
as a reporter or team Like, I mean, that's the
biggest thing for you, is access and the insider info
and all all that stuff.
Speaker 1 (18:03):
And I think it's it's a testament to you. And
I think it's sick. I don't know. I think, no,
landing that is so cool.
Speaker 4 (18:13):
Here's my thing to kind of stumm it up again.
I really encourage people to go watch it. I I
had a blaster with it, but like the best response
I've seen it is exactly what I'm going for is
a lot of the top comments were just saying, it's
so clear how much you guys trust you to trust
each other. And for Caitlyn to like go into like
an interview like that and just not be guarded, especially
with a journalist, because it's different. She goes all with
(18:34):
like the Kelsey's right, because those are professional athletes, retired athletes,
like they know.
Speaker 5 (18:41):
It's just it's a different sort of vie.
Speaker 4 (18:42):
But to go and do a podcast with a journalist
and just be completely free flowing, it's.
Speaker 5 (18:48):
Yeah, it's different.
Speaker 2 (18:49):
It's an interesting dynamic for like those I mean, she's
a list superstar, like who they they have to actually
manage and be careful of who they are ever around
or who they talk about, who they give access to.
Speaker 1 (19:04):
And so it's it was it was cool.
Speaker 2 (19:06):
Let's slip over to the men the men's basketball team,
and I'll be honest.
Speaker 1 (19:10):
I'll be honest.
Speaker 2 (19:11):
I don't watch I've watched a little bit of the
girls games if they're on ye if they're on TV
and I happen to catch it, I haven't watched a
single second of men's Iowa basketball. And this isn't because
of how they're doing. It's because of it's just me.
Even when we had Garza didn't watch any I didn't watch.
(19:32):
When we had Keegan Murray, I didn't watch Iowa basketball.
It's a me thing, not a basketball fan, is what
it is.
Speaker 4 (19:38):
My important context, just considering how everything is going right now, honestly.
Speaker 2 (19:42):
Right, That's what I'm saying, is like, I That's where
I'm coming from. It seems like because I still see
all the Twitter updates and the clips and all that stuff,
that's how I get my news, Like I know the
Iowa team won or loss because I see the tweets
about it.
Speaker 5 (19:57):
Yep.
Speaker 2 (19:58):
Yeah, it seems as though, so you know, we're losing
a lot of games, we're getting blown out here, blown
out there. But then like kind of randomly we have
like these individual performances or these individual guys who are
like and these guys can really play some basketball, like
they are ballers. Like can I get a just a
gist of this year's Iowa men's basketball in a nutshell?
Speaker 1 (20:17):
Like like what's going on?
Speaker 4 (20:20):
I think there's a real danger of them not making
the Big Ten tournament.
Speaker 1 (20:25):
I mean just the last three teams, right, they take fifth,
last three teams.
Speaker 4 (20:28):
Yeah, I'm very surprised by this year's team because I
didn't expect them to be great by any means. Well,
I thought they'd be an NC of like caliber tournament team.
I still think talent wise they are. I think there's
a lot of.
Speaker 5 (20:38):
Things I've gone against them.
Speaker 4 (20:39):
I think certain development of certain players hasn't really taken
place or like where they thought it would be. At
this point, I think Iowa defensively is just falling short
on every single metric.
Speaker 5 (20:50):
And when Owen Freeman.
Speaker 4 (20:52):
Goes out of the game, Tyler the poster shreaks seventy
percent the rim.
Speaker 5 (20:55):
I mean, yeah, you're not going to win games like that.
You're just nice.
Speaker 2 (21:00):
I see this thing, like, man, it's really old to
have every team have a career shooting night against us,
Like it's always against us, and at some point you're like, man,
this is a lot of luck or it might just
be an US problem.
Speaker 5 (21:15):
That's after the USC game. I said, people need to realize.
Speaker 4 (21:19):
The Wisconsin game when they gave up twenty one threes
on or sixteen, like that's a career night, Iowa's defense
was not good, but at some point, like people still
have to miss right, Wisconsin just wasn't missing whatsoever. But
when it translates to USC, when it translates to UCLA,
now Ohio State really wasn't a career night. But in
(21:40):
the last four road games, Tyler, this was a part
of my column yesterday, and the last four road games,
Iowa has trailed by at least nineteen points at one point.
Speaker 1 (21:51):
It's not good.
Speaker 5 (21:52):
It's a scary trend.
Speaker 4 (21:55):
And guess what, and not to be the bear of
bad news or rain fire upon anybody. I think I
know where this fan base sits right now. The schedule
is not getting easier, like no, well, I I honestly, Tyler,
I'm trying to think of I should how I should
phrase this.
Speaker 2 (22:11):
Let let me let me, let me go in and
then you can think and I can speak. I can
speak so candidly here because I'm I'm unbiased and totally
emotionally detached, which I feel I do a pretty good
job of on the football side, being someone who played,
but there is still always that bias. I've never denied
that bias, but for basketball, I don't give a shit.
(22:31):
I mean, I'd love the Hawks to win, but I
just have zero attachment to it.
Speaker 1 (22:35):
From what I see, fans are.
Speaker 2 (22:36):
Basically like the apathy is all time high. Nobody shows
up to the games, Like all I see is the
empty picks of Carver.
Speaker 1 (22:46):
It's clearly not an issue.
Speaker 2 (22:47):
It like, uh that fans want to come and watch
basketball in that arena for this, for this Iowa program,
because then when the girls games happen, it's sold out
and people are all over the place, right and you're
gonna see that sun. So it's a team thing or
a staff thing or a player thing. And it looks
like and there was some again outsider perspective, very fringe
(23:11):
from what I saw last year.
Speaker 1 (23:13):
You know, you have Pat and Connor move on from
the program.
Speaker 2 (23:21):
The youngest kid comes out and says, I'm not going
to Iowa. I don't like, I want to kind of
do my own thing, like Frans at the end of
his career, Like is the end of Fran's career?
Speaker 1 (23:31):
Like is this it? From an outside effective?
Speaker 4 (23:37):
I think there's an above zero chance. And I lean
more toward the S than no at this point. And
that's just more of a gut feel. I really haven't
doved too much into the weeds about this. I'm just
sort of reading the tea leaves and piecing things together
at this point because.
Speaker 5 (23:52):
I also still have a problem with it.
Speaker 4 (23:53):
Being January twenty ninth and saying change needs.
Speaker 5 (23:57):
To happen immediately.
Speaker 4 (23:58):
And it's kind of my wrong because I know how
people felt about the Brian Farrens my opinion about the
Brian Farreent situation, and in this situation, I think there
are two different departments because one was a coordinator or assistant, one's.
Speaker 5 (24:11):
The head coach. So there's levels to this.
Speaker 2 (24:13):
In my opinion, well, from my perspective, it seems like
a thing where I'm not even saying that their performance
or because France did a lot of good things, taken
to a lot of tournaments, right, has the whole Sweet
sixteen thing monkey on his back. But he's done a
lot of good things. He's done a lot of great
players have produced.
Speaker 1 (24:32):
In the Iowa basketball program. I don't think that I
mean this is bias. This is just who I am
football basketball scheme.
Speaker 2 (24:39):
Like when it comes to coaching, I am always gonna
think that coaches deserve more time than most people do.
I'm not even saying Fran should be fired or they
should try to get him out of there. I'm just
viewing it as like a, oh, maybe this is what
Fran wants, Like I think Fran might.
Speaker 4 (24:53):
Yeah, That's where I was gonna start trending too, because
keep in mind, Iowa was actually recruiting at a really
decent level right now.
Speaker 5 (25:01):
For basketball, they they got Josh Lewis.
Speaker 4 (25:05):
He's the second highest rated guy in the Fran era. Yeah,
Like he's the top seventy prospect. He's a really good player,
fits IOWA system extremely well on both ends of the floor,
willing defender. They have the Isaiah Johnson argue from Miami,
who's gonna be eligible immediately next year. Like, he's recruiting
pretty decent right now. That's kind of the flip side
(25:27):
of it though, too. But I also am of the
belief that you can't keep Like I'm saying from a
best perspective, not saying one thing should happen, But if
you're an athletic director and you analyze the situation and
you decide to keep a coach or something based off recruiting,
I think that's stupid. I think it's extremely short sighted,
especially with the transfer portal nowadays and how you can
(25:48):
rebuild in a year. Sure, and that's why coaches aren't
going to get more time. So but if we talk
about Franz stepping away again, from what I understand, I
think Franz still wants to coach. I think he's still
you know, he still loves coaching. But at the same time,
if you're talking about when it makes sense for everybody involved. Again,
I'm not putting out my opinion on this yet, the
(26:09):
tea leaves add up to potentially this year being the year. Sure,
youngest son goes to Butler, middle son's done with basketball
because Patrick has no other eligibility. Connor still coaching at Butler.
Maybe fran wants to go support and watch his son
play basketball instead, like coaching his sons or like watching.
Speaker 1 (26:27):
Right, it certainly wouldn't be surprising.
Speaker 2 (26:29):
You know, you're towards you're in your what is he
sixties or something?
Speaker 1 (26:32):
He yeah, coached.
Speaker 2 (26:35):
Financially, he's set up forever. He wants to go enjoy
his kids.
Speaker 4 (26:39):
The other side of it, too, is and this is
the larger picture when it comes to Iowamen's basketball, because again,
certain criticism is a friend. I understand. I think they're extreme.
I think they're valid. People have a right to be
upset or apathetic, right, But there are far more issues
than the coaching staff. Iowa resource wise is not good.
It's in a difficult recruiting area for basketball, especially men's basketball.
(27:02):
Especially the locker rooms aren't good. Like there's a lot
of extra little stuff when you compare them to the
rest of the Big Ten. Tyler, Yeah, Iowa's falling shortened.
There are certain big picture administrative things that Beth will
have to take on whether Fran returns to Iowa or not.
Speaker 5 (27:18):
Yeah, it's because there are larger.
Speaker 4 (27:19):
Issues I hand it, nil. I mean, Iowa is probably
a bottom four program right now in NIL in the
Big Ten for basketball.
Speaker 2 (27:26):
I was just gonna say, there's an issue of where,
like you got a school like Iowa. The reb share
is going to help, Yes, but when, but when when
Caitlyn comes in and does her thing? And now we
care about Iowa women's basketball, Like I mean, if you're
asking me, I'm giving just as much or more to
the women right now, like it's you got.
Speaker 5 (27:49):
For some people.
Speaker 4 (27:50):
But I also I'm kind of leaning toward the same
boat as you. If you have a chance to elevate
yourself as a blue blood of a sport, which, by
the way, is probably the fastest surging sport in college athletics. Yep,
I think you get out ahead of the curve. And
I'll tell you that would be the one that probably
pushed that envelope a little bit.
Speaker 5 (28:09):
She seems like got.
Speaker 2 (28:09):
The golden goost, David feed the golden goose, and that's
Iowa basketball. There's no doubt, like, if you're looking at
this from a macro perspective, you have very very few
chances to establish yourself as a.
Speaker 1 (28:21):
Quote unquote blue blood.
Speaker 2 (28:22):
Yeah, it's a very strong term Iowa men's basketball. It's
a stat like there's a way to go Kansas, North
Carolina Duke, like you Ron breaking We're not breaking through there.
You could give us one hundred million dollars and I
don't think we break through there. Women's basketball on the rise.
Not very many programs where you're like, hey, that's the standard,
(28:46):
and Iowa could become one of those.
Speaker 1 (28:48):
If they get.
