Hawkeye Report Podcast

This week on the Chuck Long Podcast, we are talking a whole lot of Iowa football, along with the latest news in the Big Ten.  We open the show reviewing the Hawkeyes one-sided victory over Wisconsin. Long discusses just how poorly the Badgers performed and how stunning that was to him given how the program was so strong for so long under recent coaches.  Also, we talk about the strong performance of the Iowa offense and defense. We go in-depth on what Long saw from Iowa quarterback Mark Gronowski. How did he perform coming off his knee injury? Did he look good throwing the football? What about running and did they limit that in the game plan?  We discusses the key to the game, which was the Iowa ground game and how the Hawkeyes won the game up front and on the other side the Hawkeye defensive line intercepting a pair of passes and controlling the line of scrimmage.  Then we move on to this week and the stunning firing of Penn State head coach James Franklin. How does Long think that will impact the Nittany Li

It's a later than normal post game podcast. Tom Kakert and Kyle Huesmann look back at Iowa's win over Wisconsin on Saturday night.  We discuss the Hawkeye dominant win over the Badgers and what we learned from it. What did we think of Mark Gronowski's performance coming off his knee issue. Did it impact what he could do running or throwing? What do we make of the change with the backup quarterback position? What does that tell us about Jeremy Hecklinski and Hank Brown why did he jump to the second spot during the bye week? We also look at the Iowa defense and what we saw from their performance. The impressive interception by a pair of defensive tackles, particularly by Aaron Graves, who looked like he got in for a touchdown. We talk about some of our disputes with the grades from Pro Football Focus this week and more.  Then we wrap up looking ahead to the Penn State game with the news on Sunday that head coach James Franklin has been fired. Iowa plays the Nittany Lions this week and what impact will this have

We are approaching what we like to call crossover season for Iowa athletics. That is when Hawkeye football and basketball are both front and center in the mind of Iowa fans on the court and on the field.  This week was Big Ten Media Days in Chicago for the Iowa men's and women's basketball team and we were front and center with plenty of coverage. We open this show talking about the Iowa women's basketball team and what we learned from Iowa head coach Jan Jansen, along with Hawkeye players Hannah Stuelke and Kylie Feuerbach. How is Stuelke doing in her quest to become an outside shooter? What did Jensen say about the recruiting efforts in 2025? Who will be the backup point guard and what do the Iowa players have to say about Chit Chat Wright? Then we move over the Iowa men's team, who were represented by head coach Ben McCollum along with Cam Manyawu and Bennett Stirtz. They had plenty to say about the strength and conditioning improvements that they have made and impact it will have on their games in the Big

It's a mega podcast this week with Tom Kakert, Kyle Huesmann, and Tanner Lafever coming together to discuss the latest in Iowa Hawkeye athletics. This week we open the podcast with huge news on the Iowa women's basketball recruiting front. Iowa picked up a commitment from five star forward McKenna Woliczko. Kyle Huesmann has all the details of the commitment from the talented 2026 prospect and what led her to pick Iowa. We we also discuss how she fits into the Iowa roster next year and what the potential is for her to bring along a couple other four or five star players in the Class of 2026.  Then we do a bit of women's hoops projections for this fall. What do we think the starting lineup and rotation will be this winter? After that we side over to the Iowa men's basketball team and what their starting lineup could be this winter. Then we move over to the sport of wrestling and Tanner Lafever discusses a women's meet against Oklahoma State. After that he goes weight by weight for the Iowa women and who might

It's a special edition of the Hawkeye Report Podcast to start your week. We are joined by Jesse Shaw, who is the new Chief of Staff for Iowa Basketball under head coach Ben McCollum.  We learn about Shaw and his background. How he played college basketball with McCollum and who was actually the better player. His path into doing what he always wanted to do, which was coach basketball and the journey he went on, starting with being a graduate assistant on a staff with McCollum, who was an assistant coach.  We discuss what a Chief of Staff does at the college level and some stuff that he handles on a daily basis. That includes studying data on rebounding and how he also hits the recruiting trail for the Hawkeyes, including trips overseas to see players.  We discuss the importance of having six players come with them from Drake to help establish the culture of the program and how helpful that has been this summer, much like it was helpful last summer. We talk about what he has seen from Trey Thompson since he ar