Speaker 2 (28:49):
Through this year, you give them money, they get a
couple five stars, and for the next decade we're a
Sweet sixteen team every single season.
Speaker 1 (28:57):
That's where you feed the money.
Speaker 5 (29:00):
Here's what I'll say too about the men's program.
Speaker 4 (29:02):
And this is kind of what I've hung my hat
on for the past few weeks, probably at least since
that Minnesota lost, maybe a little.
Speaker 5 (29:09):
Bit before that.
Speaker 4 (29:10):
Right, an angry fan base is far superior to an
apathetic fan base because anger implies emotion and care and
love for something.
Speaker 5 (29:23):
Apathetic is is what it is.
Speaker 4 (29:27):
Yeah, we're not you know, we're not emotionally invested at
this point. And I think that's when the scariest thing
is going to come at the end of this season,
whether it be Fran having to make a decision, whether
it's Beth having to make a decision, or maybe Iowa
rips off eighth straight and we aren't having this conversation.
But even if that happens, Fran has been in Iowa
(29:49):
so long, And again I'm not my opinion, I'm just
speaking and from from the fan base perspective and giving context. Yep,
I think it's going to be incredibly difficult, regardless of
what Fran does, because he's been here for so long
to get an apathetic fan base to fully buy in.
Speaker 1 (30:04):
Again, Yeah, it will be whether there.
Speaker 4 (30:07):
And again, I particularly don't think it's all Fran's fault.
I think there are a lot of other issues at hand.
Speaker 1 (30:13):
It's never a single fault.
Speaker 4 (30:15):
No, like for a Again, I say this for anybody.
If you think all the issues are going to be
solved by Fran leaving Iowa, I got news for you.
Speaker 5 (30:25):
It's that that's just not the case.
Speaker 4 (30:26):
Now, certain things might improve, certain things might regress, right,
but that just comes with the nature of making a
significant change.
Speaker 5 (30:34):
But again, it's January twenty ninth.
Speaker 4 (30:36):
I want to have this conversation in six seven weeks
because I want to see how what everything kind of
shakes out.
Speaker 5 (30:42):
But again, that schedule is gonna be very difficult.
Speaker 4 (30:45):
And I also want to see if Iowa doesn't make
postseason basketball, Like.
Speaker 5 (30:51):
I'll say it, what happens in the portal.
Speaker 2 (30:53):
Yeah, I mean, let me just let me just pull
up my calendar here and schedule it. Schedule you in
for six or seven weeks for me, I'm to have
that conversation.
Speaker 1 (31:00):
Uh no, that's really good.
Speaker 2 (31:01):
That's thirty minutes worth of basketball talk, and and that's
exactly that's actually exactly how I wanted today's podcast to
go out.
Speaker 5 (31:07):
One of the front there you go okay, I was
gonna apologize.
Speaker 2 (31:09):
We talked no, no, no, you know you're like, I know,
we got football to talk about now, Like I wanted
to get a little update on basketball, and who knows,
probably over inflating how much I think people actually care
about that conversation, but I think it was a good conversation.
We'll flip the football now. Basketball is always fun. It'll
continue to go through the spring. We'll see what happens
both programs since we last talked. In fact, the last
(31:35):
time we talked, it was all but like it wasn't
official yet, but I think the next day Hank Brown.
Speaker 1 (31:41):
Committed yep officially.
Speaker 5 (31:44):
That holy yeah.
Speaker 2 (31:46):
Basically yeah, we basically like talked like, hey, he's he's
pretty much in, but they're gonna go after somebody else,
and they got there somebody else.
Speaker 1 (31:56):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (31:57):
In fact, they had five transfer portal pickups this this season.
I don't think, you know, the two linemen aren't really
getting a whole lot of play. The receiver got a
little bit of buzz, but obviously the biggest stuff was
Mark Gronowski, two time national champion, bum shoulder, but he's
won like five hundred games at the FCS, level becomes
(32:19):
a Hawk guy.
Speaker 1 (32:22):
That's a huge pickup stun.
Speaker 4 (32:24):
This was the type of guy that I awad needed.
Kudos Kirk Farents, Kudos Tim Lester. They got the guy.
Speaker 5 (32:34):
This is the guy you overpaid for.
Speaker 4 (32:36):
And again I don't think I ow overpaid because I
know other schools offered him more.
Speaker 5 (32:41):
Okay really, but.
Speaker 2 (32:42):
Yeah, and I'm not gonna I'm not gonna like make
you divulge. But Miami was sort of interested, Wisconsin was
sort of interested. His coaching staff went to Washington State.
He like he had a lot of options.
Speaker 4 (32:53):
Miami, from what I understand, would have offered over two.
Speaker 1 (32:58):
Point two million if he wasn't hurt.
Speaker 5 (33:00):
But they wanted to check out. They were a little
bit scared of it Shore. But again I wrote this
from the beginning, right when he entered the portal.
Speaker 4 (33:08):
Contrary to what anybody says, I'm gonna stick my chest
out and say what I've always said. There was no
shot he was going anywhere else but Iowa or the NFL.
He was not going to Wazoo, he was not going
to Miami. He was not going to attack.
Speaker 2 (33:20):
What kind of NFL grade did he have? Like what
like if he decided to pursue that route. Where where
was he going to go?
Speaker 5 (33:26):
Fifth or sixth round?
Speaker 1 (33:27):
Day three?
Speaker 5 (33:28):
Yeah, day three.
Speaker 4 (33:29):
But again I mean that that's where Iowa can thrive
in the nil space. I mean you can get a
guy like that and convince him to come back for
another year. And again for Gernowski made perfect sense.
Speaker 5 (33:39):
One.
Speaker 4 (33:40):
If you're the quarterback who elevates Iowa's passing offense, there's
a grade.
Speaker 5 (33:44):
It's going up.
Speaker 2 (33:46):
Well, ky Rocket, I tweeted this when when he committed
or something, and I think some people misunderstood it. By
no means, do I think Mark Gronowski will be like
I suppose he could be gonna.
Speaker 1 (33:58):
Be hard in one year.
Speaker 2 (34:00):
I don't think he ends up being a top ten
Hawkeye football player of all time.
Speaker 5 (34:04):
No.
Speaker 2 (34:05):
I do think that because of where the program is
right now, go back to that apathy thing with the
offense and like, hey, we're really trying to dig this
thing out of a massive hole that we should have
never been in the first place. I think the he
could be one of the most influential important had question
of all time because of the position he plays and
(34:26):
the time at which he steps into the program. Man
if you're the guy to dig them out of hell.
Speaker 1 (34:34):
Bro, Like, I don't think.
Speaker 4 (34:36):
Lance Sam Phillips without Mark Gronowski. I think going somewhere
else too, I mean like that, But that's what I'm saying.
It's one of those things Tyler like Gronowski is a
three level thrower. And for people who are upset about
his shoulder and worried about stop the King McNamara injury
versus Mark Gronowski injury, they're so far apart it's stupid
to compare, Like, I'll talk my shit a little bit.
(34:58):
It makes zero sense on every single level.
Speaker 2 (35:01):
However, though you know from the outside you can understand
a little bit of like weariness, Yes, God, yeah, another
guy who's got another certain like is this gonna happen
to us again?
Speaker 1 (35:11):
Because we do all feel burnt right now?
Speaker 2 (35:13):
Yes?
Speaker 4 (35:14):
No, and that that part of it I means fair,
But I'm saying, like, the difference between the injuries, the
context of the injuries, and the severity of the injuries
are so far different, and that that's I'm going But
as far as like Iowa fans being a little bit
nervous because they have an injured quarterback, yes, I'm not
gonna argue against it. You're you're right to feel that way,
no question. But two things are important. One, kid McNamara's
(35:38):
leg was shredded, Like, let's let's call it what it was.
He had, he had a huge rehab to do before
he even got to campus. And obviously everything happened during
his first year. We saw that Gronowski played with his
bad shoulder all year and guess what, still pretty damn good.
Speaker 1 (35:55):
Yeah, it was great, really good.
Speaker 4 (35:58):
So that that's kind of wrong going with that is
now he's gonna be healthy. Now he's gonna be ready
to go. And on top of that, he ran a
similar system at South Coast State. Yeah right, he ran
a similar style offense. So this is not Kate mc
namar situation where he has to go in learn a
new system, et cetera. And on top of that, too,
Gronowski's legs are fine. He can go through progressions, he
(36:20):
can go through the footwork. He won't be throwing a football.
Speaker 1 (36:22):
Yeah, big Like. I like that.
Speaker 2 (36:25):
If you if you're gonna get nitpicky about it, I
like that the injury was upper body and it wasn't
major versus lower body. Because what we're looking for on
the Iowa court, like, yeah, you got to throw the ball,
but like, yo, we're not throwing it fifty times and
a game, and you're not throwing it downfield, like we're
not just taking shots where like we would be concerned
(36:47):
about like someone who with a shoulder injury, who we
need to come in and throw.
Speaker 1 (36:50):
Twenty bombs a game.
Speaker 2 (36:52):
Right, he just has to be serviceable, like Stratton or
Sullivan showed flashes of like just be serviceable, but with
your with your legs, and that's what we love about
Brendan Sullivan. Hey, extend the play like be an athlete,
and those seem to be fine. Although he did have
an ACL earlier in his career, but lower BodyWise, he
(37:12):
seemed to be sturdy for the last three years.
Speaker 1 (37:14):
That's how to go to state.
Speaker 4 (37:16):
Remember his first game post ACL was that seven to
three game in Iowa. Yeah, yeah, so I know some
people are worried about that. As far as what he
can do at the FBS level, I would caution you
again not to buy into that because Number one, I
think he just got cleared like a couple of weeks
before that.
Speaker 5 (37:32):
Number two he only played one year. Number three, do
you remember that fucking defense he had to go against.
Speaker 2 (37:39):
Yeah, he went against his third best defense in the country,
potentially in the argument for one of I.
Speaker 1 (37:45):
Was best defenses all time.
Speaker 5 (37:46):
Yes, So again, I think Gernowski's a tremendous pick up.
He's a three level thrower.
Speaker 4 (37:51):
I think he's going to have to protect himself a
little bit better running the football than he did at
the FCS level. He's a bigger he's a big guy,
but he he wasn't afraid to run over some people
at the FCS level. You're not doing that against you know,
Penn State, Ohio State, Oregon. Just protect yourself And that
was the big thing with Brendan Sullivan too. Love doing
(38:13):
Brendan Sullivan extending his plays.
Speaker 5 (38:14):
But the kid won. It's so bad he didn't protect himself.
Speaker 2 (38:18):
He just gets crunched in that UCLA game and it
opens up a whole new world to him. I think
I think the important stuff for Hawkeye fans as a
former guy, the quarterback stuff is proven, right. I think
what's exciting about Gronowski is his pedigree, the fact that
he was a leader on multiple national championship teams. I
(38:39):
don't care if you're at the D three level, that
sort of leadership and intangible qualities, those are huge. And
then of course everything he brings to the table physically.
So I'm very excited about him. What can you tell
us about Sam Phillips? And then and then further than that,
we got this guy, Bryce Hawthorne, Jonah Pace.
Speaker 1 (38:59):
Are those guys starters? Are those guys coming in?
Speaker 5 (39:02):
I think they'll be rotational players.
Speaker 4 (39:05):
I really needed a couple of defensive defensive tackles in
the rotation. I mean, you lose why a black who.
I don't know if you saw his measurables the other day, Tyler, I.
Speaker 2 (39:12):
Don't know if you saw the clip of him dominating
some offensive.
Speaker 1 (39:15):
Oh yeah, he's he's gonna get paid.
Speaker 4 (39:18):
He's about six six three forty. He measured out at
I mean he is a freaking tank.
Speaker 5 (39:24):
I always think I remember how big as arms measured
out at.
Speaker 4 (39:27):
But yeah, I mean, those those two guys defensive tackles,
I think they're gonna be really, really solid. I I
don't think any of them are particularly stars right away.
I think Hawthorne is a very underrade pickup that he's
gonna be a dude in about year or two. I really,
really believe that. I think he'll be very serviceable from
year one. But Sam Phillips was a big get. I mean,
(39:47):
he's he's a he wants to be a big time
playmaking guy. I don't know if Iowa gets him if
they don't land Gronowski. And he even told Sean back
he said, yeah, getting Gronowski helped, because you know, he
has scheduled visit US seeds and ended up making that
trip when there's contag recruited, went to Vawtech to a
couple of things like that. But the biggest stat to me,
(40:09):
which is so important, seventy eight targets last year. Zero drops.
Speaker 1 (40:15):
That's that's like Larry zero drops.
Speaker 5 (40:19):
That's what Iowa needs.
Speaker 4 (40:21):
Any consistency, guys that can go over the middle only
about five to ten, but his physicality and his willingness
to be an athlete and go up and get those
fifty to fifty balls.
Speaker 5 (40:30):
He wants to stretch the field. He's a possession receiver.
Speaker 4 (40:32):
He could throw him in the slot, throw him as
an undersized outside guy. Versatility and more importantly, Tyler proven production.
I mean, this wide receiver room is still in the
process of being revamped. I actually think John Bud Myers
done a pretty decent job thus far. I know he's
been you know, I was critical of the higher initially.
I think a lot of people were, and quite frankly,
for good reason. I think there was a little bit
(40:54):
of reason to be nervous about it. But they bring
in Terrence Smith, a four star freshmen who I think
could potentially shake some things up. Jerriett Bowie had a
couple of nice catches last year. I'm really excited about
Jacob Gill and Sam Phillips together. I just think those
two are very similar but also very different at the
same time. Those can be Gronowski's kind of go two weapons.
(41:14):
So very excited about Phillips. I'm curious where he kind
of breaks through as far as the rotation. But yeah,
I think I Wouled did a nice job in the portal.
I would have liked them to lay in a cornerback.
Maybe they go after one in the second cycle. Remember
the second cycles on the open for ten days. I
believe it's April sixteenth to April twenty fifth, and I
(41:36):
was usually still in spring practice, so that's kind of
a difficult time frame because usually there's spring games around
the twenty second, eighteenth to the twenty second typically interesting.
Speaker 1 (41:47):
Interesting.
Speaker 2 (41:48):
So yeah, it does feel like they addressed you know,
it was huge to get Dunker.
Speaker 1 (41:55):
And Jones back on the line.
Speaker 2 (41:57):
Yes, and I think that not only just for Grenowski,
but just like the line in general. So like we
didn't have We kind of talked about that the last
time you were on, as you we didn't actually have
to address that as much as we maybe in the
beginning of the season initially thought we would. It does
seem like the cornerback position, especially with uh, well it's
(42:18):
going to be a Cooper Bowl, by the way, and uh,
there's there's a reason that the Eagles got better when
they put him in, and it's because he affects football games.
And I think you think maybe an underrated uh talking
point is how much we just miss a genial.
Speaker 4 (42:39):
We knew, we knew he was so good, but man,
just when you watched last year, you really see, damn
he really did change everything.
Speaker 1 (42:49):
Yeah, we we really did miss him.
Speaker 2 (42:51):
Like he had that he had that effect that Desmond
had after he had a crazy year.
Speaker 1 (42:56):
Uh yeah, he had like two and.
Speaker 2 (43:00):
It's like, well, yeah, because they they they completely decided
to just not throw that Way and Cooper had that
same effect.
Speaker 5 (43:08):
And I think the side I don't know why.
Speaker 4 (43:13):
Yes, I was saying, yeah it was maybe God blessed
those guys, those corners who had like shut down corners
because God, they got targeted. They probably were playing decent
defense half the time. But yeah, teams were only looking
over there.
Speaker 2 (43:26):
Yeah, I'm pretty sure maybe was on the other side
for Desmond's final year. And yeah, maybe, I mean maybe
floated around in the league for a while. He was
he was on teams for four or five years. I
think practice squad stuff like that. So hell of an athlete.
Speaker 1 (43:38):
The uh, we'll see.
Speaker 2 (43:40):
It's again one of those things with Phil and the
defense where you're like, they're gonna find somebody, somebody's gonna reload.
Speaker 5 (43:47):
Like I really really want to see Cam Buffington, dude, Like.
Speaker 4 (43:52):
I mean just everywhere. Like I I love their linebacker QUI.
I love the linebackers they have in that room. I
think they're gonna take a little bit of time to adjust,
but you know, Steth Wallace will get those guys right.
Speaker 5 (44:05):
And that freshman class they probably in last year.
Speaker 2 (44:08):
Linebacker they've got, dude, they have, they got like the
best athletes of Iowa always end up in the Iowa
linebacker room, and it's just like God, it's unbelievable.
Speaker 1 (44:19):
And outside of Iowa.
Speaker 2 (44:20):
But yeah, the if they can figure it out in
the secondary and just shore some things up, get you know,
just get a little bit better.
Speaker 1 (44:28):
I mean, ex is back right again, one more year back.
Speaker 5 (44:31):
He had to come back like I had to.
Speaker 4 (44:34):
I think he knows it's it's kind of a make
or break It's it's a make or break year for
him because I think he has all the athletics in
the world. I think he's a good kid. I think
it's a smart kid. He has to piece it together,
and I think he thinks through things too much. I
think guess to trust his preparation. I don't think he's
done a good job with that.
Speaker 1 (44:52):
Sure. Cool, Well there's your update.
Speaker 2 (44:58):
I thought about I thought about calling this like the
Ike Report or something like that.
Speaker 1 (45:04):
No, it's good. It's good.
Speaker 2 (45:05):
We haven't talked in a while. A lot of things happening.
I talked with, you know, a couple of those guys
that we've had on so far, off off the record,
off camera. I was kind of asking him some some
some questions about how it's been talked about like the
revenue sharing and how much NIL is really affecting stuff,
and they kind of looked at me, like, dude, it's
(45:27):
it's different now, like guys are getting paid.
Speaker 4 (45:30):
The reality with what needs to happen with college athletics,
there's two things that need to happen. One, there has
to be a commissioner of college football. Yeah, they're missing
just that number one power structure person. You can go
in there, make just the rule of law, make things.
Speaker 1 (45:46):
We're trying to get. We're trying to get g Bone
to campaign for.
Speaker 2 (45:49):
That, Like he why why g Bone commissioner of college football?
Speaker 5 (45:53):
He would be great.
Speaker 4 (45:54):
Yeah, big big fan, big fan. He's got my all endorsement. Yeah,
Bone twenty.
Speaker 1 (46:00):
Six Yeah, for college foot CFP commission.
Speaker 4 (46:04):
The second thing is, I know people are going disagree
with me on this. They need a salary cap. There
has to be a salary.
Speaker 1 (46:09):
Cap, Yeah, it's got to be.
Speaker 5 (46:11):
There has to be some reward for players staying at
the same school.
Speaker 1 (46:16):
Yeah, And I think because it's.
Speaker 4 (46:18):
Not sustainable that players go to three or four different schools,
Like there are guys who have gone to just as
many schools in more schools than Drew head years eligibility.
Speaker 5 (46:27):
I know, it's ridiculous.
Speaker 1 (46:30):
I think.
Speaker 2 (46:30):
So they get the twenty two million whatever, and it
looks like most football schools that care are going to
spend like fourteen to fifteen million of that on football.
Then you're looking at like uh like then you're like okay,
and then outside of that whatever you got from NIL structure,
like you can give those guys anil too. And I
think a lot of those teams are like I don't
(46:51):
know the numbers, but what it feels like is teams
are working with like eight ten million dollars a year
in NIL money like the best right, Like, I mean,
you hear about Ohio State's got twenty, Organ's got twenty,
like if some of them have upwards of twenty, but
like everybody else on that next competitive tier is somewhere
around like six to seven to twelve, like somewhere in there. Yeah,
(47:13):
So if you're looking at total like you're starting to
get upwards of like okay, we're at twenty, we're at
twenty five million, I think, like, I think it's got
to be like twenty or twenty five.
Speaker 1 (47:23):
Million dollars is the cap or something like for the year.
Speaker 5 (47:28):
I said this on the last podcast too. God bless
Tyler Barnes, because I don't know how he needs to
good us. Seriously.
Speaker 4 (47:35):
I know people can be critical of recruiting and stuff,
but I guarantee you this dude's work has worked eighteen
nineteen hours a day over the past six weeks between
the portal, recruiting, yeah, and everything else.
Speaker 5 (47:46):
I don't know he has about eight of these a day,
I bet.
Speaker 2 (47:49):
Oh.
Speaker 1 (47:49):
Yeah, he's always walking around with a coffee.
Speaker 2 (47:51):
I think I want to have him on because he
could talk about so much and give insight to this.
But he's a good interview too. Yeah, he's he's awesome.
I think you got a cap it at like at
like twenty or somewhere around twenty million dollars maybe a little.
Speaker 5 (48:08):
More, just for some form of consistency. Like that's the
other part of it.
Speaker 2 (48:12):
Like it.
Speaker 4 (48:12):
And I'm not saying from a competitive standpoint or like
you know, some schools like competitive advantage because we all
know how this works.
Speaker 5 (48:18):
Mean shit, look at the Dodgers.
Speaker 2 (48:20):
But the money has the money has to be the same.
Speaker 1 (48:22):
You have to have you can't.
Speaker 2 (48:24):
You can't let a blue blood who has all of
the tradition and recruiting hot bed and all of that
already as an advantage, also have double the money to
pay the guys.
Speaker 1 (48:36):
Like, it's just that's not fair.
Speaker 5 (48:37):
That's all the sane. Ye.
Speaker 2 (48:40):
What blows my mind is when you do the math
on that, there's one hundred and five guys on a
roster now starting in August, dide you divide twenty million
by one hundred and that's like two hundred grand average
per guy per year. And I'm quickly starting to fall
into a depression about how I was ten years early.
(49:03):
I was just ten years too early, which I am
going to get a payout on this, on this compensation deal,
this this court case that went through supposedly, but it's
not going to be nearly. Yeah, I could have what
I could have made in the rev share era even
as a long snapper.
Speaker 1 (49:18):
Because I asked Luke Elkin about it.
Speaker 5 (49:20):
Well, let me let me throw another back at you.
What about Kaitlyn Clark in Iowa.
Speaker 2 (49:25):
That's the thing is like Caitlin, Yeah, like what she.
Speaker 5 (49:29):
Could have gotten paid, and the other part of it
too as well.
Speaker 1 (49:31):
But here's the problem I don't feel about for Kaitlyn
at all.
Speaker 4 (49:34):
No, I know I'm thinking, But I think how much
unearned money was there, because like, she could have signed
a Nike a lot earlier, she could have done certain things.
And the other side of it too is her freshman
year she was playing in front of cardboard cutouts and
the TV deals bad like, and then they pushed it
through her sophomore year. But like, she still could have
made some good money her first year just because of
(49:54):
how her profile elevated. So again, two totally different situations.
But it's it's gonna be really really interesting.
Speaker 5 (50:02):
But I'll tell you what.