This week on the Chuck Long Podcast, we are taking a look back at the Iowa loss to Indiana on Saturday afternoon at Kinnick Stadium. But, before we start to breakdown the game, we talk with the Chuck Long about his visit to Kinnick Stadium this week as his 1985 Iowa Football team gathered for their 40th anniversary. He talks about a surprise visitor who returned for the reunion and much more.  Then we get into the game and discuss how Iowa has tended to win in the margins, but in the two losses this year they have really lost both games in the margins. We discuss the struggles for the Hawkeyes in the area of tackling, special teams errors, penalties, and losing the turnover battles. How have they impacted the Iowa team this year? More importantly, how can they address them in the bye week? We discuss the play of both quarterbacks who saw action, Mark Gronowski and Hank Brown, who filled in during the fourth quarter of the game while Iowa's starter was out due to a possible knee issue. We talk about the call o

For a good amount of Saturday afternoon and evening, it looked like the Iowa Hawkeyes were about to end their struggles against ranked opponents and pick up a huge win over Indiana.  Instead it was frustrating defeat that included a key missed field goal and missed opportunities. Tom Kakert and Matt Randazzo have their usual post game podcast breaking down the Iowa Football team game from all the angles.  We discuss the missed opportunities from the game, the injury to Mark Gronowski and what the latest is on his health status. What do we think of the play of Hank Brown in his place? What about the Iowa defense and the struggles when it comes to good, solid and firm tackling?  Should we be concerned with special teams for the Hawkeyes? What about the stuggles of Drew Stevens, particularly from shorter distances, and should be there concerns about Iowa's punt protection after another blocked punt this week? Plus we talk about the break for the Hawkeyes this coming week and what that means for the team and what

It's another busy edition of the Hawkeye Report Podcast. We are in the middle of the Iowa football season and we open the podcast this week talking a whole lot about Iowa women's basketball recruiting.  It seems like the recruitment of five star 2026 prospect McKenna Woliczko is close to a decision and plenty of rumors and hints from good sources on Wednesday indicating that Iowa is in a good position to land her. Kyle Huesmann gives us the latest on what he is hearing and we preview the visit this weekend from fellow five star guard Addison Bjorn. What are the chances that the Hawkeyes could land both five stars? Who else is still on the table for Jan Jensen and her staff? We also preview a big recruiting weekend for the Iowa men's basketball program. Tom Kakert previews the visit from four star combo guard Quentin Coleman from St. Louis. What are the Hawkeyes chances to land him? Then we get to the preview of the visit the high scoring Indiana Hoosiers football team. We look at some of their eyepopping stat

The Iowa football team went on the road and scored 38 points in a win at Rutgers. This week on the Chuck Long Podcast, we discuss the Hawkeyes hard fought road victory.  We open talking about the game itself and get Long's views on the game plan that Tim Lester put together. Does it take time for an offensive coordinator to figure out a new quarterback and are we seeing progress on that front from Lester and Mark Gronowski? Is the game plan reflecting that and what does Long think of the fact that Gronowski is running the ball in the mid teens in terms of attempts each week? Would you want that a big lower? We also discuss the red zone offense for Iowa and how Lester is looking to get Gronowski out on space to make a play with his arm and his legs and what does his run game threat do to a defense in that situation? We also discuss Phil Parker making adjustments on defense and how bringing more pressure changed the game. Will Iowa have to bring more pressure moving forward due to the pass rush not being overal

It's another post game edition of the Hawkeye Report Podcast. This week it's Tom Kakert and Matt Randazzo breaking down everything that happened at the game on Friday night at Rutgers as Iowa moved to 3-1 on the season with a come from behind win over Rutgers.  We look back at all the fireworks that took place in the first quarter, including the opening kickoff which saw Kaden Wetjen race 100 yards for the first score of the game. We discuss the overall performance of the Iowa offense and in particular the improved play of quarterback Mark Gronowski, who continues to grow with each and every start.  We also talk about the adjustmentst that Iowa defensive coordinator Phil Parker made in the second half brining more blitz looks and trying to disguise those looks to help make them work. Plus we sort out the Iowa running back situation and give our thoughts on that and a few other important topic around Hawkeye Football