Speaker 4 (50:03):
That's what the NCAA gets for sitting on their hands
and sitting on their ass for the last one hundred
years and putting billions of dollars into a court case
that they were never going to win.
Speaker 2 (50:12):
Yeah, I saw something like Caitlin made the city of
Indianapolis like something like sixty or eighty million dollars or
something like that in our first year there.
Speaker 1 (50:22):
So it's just like, okay, well, you're.
Speaker 4 (50:25):
Just she was responsible for twenty six percent of the
overall revenue in the WNBA, in the entire league.
Speaker 1 (50:36):
Wild fucking wild, dude.
Speaker 2 (50:39):
All Right, we've talked too long. I've used too much
of David's time. We'll have plenty of this stuff to
talk about on a monthly basis, because that's sort of
the frequency at which I want to bring them on.
Speaker 1 (50:48):
A Little Women's Basketball.
Speaker 2 (50:50):
I already know the clickbait title I'm about to use
for this episode, A Little Men's Basketball. Oh, it's a
it's a Iowa position for two to five stars question mark.
Speaker 5 (51:01):
Yeah. Nice good.
Speaker 2 (51:03):
They're gonna or a football podcast, Psyche women's basketball.
Speaker 1 (51:08):
Baby, We're also a women's basketball brand.
Speaker 2 (51:10):
No. I hope everybody enjoyed the conversation a little, a
little more on Mark Ronowski, the other transfers, all the
good stuff.
Speaker 1 (51:17):
We appreciate David as always. Uh, this is going up.
Speaker 2 (51:20):
Tomorrow, and then if all goes to plan, we're gonna
record with Tyler Elsbury tonight and that'll go up on Monday.
Speaker 1 (51:25):
So so excited for that one.
Speaker 2 (51:28):
Appreciate everybody for being here, listening and staying with us
in twenty twenty five.
Speaker 1 (51:34):
As we trudge through the year. We'll talk next time.
Until then, Hey, thanks for listening to the show.
Speaker 2 (51:39):
If you want more, you can check us out on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram,
and YouTube by searching Washed up walk Ons and if
you're interested in supporting the show, head over to patreon
dot com slash washed up walk Ons, where you can
find bonus podcasts, merchandise, and other cool perks. Best part,
half of your subscription benefits the kids at UI Children's Hospital.
We'll see you next time Hawks buy a million.
Speaker 5 (52:00):
The Boys is
Speaker 3 (52:09):
Postpos on on on
Great podcast lined up.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
David Iicult returns a lot of good feedback on the
weekly series we did with him during the season. Gonna
try and make it a monthly thing in the offseason.
And this is the first installment. We catch up on
the five transfer portal grabs for the Iowake Eyed football team.
David's thoughts on those transfers, including a lot of basketball
talk here, Caitlin Clark, Jersey retirement, recruiting, tons of stuff.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
Let's have a day.
Speaker 3 (00:24):
Let's go this morning Wednesday morning, January twenty ninth, first time,
(00:54):
Welcome back to the new year.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
We have David back on the podcast.
Speaker 4 (00:58):
Long January, are you Yeah, it's been It's been pretty long,
but you know, life's good man. I did not get
the reset I was kind of hoping to get obviously
with everything going on.
Speaker 5 (01:09):
But I got plenty of time in the future do it.
So we'll just going on keep with it.
Speaker 4 (01:15):
Well, I was hoping to go on vacation and like
drop off the face of the earth for a couple
of days.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
But where's Vaca.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
Where's the like number one vacation spot for David Eicle
On a beach, Mexico.
Speaker 5 (01:26):
On a beach, somewhere. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (01:27):
I usually go to Grand Cayman Island's been going down
there for like twenty plus years. I was hoping to
get to Florida, uh like on the beach, but you know,
I might want to stick in Iowa just based on
the weather that's been down there lately.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
Dude, my nose is peeling. I was in Florida this weekend.
Oh yeah, I was in Miami, but it was cold.
It was cold, like.
Speaker 5 (01:48):
Yeah, that's all I'm saying.
Speaker 4 (01:49):
The SEC is so upset the fact that they haven't
won titles in two years that they're converting to Midwest
weather to try to regain some of their mojo.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
It's tough, tough down there in the SEC. Just means
more up here.
Speaker 5 (02:02):
Uh, just different.
Speaker 4 (02:03):
I'll tell you what, though, love to see Rodrigo Blankenship
try to kick in that weather, because I can tell
you Dy Duncan wouldn't hit it.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
You want to put me on a soapbox and just
turn this into a different podcast, We'll just go right
into that.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
I mean, the guy missed this.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
There's God, there's some serious problem with choosing all Americans
and or like the Groza Awards specifically that year was
chosen I think before the conference, before.
Speaker 5 (02:37):
The two in the SEC Championship.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
Yeah, indoors, indoors in the biggest game of the year. Meanwhile,
Keith Duncan is just banging them through off of like
bad grass in thirty seven degrees, like oh my god.
And even even in complete vacuum outside of that take
the weather away, I'm pretty sure Keith still has like
(03:00):
nearly the exact same percentage he did. So it was like,
it was, no, we've got We've We're glad to have
you back here on the on the walk Ons.
Speaker 5 (03:11):
There's been different not being here, man, it's been weird.
Not gonna lie.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
I know, well we just you know, not that you're
not important, but there are other guests that we want
to bring on in the off season.
Speaker 5 (03:23):
I think have a you know, I think they got
the one up on me.
Speaker 1 (03:28):
Decent start for the walk Ons in the off season.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
Like when Jay and Luke both responded, I was like,
oh man, it's gonna be a good year.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
I know well received podcast.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
Even Luke Elkin was on Monday and somebody was like, man,
I know it was a nerdy long snapper podcast, but
this is like top.
Speaker 1 (03:46):
Three for me.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
It's very cool to hear about an eighteen year old
being thrust in there like three weeks onto campus.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
Most people didn't even know that. So yeah, we're no,
we're we're happy to have you back.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
We're going to talk about a couple of things today,
might even talk a little basketball, your full swing basketball
right now.
Speaker 5 (04:05):
Yeah, things are. That's why I didn't get the break.
Speaker 4 (04:08):
I think kind of given everything with with the women's
team and obviously the men's team, and that's we can
probably do a whole podcast and what's going on right now.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
But yeah, I know nothing about basketball in the sense
that like I can stand here and talk to the
people and give them valuable information. I am on the
same level of them as just like speculation, and I
see scores and and them, you know, put out certain
performances against teams.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
So I am.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
I am a pure observer of basketball. And it is
where I wanted to start today. Not just because this week,
I think yesterday or two days ago, your big podcast
came out with Caitlin. Congratulations on that, not that like
that's some for you personally. You're like, yeah, I can
do a podcast with Kate, like you have that relationship
with her covered her for four years all this stuff,
(04:52):
but that is a huge deal, Like she's not just given,
she's not just giving podcast interviews to anybody.
Speaker 5 (05:00):
Yeah, it's going to.
Speaker 4 (05:00):
Bring that up to me, Like does people are making
full YouTube reactions to the podcast, like.
Speaker 5 (05:05):
Oh yeah, like people magazine picked it up, Like this
went way bigger than I thought it was going to be.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
Dude, So I'd love your opinion on this. She has
continued to elevate into this icon outside of even sports
at this point where I actually think if you're going
to have the argument of like most influential athlete to
ever wear a Hawkeye uniform, like it it was at
(05:32):
one point her and Nile Kinnick, and I think she's
and it's not fair because social media wasn't a thing,
And yeah, that's the big thing for me.
Speaker 1 (05:43):
If Nile Kinnick was around today, like how big is he?
Speaker 5 (05:45):
Right?
Speaker 2 (05:46):
Yeah, and if he doesn't pass away like tragically in
his life continues on in the government like he was
going to like people were saying he had a.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
Great chance to be the freaking president of the United States.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
Now that's another level. Never got to do that, but
like he did what he did his legacy is what
it is. I think Caitlyn is on an entirely new level,
untouched by anybody.
Speaker 4 (06:11):
I'll tell you this because it's funny you brought that
up because I was talking about with some of my
media colleagues last night at the women's game when I
was covering the north the wind over Northwestern. I think
there's a legitimate argument to say that Caitlin Clark is
one of the fifty most famous people in the world
right now. Oh, because because here's why. And somebody related
(06:32):
it to Michael Jordan. The fact that people who didn't
even like basketball knew who Michael Jordan was.
Speaker 5 (06:38):
They pay attention to Michael Jordan.
Speaker 4 (06:40):
There's a significant portion of Caitlyn's fan base now I
feel like that don't like basketball.
Speaker 5 (06:47):
Yeah, they don't even watch a mass cultural icon.
Speaker 4 (06:50):
Like when you transcend what made you famous and you
just become this brand, that's when you know you've really
made it. Like I mean, shit, Tyler, She's sitting in
a box with Taylor Swift at a Chiefs playoff game
and like, now they're best friends.
Speaker 2 (07:06):
I was gonna say, now, like in the in the swifties,
you get on their good side, like you know, they're
you just.
Speaker 4 (07:13):
Gained very happy in my real opinion on Taylor Swift,
let's put it that way.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
You gain their you gain their favor, like you just
gained millions of followers slash like semi fans. Yeah don't
who don't care about the basketball. But she sat with
Taylor in the box. Taylor seems point example, Taylor seemed
to be happy that that that.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
That they're friends. So she's good with the Swifties.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
So now Caitlyn has, you know, forty million Swifties that
are her fans.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
Like she's uh, I don't.
Speaker 2 (07:44):
Yeah, fifty fifth, top fifty in the world, certainly like
the top fifty trending in the world.
Speaker 5 (07:49):
Yeah, easily, she's.
Speaker 4 (07:50):
I mean, it's tough because politicians and like obviously musicians
like Taylor Swift is arguably the most famous person in
the world. When that's insane to say, probably alongside you know,
probably the world leaders and stuff.
Speaker 5 (08:01):
But it's it's crazy.
Speaker 4 (08:03):
You think this girl from Des Moines, Iowa, who was
hyping up her dog and that was a cardboard cutout
in Carver Hawkeye Arena, is now this larger than life figure. Uh,
but no, it was interesting too, because I had a
couple of people bringing up on the podcast and I
didn't even think twice about it, but they were saying,
you know, Caitlin hasn't done any actual media and like
(08:24):
since the Kelsey podcast and before that, she hadn't done
a and like a few weeks before that. So I
was like, oh, yeah, I kind of got a shout Caitlin.
That's all I can really say.
Speaker 1 (08:36):
Like, yeah, absolutely, I mean I reached out.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
I sent her a DM on Twitter and I was like, yeah,
I know that this isn't gonna happen and this should
have been done like three years ago. If you ever
want to come on the podcast, we'd love to have
you for like twenty minutes even, like.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
I you know, our fans would love to hear from you.
But I understand you've elevated yourself.
Speaker 2 (08:59):
The The Jersey Retirement is four days from today.
Speaker 1 (09:05):
That's Sunday.
Speaker 4 (09:05):
Yeah, it's gonna be Sunday at twelve thirty and it's
gonna be insane. Yeah, Like I think it's gonna be
a top three atmosphere that's ever been in Carver.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
And that is for the USC game, which.
Speaker 5 (09:20):
J Watkins coming to town.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
Yeah, they're they're fourth in the country or something that
like that right now.
Speaker 4 (09:25):
Yeah, and their second best player just got cleared off injury.
So I mean they're they're they're great. Like it's they're loaded,
and everybody kind of knows that. And I think Juju
Watkins is gonna come in and be extremely competitive, like
she's gonna want to come into Carver and drop forty.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
Oh yeah, I mean she's yeah, which is such a
sick like if you're a competitor. Yeah, you go into
somebody else's jersey retirement like ceremony, and you know, they're catching.
They're catching the Hawks at a decent time, a decent
year like this has turned into it may be unfair
for me to say you could reclassified if you want.
(10:01):
I would call a rebuilding year for Iowa.
Speaker 4 (10:05):
And Jan said herself too, I mean before the season,
because she knew the expectations were going to be just
extremely unrealistic considering that the fact that they just made
two national championship games.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
Yeah, you know, I think you were hoping, probably as
a fan, that you could just reload. Just really it's
just when you have an app when you have a
nuclear bomb, you can't just reload in nuke, right, and
so like we're working with great weapons. Still not to
get militaristic here, but uh, but they're not Caitlyn.
Speaker 1 (10:36):
They're not Caitlin. They're not and they're not Kate Martin,
who's who's doing her own.
Speaker 2 (10:40):
Thing, balling in unrivaled and like she's done her own Yeah,
like she's got her own lore that's like attached to
Caitlin and the rise of I Like, it's it's crazy
just the cultural impact that this.
Speaker 4 (10:52):
So I'll tell you this because I'm previewing it for
this week too, and I know we've got a lot
of football and stuff talk about, but this is important.
Speaker 5 (10:59):
I will say this.
Speaker 4 (11:00):
This is the most important recruiting weekend the history of
Iowa women's basketball. And it's the biggest because you have,
again I don't know how much you've really dope into
this with everything you're doing. They have seven visitors on campus,
including five star ass and Deal, who's obviously signed.
Speaker 5 (11:15):
They have the number one overall recruit.
Speaker 4 (11:18):
In twenty twenty six taking an official visit, who is
extremely close with Addison Deal, and I.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
Do think that is that the Welixe girl.
Speaker 4 (11:27):
She is. Her name's Kate Harpring. She's from Atlanta. She's
a five to eleven guard that's averaging thirty six points
a game in the highest division in Georgia.
Speaker 1 (11:37):
Thirty six game.
Speaker 4 (11:38):
IOWA has a realistic shot at landing her, and her,
like I said, her and Assen Dealer are very close.
Speaker 1 (11:44):
And deals like the twelfth rated player, isn't she.
Speaker 4 (11:47):
She's ninth by us, but she's a consensus five star.
She's legit. And then they're also bringing in I think
another two or three different five stars. So I mean
this is I'll tell you this, if they land Kate Harpering,
Long said ass and deal with this freshman class, I
was going back to a final four.
Speaker 2 (12:07):
Yeah, yeah, well, because that's the thing is is, And
I hope that Iowa fan see this. I don't think
the hype is gonna.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
You know, it's a tough year. They're battling, as I
understand it.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
Right now, I think I saw something maybe even you
retweeted it where they're like last four in right now
this year.
Speaker 5 (12:23):
Yeah, they needed to win last night, but you got
to keep in mind three of their losses have come
down the final possession, and every single loss they've been
within a possession. The fourth quarter, like Iowa was not
getting blown out by any means.
Speaker 4 (12:34):
Yeah, and I think that's encouraging for a lot of
the younger players. But they know they're right there, and
you know, ultimately, I think people underestimate, like overestimate recruiting
when they go to a visit somewhere. It's not all
about the wins and losses. I think a good win
really can help elevate the visit. But they're looking at
(12:55):
fan base, looking at nil now, they're looking at resources,
looking at the coaching staff, they're looking at the weapons
around them. Because if Iowa, you know, people go visit Iowa.
Right in Iowa gets beat by ten to fifteen points.
If Iowa say's competitive with USC, that's a big win
because every female basketball player knows, like that's a top
five Final four caliber team.
Speaker 1 (13:14):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (13:15):
If I'm the Iowa coaching staff, they say, Okay, look
how great our freshman classes. We're losing these couple of people,
but look how good they're going to be. Insert you
into that and look where you guys can go.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
And that's what you have to try and translate to
these young girls in high school.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
Like and it almost is a.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
I would never advocate to be like where the Iowa
basketball team is right now record wise, and like where
they sit in the like where they'll be in the
tournament and stuff. But as a product of that, when
a team is down, there is a certain extent to
a recruit. And I know these five star recruits and
whether it's a girl or a boy, or a basketball
(13:54):
player a football player, these five stars have this mentality
and it's part of why they are who they are.
Yea of like I'm him or I'm her, and I
can go in and change it, like that's who I am.
Speaker 1 (14:09):
I'm that good. And so with a little bit of
struggle this year, they can see that opportunity there.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
Oh Iowa was Iowa is lacking something and that something
could be me And like.
Speaker 4 (14:25):
Yeah, Clark, so she wanted to take him back to
a final four. She didn't want to go to a
perennial blue blood exactly.
Speaker 2 (14:31):
And then you get you know, if you get Addie
Deal and this other girl from Georgia and you insert
them with Stremlo and get.
Speaker 1 (14:40):
Geiton is unbelievable.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
Gen has been so impressive, I think maybe the most impressive. Uh,
she's she's Ian Mulaney.
Speaker 1 (14:51):
I mean, they're these these girls.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
Can play and and and Jan is playing them. There
was at one point like she runs this like all
friends lineup.
Speaker 1 (15:00):
That's like she just lets them go.
Speaker 5 (15:02):
It gave him the spark.
Speaker 4 (15:03):
Last night, they had one senior and there alongside three
freshmen and a sophomore, and they made that run that
first quarter and that kind of separated them, kind of
gave them the least the wiggle room because I was
down eight early last night.
Speaker 5 (15:15):
Yeah, but Aliah getten again.
Speaker 4 (15:17):
So I believe her mom is a former Brazilian national
team player basketball player.
Speaker 5 (15:21):
Her dad's aj.
Speaker 4 (15:23):
Geidon, who's a third leading scorer in Indiana basketball history.
Speaker 5 (15:27):
Like she knows the game.
Speaker 4 (15:29):
And on top of that, the thing that really impresses
me the most, Tyler is a week ago we talked
to Jan and we'd asked her, you know, who's speaking
up in the huddle. We didn't even get the question
now about who the leader is. And she said, Aliah Geiden,
you have a freshman who wasn't fully cleared until November
twenty six because she tore her acl or senior year
(15:49):
of high school, so she didn't get a do fall
like any practice with them whatsoever. Wasn't fully cleared till
the season actually started. And then you go in there
on a team that has seniors who have been a
two final fours and have won three Big Ten tournament titles,
and you say, hey, yeah, this freshman's one of the
biggest leaders on the team.
Speaker 5 (16:08):
Like that's got to be so encouraging. And I know
people are thinking about, oh, that's bad for.
Speaker 4 (16:12):
The short term. Don't think that way at all, because
jan knows this. Jana is so smart. And this is
why I try to convey to people. They know it's
a short term struggle right now, Tyler, they're coming, Yeah,
like they're they're going to be really damn good for
the next sever like the foreseeable future.
Speaker 1 (16:31):
Yeah, I know, it's so sick.
Speaker 2 (16:35):
I think people just have to get through this year
and then it's going to be like another like like
what we've had with Caitlin is going to be back
as far as what it will satisfy that urge of
like being a top team again. I think immediately next year,
like another year for like a year of development for
all four of these freshmen that are insane, Like you
(16:57):
had a couple five stars to that potentially and it
could be dangerous. I watched that and play and it
was so fun to watch her be so aggressive like
against like and she's not big and she's so aggressive
and she can handle it and she finishes at the
rim like it's it's incredible. So to hear that she's
got the vocal leadership already, it's dangerous, standarous.
Speaker 1 (17:19):
It's fun. Let me see.
Speaker 5 (17:22):
I was.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
I was. We got into the.
Speaker 2 (17:25):
Oh yeah, and then the pod with Caitlin. I just
think it's cool. It's cool for you to get that
pod because you cover these players and you have a
unique relationship with them, and then that relationship turns into
you being able to land that podcast.
Speaker 1 (17:45):
Four years later, right Yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
I just think about like, like you approaching that with
players now, like cause you're you're doing that every year
as a reporter or team Like, I mean, that's the
biggest thing for you, is access and the insider info
and all all that stuff.
Speaker 1 (18:03):
And I think it's it's a testament to you. And
I think it's sick. I don't know. I think, no,
landing that is so cool.
Speaker 4 (18:13):
Here's my thing to kind of stumm it up again.
I really encourage people to go watch it. I I
had a blaster with it, but like the best response
I've seen it is exactly what I'm going for is
a lot of the top comments were just saying, it's
so clear how much you guys trust you to trust
each other. And for Caitlyn to like go into like
an interview like that and just not be guarded, especially
with a journalist, because it's different. She goes all with
(18:34):
like the Kelsey's right, because those are professional athletes, retired athletes,
like they know.
Speaker 5 (18:41):
It's just it's a different sort of vie.
Speaker 4 (18:42):
But to go and do a podcast with a journalist
and just be completely free flowing, it's.
Speaker 5 (18:48):
Yeah, it's different.
Speaker 2 (18:49):
It's an interesting dynamic for like those I mean, she's
a list superstar, like who they they have to actually
manage and be careful of who they are ever around
or who they talk about, who they give access to.
Speaker 1 (19:04):
And so it's it was it was cool.
Speaker 2 (19:06):
Let's slip over to the men the men's basketball team,
and I'll be honest.
Speaker 1 (19:10):
I'll be honest.
Speaker 2 (19:11):
I don't watch I've watched a little bit of the
girls games if they're on ye if they're on TV
and I happen to catch it, I haven't watched a
single second of men's Iowa basketball. And this isn't because
of how they're doing. It's because of it's just me.
Even when we had Garza didn't watch any I didn't watch.
(19:32):
When we had Keegan Murray, I didn't watch Iowa basketball.
It's a me thing, not a basketball fan, is what
it is.
Speaker 4 (19:38):
My important context, just considering how everything is going right now, honestly.
Speaker 2 (19:42):
Right, That's what I'm saying, is like, I That's where
I'm coming from. It seems like because I still see
all the Twitter updates and the clips and all that stuff,
that's how I get my news, Like I know the
Iowa team won or loss because I see the tweets
about it.
Speaker 5 (19:57):
Yep.
Speaker 2 (19:58):
Yeah, it seems as though, so you know, we're losing
a lot of games, we're getting blown out here, blown
out there. But then like kind of randomly we have
like these individual performances or these individual guys who are
like and these guys can really play some basketball, like
they are ballers. Like can I get a just a
gist of this year's Iowa men's basketball in a nutshell?
Speaker 1 (20:17):
Like like what's going on?
Speaker 4 (20:20):
I think there's a real danger of them not making
the Big Ten tournament.
Speaker 1 (20:25):
I mean just the last three teams, right, they take fifth,
last three teams.
Speaker 4 (20:28):
Yeah, I'm very surprised by this year's team because I
didn't expect them to be great by any means. Well,
I thought they'd be an NC of like caliber tournament team.
I still think talent wise they are. I think there's
a lot of.
Speaker 5 (20:38):
Things I've gone against them.
Speaker 4 (20:39):
I think certain development of certain players hasn't really taken
place or like where they thought it would be. At
this point, I think Iowa defensively is just falling short
on every single metric.
Speaker 5 (20:50):
And when Owen Freeman.
Speaker 4 (20:52):
Goes out of the game, Tyler the poster shreaks seventy
percent the rim.