It's another jam packed edition of the Hawkeye Report Podcast. Tom Kakert and Matt Randazzo take one final look back at the win over UMass and the 206th victory for Kirk Ferentz. We look back at the performance of Mark Gronowski and some of his comments on Tuesday about what happened in the previous game. Plus one last discussion about Ferentz reaching a win milestone and how he has quickly moved on to the game against Rutgers.  Speaking of Rutgers, we move on to that next. What do we know about the Scarlet Knights, who are averaging over 40 points per game and have reached 30 points or more in seven straight games? We talk about their offense and injury issues that they have along their offensive line and with one of their key receivers. We also discuss what we know about their defense and what we expect the Hawkeye offense to present on Friday night in New Jersey.  We also talk about the Iowa injury situation and the possiblitity of Kamari Moulton being back on Friday and what that might mean for the run ga

It was a record setting night for Kirk Ferentz and Iowa football. This week in our post game pod, we look back at the Hawkeyes beating UMass, 47-7 and how it was  night to honor their long time head coach, who picked up his 206th win at a Big Ten head coach.  Tom Kakert and Matt Randazzo gather for a late night podcast to breakdown what Ferentz had to say after the game, particularly their slight change in the game plan that included more downfield shots in the passing game in the first half.  We talk about what Ferentz had to say about injuries on the team and if Kamari Moulton could be back next week? Will he play against Rutgers? What about the meaning of this record setting victory for Ferentz? What did the Iowa players have to say about it after the game and the special relationship that they have with their head coach? We wrap up talking a little basketball recruiting. Iowa picked up a four star commitment in the Class of 2026. What do we know about Ethan Harris and what kind of an impact can he have on

It's another edition of the Hawkeye Report Podcast with Tom Kakert and Kyle Huesmann. We open this week with a look back at the loss to the Cyclones and one last group of takes on what went wrong in that game and how close the Hawkeyes were to winnning on the road.  Then we discuss the loss of Addison Ostrenga and the impact it will have at the tight end position. We also talk about what Kirk Ferentz and Mark Gronowski had to say this week on Tuesday to the media. What about Iowa taking more shots down the field? What did Kirk Ferentz say about the Hawkeyes throwing the ball more this week against UMass?  After that we preview the game against UMass, who is the opponent this week. We discuss the several injuries to the UMass roster, including at quarterback. Is this a game where Iowa really needs to score more than 40 points and can they do that? What about the Iowa defense? Are there concerns there with a low number of sacks and no interceptions so far this year? We then move on to talking about Iowa men's a

The Hawkeyes dropped a tough one on the road at Iowa State and the Chuck Long Podcast is back to get the thoughts on the former Iowa signal caller on the game.  We open looking back at the play of overall view of the game and then breakdown the key plays that decided the contest. We look at Iowa's defense first and thus far the lack of turnovers and sacks that they have been able to generate thus far in two games. Will there be any changes by Iowa? Then we dive into the offensive side of the ball. We look at the overall view of the passing game and what we think might be the biggest issue and that's not at quarterback, but another posiiton. What can be done to address it moving forward? Finally we discuss the Hawkeyes struggle against ranked opponents, dropping ten in a row and if that is concerning. Then we pick some games for the coming weekend.   

The Iowa football team fell short on Saturday afternoon in Ames. Iowa State scored on a 54 yard field goal for the second straight year in the final minutes to beat the Hawkeyes for the third time in four years. It was a disappointing defeat for Iowa as their offense continued to struggle in the air.  In a combined podcast with Matt Randazzo and his Off the Air Show and Tom Kakert from Hawkeye Report, we take an instant reaction view of the Hawkeyes 16-13 loss to the Cyclones. What did we think of the performance of quarterback Mark Gronowski? Was this loss as awful as some Iowa fans believe or was it actually not an awful loss given that Iowa State is highly ranked and at home and to play them to a field goal game was actually a solid effort in a loss? We discuss the ground game and who do we think should be the lead back next week against UMass, plus is it Gronowski or is it in part because the Iowa receivers struggle to get seperation in the passing game? Was the game plan this week just too conservative? 