Speaker 5 (20:55):
I mean, yeah, you're not going to win games like that.
You're just nice.
Speaker 2 (21:00):
I see this thing, like, man, it's really old to
have every team have a career shooting night against us,
Like it's always against us, and at some point you're like, man,
this is a lot of luck or it might just
be an US problem.
Speaker 5 (21:15):
That's after the USC game. I said, people need to realize.
Speaker 4 (21:19):
The Wisconsin game when they gave up twenty one threes
on or sixteen, like that's a career night, Iowa's defense
was not good, but at some point, like people still
have to miss right, Wisconsin just wasn't missing whatsoever. But
when it translates to USC, when it translates to UCLA,
now Ohio State really wasn't a career night. But in
(21:40):
the last four road games, Tyler, this was a part
of my column yesterday, and the last four road games,
Iowa has trailed by at least nineteen points at one point.
Speaker 1 (21:51):
It's not good.
Speaker 5 (21:52):
It's a scary trend.
Speaker 4 (21:55):
And guess what, and not to be the bear of
bad news or rain fire upon anybody. I think I
know where this fan base sits right now. The schedule
is not getting easier, like no, well, I I honestly, Tyler,
I'm trying to think of I should how I should
phrase this.
Speaker 2 (22:11):
Let let me let me, let me go in and
then you can think and I can speak. I can
speak so candidly here because I'm I'm unbiased and totally
emotionally detached, which I feel I do a pretty good
job of on the football side, being someone who played,
but there is still always that bias. I've never denied
that bias, but for basketball, I don't give a shit.
(22:31):
I mean, I'd love the Hawks to win, but I
just have zero attachment to it.
Speaker 1 (22:35):
From what I see, fans are.
Speaker 2 (22:36):
Basically like the apathy is all time high. Nobody shows
up to the games, Like all I see is the
empty picks of Carver.
Speaker 1 (22:46):
It's clearly not an issue.
Speaker 2 (22:47):
It like, uh that fans want to come and watch
basketball in that arena for this, for this Iowa program,
because then when the girls games happen, it's sold out
and people are all over the place, right and you're
gonna see that sun. So it's a team thing or
a staff thing or a player thing. And it looks
like and there was some again outsider perspective, very fringe
(23:11):
from what I saw last year.
Speaker 1 (23:13):
You know, you have Pat and Connor move on from
the program.
Speaker 2 (23:21):
The youngest kid comes out and says, I'm not going
to Iowa. I don't like, I want to kind of
do my own thing, like Frans at the end of
his career, Like is the end of Fran's career?
Speaker 1 (23:31):
Like is this it? From an outside effective?
Speaker 4 (23:37):
I think there's an above zero chance. And I lean
more toward the S than no at this point. And
that's just more of a gut feel. I really haven't
doved too much into the weeds about this. I'm just
sort of reading the tea leaves and piecing things together
at this point because.
Speaker 5 (23:52):
I also still have a problem with it.
Speaker 4 (23:53):
Being January twenty ninth and saying change needs.
Speaker 5 (23:57):
To happen immediately.
Speaker 4 (23:58):
And it's kind of my wrong because I know how
people felt about the Brian Farrens my opinion about the
Brian Farreent situation, and in this situation, I think there
are two different departments because one was a coordinator or assistant, one's.
Speaker 5 (24:11):
The head coach. So there's levels to this.
Speaker 2 (24:13):
In my opinion, well, from my perspective, it seems like
a thing where I'm not even saying that their performance
or because France did a lot of good things, taken
to a lot of tournaments, right, has the whole Sweet
sixteen thing monkey on his back. But he's done a
lot of good things. He's done a lot of great
players have produced.
Speaker 1 (24:32):
In the Iowa basketball program. I don't think that I
mean this is bias. This is just who I am
football basketball scheme.
Speaker 2 (24:39):
Like when it comes to coaching, I am always gonna
think that coaches deserve more time than most people do.
I'm not even saying Fran should be fired or they
should try to get him out of there. I'm just
viewing it as like a, oh, maybe this is what
Fran wants, Like I think Fran might.
Speaker 4 (24:53):
Yeah, That's where I was gonna start trending too, because
keep in mind, Iowa was actually recruiting at a really
decent level right now.
Speaker 5 (25:01):
For basketball, they they got Josh Lewis.
Speaker 4 (25:05):
He's the second highest rated guy in the Fran era. Yeah,
Like he's the top seventy prospect. He's a really good player,
fits IOWA system extremely well on both ends of the floor,
willing defender. They have the Isaiah Johnson argue from Miami,
who's gonna be eligible immediately next year. Like, he's recruiting
pretty decent right now. That's kind of the flip side
(25:27):
of it though, too. But I also am of the
belief that you can't keep Like I'm saying from a
best perspective, not saying one thing should happen, But if
you're an athletic director and you analyze the situation and
you decide to keep a coach or something based off recruiting,
I think that's stupid. I think it's extremely short sighted,
especially with the transfer portal nowadays and how you can
(25:48):
rebuild in a year. Sure, and that's why coaches aren't
going to get more time. So but if we talk
about Franz stepping away again, from what I understand, I
think Franz still wants to coach. I think he's still
you know, he still loves coaching. But at the same time,
if you're talking about when it makes sense for everybody involved. Again,
I'm not putting out my opinion on this yet, the
(26:09):
tea leaves add up to potentially this year being the year. Sure,
youngest son goes to Butler, middle son's done with basketball
because Patrick has no other eligibility. Connor still coaching at Butler.
Maybe fran wants to go support and watch his son
play basketball instead, like coaching his sons or like watching.
Speaker 1 (26:27):
Right, it certainly wouldn't be surprising.
Speaker 2 (26:29):
You know, you're towards you're in your what is he
sixties or something?
Speaker 1 (26:32):
He yeah, coached.
Speaker 2 (26:35):
Financially, he's set up forever. He wants to go enjoy
his kids.
Speaker 4 (26:39):
The other side of it, too, is and this is
the larger picture when it comes to Iowamen's basketball, because again,
certain criticism is a friend. I understand. I think they're extreme.
I think they're valid. People have a right to be
upset or apathetic, right, But there are far more issues
than the coaching staff. Iowa resource wise is not good.
It's in a difficult recruiting area for basketball, especially men's basketball.
(27:02):
Especially the locker rooms aren't good. Like there's a lot
of extra little stuff when you compare them to the
rest of the Big Ten. Tyler, Yeah, Iowa's falling shortened.
There are certain big picture administrative things that Beth will
have to take on whether Fran returns to Iowa or not.
Speaker 5 (27:18):
Yeah, it's because there are larger.
Speaker 4 (27:19):
Issues I hand it, nil. I mean, Iowa is probably
a bottom four program right now in NIL in the
Big Ten for basketball.
Speaker 2 (27:26):
I was just gonna say, there's an issue of where,
like you got a school like Iowa. The reb share
is going to help, Yes, but when, but when when
Caitlyn comes in and does her thing? And now we
care about Iowa women's basketball, Like I mean, if you're
asking me, I'm giving just as much or more to
the women right now, like it's you got.
Speaker 5 (27:49):
For some people.
Speaker 4 (27:50):
But I also I'm kind of leaning toward the same
boat as you. If you have a chance to elevate
yourself as a blue blood of a sport, which, by
the way, is probably the fastest surging sport in college athletics. Yep,
I think you get out ahead of the curve. And
I'll tell you that would be the one that probably
pushed that envelope a little bit.
Speaker 5 (28:09):
She seems like got.
Speaker 2 (28:09):
The golden goost, David feed the golden goose, and that's
Iowa basketball. There's no doubt, like, if you're looking at
this from a macro perspective, you have very very few
chances to establish yourself as a.
Speaker 1 (28:21):
Quote unquote blue blood.
Speaker 2 (28:22):
Yeah, it's a very strong term Iowa men's basketball. It's
a stat like there's a way to go Kansas, North
Carolina Duke, like you Ron breaking We're not breaking through there.
You could give us one hundred million dollars and I
don't think we break through there. Women's basketball on the rise.
Not very many programs where you're like, hey, that's the standard,
(28:46):
and Iowa could become one of those.
Speaker 1 (28:48):
If they get.
Speaker 2 (28:49):
Through this year, you give them money, they get a
couple five stars, and for the next decade we're a
Sweet sixteen team every single season.
Speaker 1 (28:57):
That's where you feed the money.
Speaker 5 (29:00):
Here's what I'll say too about the men's program.
Speaker 4 (29:02):
And this is kind of what I've hung my hat
on for the past few weeks, probably at least since
that Minnesota lost, maybe a little.
Speaker 5 (29:09):
Bit before that.
Speaker 4 (29:10):
Right, an angry fan base is far superior to an
apathetic fan base because anger implies emotion and care and
love for something.
Speaker 5 (29:23):
Apathetic is is what it is.
Speaker 4 (29:27):
Yeah, we're not you know, we're not emotionally invested at
this point. And I think that's when the scariest thing
is going to come at the end of this season,
whether it be Fran having to make a decision, whether
it's Beth having to make a decision, or maybe Iowa
rips off eighth straight and we aren't having this conversation.
But even if that happens, Fran has been in Iowa
(29:49):
so long, And again I'm not my opinion, I'm just
speaking and from from the fan base perspective and giving context. Yep,
I think it's going to be incredibly difficult, regardless of
what Fran does, because he's been here for so long
to get an apathetic fan base to fully buy in.
Speaker 1 (30:04):
Again, Yeah, it will be whether there.
Speaker 4 (30:07):
And again, I particularly don't think it's all Fran's fault.
I think there are a lot of other issues at hand.
Speaker 1 (30:13):
It's never a single fault.
Speaker 4 (30:15):
No, like for a Again, I say this for anybody.
If you think all the issues are going to be
solved by Fran leaving Iowa, I got news for you.
Speaker 5 (30:25):
It's that that's just not the case.
Speaker 4 (30:26):
Now, certain things might improve, certain things might regress, right,
but that just comes with the nature of making a
significant change.
Speaker 5 (30:34):
But again, it's January twenty ninth.
Speaker 4 (30:36):
I want to have this conversation in six seven weeks
because I want to see how what everything kind of
shakes out.
Speaker 5 (30:42):
But again, that schedule is gonna be very difficult.
Speaker 4 (30:45):
And I also want to see if Iowa doesn't make
postseason basketball, Like.
Speaker 5 (30:51):
I'll say it, what happens in the portal.
Speaker 2 (30:53):
Yeah, I mean, let me just let me just pull
up my calendar here and schedule it. Schedule you in
for six or seven weeks for me, I'm to have
that conversation.
Speaker 1 (31:00):
Uh no, that's really good.
Speaker 2 (31:01):
That's thirty minutes worth of basketball talk, and and that's
exactly that's actually exactly how I wanted today's podcast to
go out.
Speaker 5 (31:07):
One of the front there you go okay, I was
gonna apologize.
Speaker 2 (31:09):
We talked no, no, no, you know you're like, I know,
we got football to talk about now, Like I wanted
to get a little update on basketball, and who knows,
probably over inflating how much I think people actually care
about that conversation, but I think it was a good conversation.
We'll flip the football now. Basketball is always fun. It'll
continue to go through the spring. We'll see what happens
both programs since we last talked. In fact, the last
(31:35):
time we talked, it was all but like it wasn't
official yet, but I think the next day Hank Brown.
Speaker 1 (31:41):
Committed yep officially.
Speaker 5 (31:44):
That holy yeah.
Speaker 2 (31:46):
Basically yeah, we basically like talked like, hey, he's he's
pretty much in, but they're gonna go after somebody else,
and they got there somebody else.
Speaker 1 (31:56):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (31:57):
In fact, they had five transfer portal pickups this this season.
I don't think, you know, the two linemen aren't really
getting a whole lot of play. The receiver got a
little bit of buzz, but obviously the biggest stuff was
Mark Gronowski, two time national champion, bum shoulder, but he's
won like five hundred games at the FCS, level becomes
(32:19):
a Hawk guy.
Speaker 1 (32:22):
That's a huge pickup stun.
Speaker 4 (32:24):
This was the type of guy that I awad needed.
Kudos Kirk Farents, Kudos Tim Lester. They got the guy.
Speaker 5 (32:34):
This is the guy you overpaid for.
Speaker 4 (32:36):
And again I don't think I ow overpaid because I
know other schools offered him more.
Speaker 5 (32:41):
Okay really, but.
Speaker 2 (32:42):
Yeah, and I'm not gonna I'm not gonna like make
you divulge. But Miami was sort of interested, Wisconsin was
sort of interested. His coaching staff went to Washington State.
He like he had a lot of options.
Speaker 4 (32:53):
Miami, from what I understand, would have offered over two.
Speaker 1 (32:58):
Point two million if he wasn't hurt.
Speaker 5 (33:00):
But they wanted to check out. They were a little
bit scared of it Shore. But again I wrote this
from the beginning, right when he entered the portal.
Speaker 4 (33:08):
Contrary to what anybody says, I'm gonna stick my chest
out and say what I've always said. There was no
shot he was going anywhere else but Iowa or the NFL.
He was not going to Wazoo, he was not going
to Miami. He was not going to attack.
Speaker 2 (33:20):
What kind of NFL grade did he have? Like what
like if he decided to pursue that route. Where where
was he going to go?
Speaker 5 (33:26):
Fifth or sixth round?
Speaker 1 (33:27):
Day three?
Speaker 5 (33:28):
Yeah, day three.
Speaker 4 (33:29):
But again I mean that that's where Iowa can thrive
in the nil space. I mean you can get a
guy like that and convince him to come back for
another year. And again for Gernowski made perfect sense.
Speaker 5 (33:39):
One.
Speaker 4 (33:40):
If you're the quarterback who elevates Iowa's passing offense, there's
a grade.
Speaker 5 (33:44):
It's going up.
Speaker 2 (33:46):
Well, ky Rocket, I tweeted this when when he committed
or something, and I think some people misunderstood it. By
no means, do I think Mark Gronowski will be like
I suppose he could be gonna.
Speaker 1 (33:58):
Be hard in one year.
Speaker 2 (34:00):
I don't think he ends up being a top ten
Hawkeye football player of all time.
Speaker 5 (34:04):
No.
Speaker 2 (34:05):
I do think that because of where the program is
right now, go back to that apathy thing with the
offense and like, hey, we're really trying to dig this
thing out of a massive hole that we should have
never been in the first place. I think the he
could be one of the most influential important had question
of all time because of the position he plays and
(34:26):
the time at which he steps into the program. Man
if you're the guy to dig them out of hell.
Speaker 1 (34:34):
Bro, Like, I don't think.
Speaker 4 (34:36):
Lance Sam Phillips without Mark Gronowski. I think going somewhere
else too, I mean like that, But that's what I'm saying.
It's one of those things Tyler like Gronowski is a
three level thrower. And for people who are upset about
his shoulder and worried about stop the King McNamara injury
versus Mark Gronowski injury, they're so far apart it's stupid
to compare, Like, I'll talk my shit a little bit.
(34:58):
It makes zero sense on every single level.
Speaker 2 (35:01):
However, though you know from the outside you can understand
a little bit of like weariness, Yes, God, yeah, another
guy who's got another certain like is this gonna happen
to us again?
Speaker 1 (35:11):
Because we do all feel burnt right now?
Speaker 2 (35:13):
Yes?
Speaker 4 (35:14):
No, and that that part of it I means fair,
But I'm saying, like, the difference between the injuries, the
context of the injuries, and the severity of the injuries
are so far different, and that that's I'm going But
as far as like Iowa fans being a little bit
nervous because they have an injured quarterback, yes, I'm not
gonna argue against it. You're you're right to feel that way,
no question. But two things are important. One, kid McNamara's
(35:38):
leg was shredded, Like, let's let's call it what it was.
He had, he had a huge rehab to do before
he even got to campus. And obviously everything happened during
his first year. We saw that Gronowski played with his
bad shoulder all year and guess what, still pretty damn good.
Speaker 1 (35:55):
Yeah, it was great, really good.
Speaker 4 (35:58):
So that that's kind of wrong going with that is
now he's gonna be healthy. Now he's gonna be ready
to go. And on top of that, he ran a
similar system at South Coast State. Yeah right, he ran
a similar style offense. So this is not Kate mc
namar situation where he has to go in learn a
new system, et cetera. And on top of that, too,
Gronowski's legs are fine. He can go through progressions, he
(36:20):
can go through the footwork. He won't be throwing a football.
Speaker 1 (36:22):
Yeah, big Like. I like that.
Speaker 2 (36:25):
If you if you're gonna get nitpicky about it, I
like that the injury was upper body and it wasn't
major versus lower body. Because what we're looking for on
the Iowa court, like, yeah, you got to throw the ball,
but like, yo, we're not throwing it fifty times and
a game, and you're not throwing it downfield, like we're
not just taking shots where like we would be concerned
(36:47):
about like someone who with a shoulder injury, who we
need to come in and throw.
Speaker 1 (36:50):
Twenty bombs a game.
Speaker 2 (36:52):
Right, he just has to be serviceable, like Stratton or
Sullivan showed flashes of like just be serviceable, but with
your with your legs, and that's what we love about
Brendan Sullivan. Hey, extend the play like be an athlete,
and those seem to be fine. Although he did have
an ACL earlier in his career, but lower BodyWise, he
(37:12):
seemed to be sturdy for the last three years.
Speaker 1 (37:14):
That's how to go to state.
Speaker 4 (37:16):
Remember his first game post ACL was that seven to
three game in Iowa. Yeah, yeah, so I know some
people are worried about that. As far as what he
can do at the FBS level, I would caution you
again not to buy into that because Number one, I
think he just got cleared like a couple of weeks
before that.
Speaker 5 (37:32):
Number two he only played one year. Number three, do
you remember that fucking defense he had to go against.
Speaker 2 (37:39):
Yeah, he went against his third best defense in the country,
potentially in the argument for one of I.
Speaker 1 (37:45):
Was best defenses all time.
Speaker 5 (37:46):
Yes, So again, I think Gernowski's a tremendous pick up.
He's a three level thrower.
Speaker 4 (37:51):
I think he's going to have to protect himself a
little bit better running the football than he did at
the FCS level. He's a bigger he's a big guy,
but he he wasn't afraid to run over some people
at the FCS level. You're not doing that against you know,
Penn State, Ohio State, Oregon. Just protect yourself And that
was the big thing with Brendan Sullivan too. Love doing
(38:13):
Brendan Sullivan extending his plays.
Speaker 5 (38:14):
But the kid won. It's so bad he didn't protect himself.
Speaker 2 (38:18):
He just gets crunched in that UCLA game and it
opens up a whole new world to him. I think
I think the important stuff for Hawkeye fans as a
former guy, the quarterback stuff is proven, right. I think
what's exciting about Gronowski is his pedigree, the fact that
he was a leader on multiple national championship teams. I
(38:39):
don't care if you're at the D three level, that
sort of leadership and intangible qualities, those are huge. And
then of course everything he brings to the table physically.
So I'm very excited about him. What can you tell
us about Sam Phillips? And then and then further than that,
we got this guy, Bryce Hawthorne, Jonah Pace.
Speaker 1 (38:59):
Are those guys starters? Are those guys coming in?
Speaker 5 (39:02):
I think they'll be rotational players.
Speaker 4 (39:05):
I really needed a couple of defensive defensive tackles in
the rotation. I mean, you lose why a black who.
I don't know if you saw his measurables the other day, Tyler, I.
Speaker 2 (39:12):
Don't know if you saw the clip of him dominating
some offensive.
Speaker 1 (39:15):
Oh yeah, he's he's gonna get paid.
Speaker 4 (39:18):
He's about six six three forty. He measured out at
I mean he is a freaking tank.
Speaker 5 (39:24):
I always think I remember how big as arms measured
out at.
Speaker 4 (39:27):
But yeah, I mean, those those two guys defensive tackles,
I think they're gonna be really, really solid. I I
don't think any of them are particularly stars right away.
I think Hawthorne is a very underrade pickup that he's
gonna be a dude in about year or two. I really,
really believe that. I think he'll be very serviceable from
year one. But Sam Phillips was a big get. I mean,
(39:47):
he's he's a he wants to be a big time
playmaking guy. I don't know if Iowa gets him if
they don't land Gronowski. And he even told Sean back
he said, yeah, getting Gronowski helped, because you know, he
has scheduled visit US seeds and ended up making that
trip when there's contag recruited, went to Vawtech to a
couple of things like that. But the biggest stat to me,
(40:09):
which is so important, seventy eight targets last year. Zero drops.
Speaker 1 (40:15):
That's that's like Larry zero drops.
Speaker 5 (40:19):
That's what Iowa needs.
Speaker 4 (40:21):
Any consistency, guys that can go over the middle only
about five to ten, but his physicality and his willingness
to be an athlete and go up and get those
fifty to fifty balls.
Speaker 5 (40:30):
He wants to stretch the field. He's a possession receiver.
Speaker 4 (40:32):
He could throw him in the slot, throw him as
an undersized outside guy. Versatility and more importantly, Tyler proven production.
I mean, this wide receiver room is still in the
process of being revamped. I actually think John Bud Myers
done a pretty decent job thus far. I know he's
been you know, I was critical of the higher initially.
I think a lot of people were, and quite frankly,
for good reason. I think there was a little bit
(40:54):
of reason to be nervous about it. But they bring
in Terrence Smith, a four star freshmen who I think
could potentially shake some things up. Jerriett Bowie had a
couple of nice catches last year. I'm really excited about
Jacob Gill and Sam Phillips together. I just think those
two are very similar but also very different at the
same time. Those can be Gronowski's kind of go two weapons.
(41:14):
So very excited about Phillips. I'm curious where he kind
of breaks through as far as the rotation. But yeah,
I think I Wouled did a nice job in the portal.
I would have liked them to lay in a cornerback.
Maybe they go after one in the second cycle. Remember
the second cycles on the open for ten days. I
believe it's April sixteenth to April twenty fifth, and I
(41:36):
was usually still in spring practice, so that's kind of
a difficult time frame because usually there's spring games around
the twenty second, eighteenth to the twenty second typically interesting.
Speaker 1 (41:47):
Interesting.
Speaker 2 (41:48):
So yeah, it does feel like they addressed you know,
it was huge to get Dunker.
Speaker 1 (41:55):
And Jones back on the line.
Speaker 2 (41:57):
Yes, and I think that not only just for Grenowski,
but just like the line in general. So like we
didn't have We kind of talked about that the last
time you were on, as you we didn't actually have
to address that as much as we maybe in the
beginning of the season initially thought we would. It does
seem like the cornerback position, especially with uh, well it's
(42:18):
going to be a Cooper Bowl, by the way, and uh,
there's there's a reason that the Eagles got better when
they put him in, and it's because he affects football games.
And I think you think maybe an underrated uh talking
point is how much we just miss a genial.