It's Cy-Hawk week so we have our extensive preview of the huge game coming up on Saturday in Ames.  But, first, we have a potentially huge story to discuss on the podcast involving Iowa women's basketball recruiting. This week Kyle Huesmann and Tom Kakert put in soft projections for a five star 2026 forward to come to Iowa. Kyle and Tom are on the podcast to discuss the latest involving the recruitment of McKenna Woliczko following her visit to Iowa this past weekend. What are we hearing? Do the Hawkeyes have a legitimate shot? Then we dive into what will be a very busy fall of recruiting for the Iowa women's basketball team with several other Top 100 prospects scheduled to be in Iowa City this fall. Who are the top targets and what are the Hawkeyes chances? After that it's time to turn our full attention to Iowa football and the games against the Cyclones this weekend. First we have an extended conversation involving the play of Mark Gronowski. What do we make of his struggles in the opener and if he struggl

The first week of the Iowa football season is in the books and that means the return of the Chuck Long Podcast!  The legendary Iowa quarterback returns for another season of talking Hawkeye football with Tom Kakert from HawkeyeReport.com. We have plenty to discuss after week one of action, particularly when it comes to the quarterback position for Iowa.  We dive into the overall play of Iowa quarterback Mark Gronowski. What did Long think of his performance? Was it nerves that will eventually fade away or is it real cause for concern for this season? What did Long see from his throws on Saturday? Were there better throws later in the game as he started to relax a bit more?  Long discusses what the difference between a passer and a thrower at quarterback and what he thought of the game plan from Tim Lester. We also talk about the really strong run game from the Hawkeyes and how well the offensive line performed.  Then we preview the Iowa vs. Iowa State game coming up this week and if it might be better for Gro

Following Iowa's win on Saturday over Albany, there was plenty for Tom Kakert and Matt Randazzo. In a special combined episode late on Saturday evening of Hawkeye Report and Off the Air, which is Matt's show, we breakdown all the angle from the Hawkeyes win over Albany by the score of 34-7.  We start with the most challenging part of Saturday's win and that is assessing the quarterback play of Mark Gronowski. On one hand, he brought a ground game from that position that the Hawkeyes have been lacking. On the other hand, Gronowski only threw for 44 yards against a limited Albany defense. We also discuss the strong ground attack from the Hawkeyes and how Xavier Williams really shined when he got an opportunity, rushing for 122 yards. We also discuss the health of Kamari Moulton and play of Terrell Washington Jr, along with Jaziun Patterson coming off the bench to play well late.  Then we flip to the defense, were other than one drive in the second quarter, the Albany offense was held in check most of the evenin

The season opener for the Iowa football team is rapidly approaching and we have our one final look at the upcoming game between Iowa and Albany on Saturday afternoon at Kinnick Stadium. Tom Kakert and Matt Randazzo dive into all the latest news and the storylines that Hawkeye fans will need to follow this weekend.  We look at what the expectations are for quarterback Mark Gronowski in his first game as the starting quarterback for the Hawkeyes. We discuss the running back and wide receiver positons as well before moving over to the Hawkeye defense and why we think they should have a very good day on that side of the ball.  We also discuss the great news that was delivered this week to several former Iowa players, who made NFL rosters, some for hte first time. We focus in on the great story that Jay Higgins became by making the Ravens as an undrafted free agent.  Then we look at some of the top games on a loaded weekend of college football, including Texas vs. Ohio State kicking things off on Saturday from Col

The first two deeps of the Iowa football season are out and that means we have to do a podcast! Tom Kakert and Kyle Huesmann break down all the news from the day regarding the new two deeps.  We start with a look at the Iowa offense and the two deeps. What do we make of the four players being listed at running back? What about the wide receiver position? Did we find out there was a going to be a rotation at left tackle? Then we move to the defensive side of the ball where Koen Entringer is listed at three different positions and what that might mean for the defensive backfield to start the season? We look at a deep defensive line and also some thoughts on special teams.  From there, we preview the game against Albany and Huesmann breaks it all down from his research on the Great Danes team this year. Will this be a blowout win for the Hawkeyes?  Finally we preview women's hoops recruiting with a huge recruit on campus and get caught up on a strong start for the Iowa women's soccer team.