Speaker 4 (42:39):
We knew, we knew he was so good, but man,
just when you watched last year, you really see, damn
he really did change everything.
Speaker 1 (42:49):
Yeah, we we really did miss him.
Speaker 2 (42:51):
Like he had that he had that effect that Desmond
had after he had a crazy year.
Speaker 1 (42:56):
Uh yeah, he had like two and.
Speaker 2 (43:00):
It's like, well, yeah, because they they they completely decided
to just not throw that Way and Cooper had that
same effect.
Speaker 5 (43:08):
And I think the side I don't know why.
Speaker 4 (43:13):
Yes, I was saying, yeah it was maybe God blessed
those guys, those corners who had like shut down corners
because God, they got targeted. They probably were playing decent
defense half the time. But yeah, teams were only looking
over there.
Speaker 2 (43:26):
Yeah, I'm pretty sure maybe was on the other side
for Desmond's final year. And yeah, maybe, I mean maybe
floated around in the league for a while. He was
he was on teams for four or five years. I
think practice squad stuff like that. So hell of an athlete.
Speaker 1 (43:38):
The uh, we'll see.
Speaker 2 (43:40):
It's again one of those things with Phil and the
defense where you're like, they're gonna find somebody, somebody's gonna reload.
Speaker 5 (43:47):
Like I really really want to see Cam Buffington, dude, Like.
Speaker 4 (43:52):
I mean just everywhere. Like I I love their linebacker QUI.
I love the linebackers they have in that room. I
think they're gonna take a little bit of time to adjust,
but you know, Steth Wallace will get those guys right.
Speaker 5 (44:05):
And that freshman class they probably in last year.
Speaker 2 (44:08):
Linebacker they've got, dude, they have, they got like the
best athletes of Iowa always end up in the Iowa
linebacker room, and it's just like God, it's unbelievable.
Speaker 1 (44:19):
And outside of Iowa.
Speaker 2 (44:20):
But yeah, the if they can figure it out in
the secondary and just shore some things up, get you know,
just get a little bit better.
Speaker 1 (44:28):
I mean, ex is back right again, one more year back.
Speaker 5 (44:31):
He had to come back like I had to.
Speaker 4 (44:34):
I think he knows it's it's kind of a make
or break It's it's a make or break year for
him because I think he has all the athletics in
the world. I think he's a good kid. I think
it's a smart kid. He has to piece it together,
and I think he thinks through things too much. I
think guess to trust his preparation. I don't think he's
done a good job with that.
Speaker 1 (44:52):
Sure. Cool, Well there's your update.
Speaker 2 (44:58):
I thought about I thought about calling this like the
Ike Report or something like that.
Speaker 1 (45:04):
No, it's good. It's good.
Speaker 2 (45:05):
We haven't talked in a while. A lot of things happening.
I talked with, you know, a couple of those guys
that we've had on so far, off off the record,
off camera. I was kind of asking him some some
some questions about how it's been talked about like the
revenue sharing and how much NIL is really affecting stuff,
and they kind of looked at me, like, dude, it's
(45:27):
it's different now, like guys are getting paid.
Speaker 4 (45:30):
The reality with what needs to happen with college athletics,
there's two things that need to happen. One, there has
to be a commissioner of college football. Yeah, they're missing
just that number one power structure person. You can go
in there, make just the rule of law, make things.
Speaker 1 (45:46):
We're trying to get. We're trying to get g Bone
to campaign for.
Speaker 2 (45:49):
That, Like he why why g Bone commissioner of college football?
Speaker 5 (45:53):
He would be great.
Speaker 4 (45:54):
Yeah, big big fan, big fan. He's got my all endorsement. Yeah,
Bone twenty.
Speaker 1 (46:00):
Six Yeah, for college foot CFP commission.
Speaker 4 (46:04):
The second thing is, I know people are going disagree
with me on this. They need a salary cap. There
has to be a salary.
Speaker 1 (46:09):
Cap, Yeah, it's got to be.
Speaker 5 (46:11):
There has to be some reward for players staying at
the same school.
Speaker 1 (46:16):
Yeah, And I think because it's.
Speaker 4 (46:18):
Not sustainable that players go to three or four different schools,
Like there are guys who have gone to just as
many schools in more schools than Drew head years eligibility.
Speaker 5 (46:27):
I know, it's ridiculous.
Speaker 1 (46:30):
I think.
Speaker 2 (46:30):
So they get the twenty two million whatever, and it
looks like most football schools that care are going to
spend like fourteen to fifteen million of that on football.
Then you're looking at like uh like then you're like okay,
and then outside of that whatever you got from NIL structure,
like you can give those guys anil too. And I
think a lot of those teams are like I don't
(46:51):
know the numbers, but what it feels like is teams
are working with like eight ten million dollars a year
in NIL money like the best right, Like, I mean,
you hear about Ohio State's got twenty, Organ's got twenty,
like if some of them have upwards of twenty, but
like everybody else on that next competitive tier is somewhere
around like six to seven to twelve, like somewhere in there. Yeah,
(47:13):
So if you're looking at total like you're starting to
get upwards of like okay, we're at twenty, we're at
twenty five million, I think, like, I think it's got
to be like twenty or twenty five.
Speaker 1 (47:23):
Million dollars is the cap or something like for the year.
Speaker 5 (47:28):
I said this on the last podcast too. God bless
Tyler Barnes, because I don't know how he needs to
good us. Seriously.
Speaker 4 (47:35):
I know people can be critical of recruiting and stuff,
but I guarantee you this dude's work has worked eighteen
nineteen hours a day over the past six weeks between
the portal, recruiting, yeah, and everything else.
Speaker 5 (47:46):
I don't know he has about eight of these a day,
I bet.
Speaker 2 (47:49):
Oh.
Speaker 1 (47:49):
Yeah, he's always walking around with a coffee.
Speaker 2 (47:51):
I think I want to have him on because he
could talk about so much and give insight to this.
But he's a good interview too. Yeah, he's he's awesome.
I think you got a cap it at like at
like twenty or somewhere around twenty million dollars maybe a little.
Speaker 5 (48:08):
More, just for some form of consistency. Like that's the
other part of it.
Speaker 2 (48:12):
Like it.
Speaker 4 (48:12):
And I'm not saying from a competitive standpoint or like
you know, some schools like competitive advantage because we all
know how this works.
Speaker 5 (48:18):
Mean shit, look at the Dodgers.
Speaker 2 (48:20):
But the money has the money has to be the same.
Speaker 1 (48:22):
You have to have you can't.
Speaker 2 (48:24):
You can't let a blue blood who has all of
the tradition and recruiting hot bed and all of that
already as an advantage, also have double the money to
pay the guys.
Speaker 1 (48:36):
Like, it's just that's not fair.
Speaker 5 (48:37):
That's all the sane. Ye.
Speaker 2 (48:40):
What blows my mind is when you do the math
on that, there's one hundred and five guys on a
roster now starting in August, dide you divide twenty million
by one hundred and that's like two hundred grand average
per guy per year. And I'm quickly starting to fall
into a depression about how I was ten years early.
(49:03):
I was just ten years too early, which I am
going to get a payout on this, on this compensation deal,
this this court case that went through supposedly, but it's
not going to be nearly. Yeah, I could have what
I could have made in the rev share era even
as a long snapper.
Speaker 1 (49:18):
Because I asked Luke Elkin about it.
Speaker 5 (49:20):
Well, let me let me throw another back at you.
What about Kaitlyn Clark in Iowa.
Speaker 2 (49:25):
That's the thing is like Caitlin, Yeah, like what she.
Speaker 5 (49:29):
Could have gotten paid, and the other part of it
too as well.
Speaker 1 (49:31):
But here's the problem I don't feel about for Kaitlyn
at all.
Speaker 4 (49:34):
No, I know I'm thinking, But I think how much
unearned money was there, because like, she could have signed
a Nike a lot earlier, she could have done certain things.
And the other side of it too is her freshman
year she was playing in front of cardboard cutouts and
the TV deals bad like, and then they pushed it
through her sophomore year. But like, she still could have
made some good money her first year just because of
(49:54):
how her profile elevated. So again, two totally different situations.
But it's it's gonna be really really interesting.
Speaker 5 (50:02):
But I'll tell you what.
Speaker 4 (50:03):
That's what the NCAA gets for sitting on their hands
and sitting on their ass for the last one hundred
years and putting billions of dollars into a court case
that they were never going to win.
Speaker 2 (50:12):
Yeah, I saw something like Caitlin made the city of
Indianapolis like something like sixty or eighty million dollars or
something like that in our first year there.
Speaker 1 (50:22):
So it's just like, okay, well, you're.
Speaker 4 (50:25):
Just she was responsible for twenty six percent of the
overall revenue in the WNBA, in the entire league.
Speaker 1 (50:36):
Wild fucking wild, dude.
Speaker 2 (50:39):
All Right, we've talked too long. I've used too much
of David's time. We'll have plenty of this stuff to
talk about on a monthly basis, because that's sort of
the frequency at which I want to bring them on.
Speaker 1 (50:48):
A Little Women's Basketball.
Speaker 2 (50:50):
I already know the clickbait title I'm about to use
for this episode, A Little Men's Basketball. Oh, it's a
it's a Iowa position for two to five stars question mark.
Speaker 5 (51:01):
Yeah. Nice good.
Speaker 2 (51:03):
They're gonna or a football podcast, Psyche women's basketball.
Speaker 1 (51:08):
Baby, We're also a women's basketball brand.
Speaker 2 (51:10):
No. I hope everybody enjoyed the conversation a little, a
little more on Mark Ronowski, the other transfers, all the
good stuff.
Speaker 1 (51:17):
We appreciate David as always. Uh, this is going up.
Speaker 2 (51:20):
Tomorrow, and then if all goes to plan, we're gonna
record with Tyler Elsbury tonight and that'll go up on Monday.
Speaker 1 (51:25):
So so excited for that one.
Speaker 2 (51:28):
Appreciate everybody for being here, listening and staying with us
in twenty twenty five.
Speaker 1 (51:34):
As we trudge through the year. We'll talk next time.
Until then, Hey, thanks for listening to the show.
Speaker 2 (51:39):
If you want more, you can check us out on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram,
and YouTube by searching Washed up walk Ons and if
you're interested in supporting the show, head over to patreon
dot com slash washed up walk Ons, where you can
find bonus podcasts, merchandise, and other cool perks. Best part,
half of your subscription benefits the kids at UI Children's Hospital.
We'll see you next time Hawks buy a million.
Speaker 5 (52:00):
The Boys is
Speaker 3 (52:09):
Postpos on on on
Popular Podcasts
The Breakfast Club
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy And Charlamagne Tha God!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Decisions, Decisions
Welcome to "Decisions, Decisions," the podcast where boundaries are pushed, and conversations get candid! Join your favorite hosts, Mandii B and WeezyWTF, as they dive deep into the world of non-traditional relationships and explore the often-taboo topics surrounding dating, sex, and love. Every Monday, Mandii and Weezy invite you to unlearn the outdated narratives dictated by traditional patriarchal norms. With a blend of humor, vulnerability, and authenticity, they share their personal journeys navigating their 30s, tackling the complexities of modern relationships, and engaging in thought-provoking discussions that challenge societal expectations. From groundbreaking interviews with diverse guests to relatable stories that resonate with your experiences, "Decisions, Decisions" is your go-to source for open dialogue about what it truly means to love and connect in today's world. Get ready to reshape your understanding of relationships and embrace the freedom of authentic connections—tune in and join the conversation!