"Iowa has really taken their program to the next level."

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mattcozzi

New Member
Hope everyone is doing well out there in Hawkeye Nation.

DJK was on my podcast this week and provided insight on just how well Iowa football is doing over the last few years, going as far as to say "Iowa has really taken their program to the next level." I will include links to the show at the bottom of this post, but here are two time stamps and what you will hear about.

25:20 -- DJK points out how Iowa has rebranded -- something he thought he would never see based on previous regimes under Kirk Ferentz. Recruiting, facilities, uniforms, etc.

28:00 -- The 'football part' of the rebranding. "The state of the program is better than it's ever been."

The entire conversation was solid. DJK has become a reflective person (+ married w/ a kid and another on the way in September!).

DJK and I have talked before about doing a podcast specifically for Iowa football, and our plan is to get that up and running when college football returns. I really enjoy and respect the On Iowa Podcast and HN Podcast (Rob Howe is doing good things with this site), but our hope is that fans will check out our show and spend 30ish mins with us each week as well.

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3fFNS3a
Google: https://bit.ly/2WMhN1a
Anchor: https://bit.ly/2WZqdCz

-- Matt Cozzi
 
Is this the collective hell freezing moment we get when were finally in a position where football, men's and women's basketball, and wrestling are all successful at the same time. We wait and wait for this to happen and then when it does and the excitement reaches a peak we get hammered with a virus that that could cripple college athletics for the unforeseeable future.
 
kicker22 said:
Is this the collective hell freezing moment we get when were finally in a position where football, men's and women's basketball, and wrestling are all successful at the same time. We wait and wait for this to happen and then when it does and the excitement reaches a peak we get hammered with a virus that that could cripple college athletics for the unforeseeable future.
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We had similar moments in the mid 80s. Hayden had football rocking, Lute had just taken us to a Final Four and BJ/Marble/Gamble/Horton had just come aboard under Raveling. Gable had the wrestling program deep into one of the greatest runs in NCAA sports history and C Vivian Stringer was bringing the women's program into National relevance (2 elite 8s and a Final Four were to come)
 
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hawkdrummer1 said:
We had similar moments in the mid 80s. Hayden had football rocking, Lute had just taken us to a Final Four and BJ/Marble/Gamble/Horton had just come aboard under Raveling. Gable had the wrestling program deep into one of the greatest runs in NCAA sports history and C Vivian Stringer was bringing the women's program into National relevance.
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Yea, those were good times.
 
hawkdrummer1 said:
We had similar moments in the mid 80s. Hayden had football rocking, Lute had just taken us to a Final Four and BJ/Marble/Gamble/Horton had just come aboard under Raveling. Gable had the wrestling program deep into one of the greatest runs in NCAA sports history and C Vivian Stringer was bringing the women's program into National relevance.
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This.

The 80s were even better than the present for Hawk fans. In reality we're just starting to creep into the same zip code as Iowa sports was in the 80s.
 
Fryowa said:
This.

The 80s were even better than the present for Hawk fans. In reality we're just starting to creep into the same zip code as Iowa sports was in the 80s.
Click to expand...

It’s hard to imagine ever getting back to that level again under the current regimes.

It’s been since 2004 for Kirk and it hasn’t ever happened for Fran. I think a few people need to take off their mask because they are breathing in too much carbon dioxide.

If I was forced to gamble this up coming season I would be more likely to put my money on the basketball horse and not the football horse.

There are serious reason to believe both seasons could be cancelled. A very contagious decease is still out here and 80,000 packed into a football stadium and 15,000 packed into a auditorium is just asking for trouble. Now if they want to limit seating to 20,000, and 4000 respectively, then there’s a possibility of both seasons happening.

I hope I am wrong on both counts. First is that this virus is gotten under control enough that we can play football and basketball this year and second that both the football program and basketball programs absolutely kick ass. God only knows how loyal Iowa fans have been over the years. We deserve a special season in both sports.
 
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Fryowa said:
This.

The 80s were even better than the present for Hawk fans. In reality we're just starting to creep into the same zip code as Iowa sports was in the 80s.
Click to expand...

True, but after being away from it so long its definitely a collective improvement over anything we'd sustained with some consistency the past 20 years.
 
mattcozzi said:
Hope everyone is doing well out there in Hawkeye Nation.

DJK was on my podcast this week and provided insight on just how well Iowa football is doing over the last few years, going as far as to say "Iowa has really taken their program to the next level." I will include links to the show at the bottom of this post, but here are two time stamps and what you will hear about.

25:20 -- DJK points out how Iowa has rebranded -- something he thought he would never see based on previous regimes under Kirk Ferentz. Recruiting, facilities, uniforms, etc.

28:00 -- The 'football part' of the rebranding. "The state of the program is better than it's ever been."

The entire conversation was solid. DJK has become a reflective person (+ married w/ a kid and another on the way in September!).

DJK and I have talked before about doing a podcast specifically for Iowa football, and our plan is to get that up and running when college football returns. I really enjoy and respect the On Iowa Podcast and HN Podcast (Rob Howe is doing good things with this site), but our hope is that fans will check out our show and spend 30ish mins with us each week as well.

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3fFNS3a
Google: https://bit.ly/2WMhN1a
Anchor: https://bit.ly/2WZqdCz

-- Matt Cozzi
Click to expand...
Everyone has their opinions on Koulianos, but his opinion on Hawkeye football is about as insightful as listening to Mel Kiper give a lecture on contemporary hair styling. Everyone makes mistakes and everyone says and does dumb things when they're young, but Koulianos is a pariah when it comes to the Hawkeye football program. Ask anyone involved with the team what their thoughts are on the guy and you're gonna get a very diplomatic, "no comment."

Sorry to say, but you're not going to get traction with a podcast involving someone who is almost universally hated by fans. He tried to throw the entire program under the bus that gave him multiple chances which was bad enough, but then admitted he lied about it. The guy has been officially excommunicated.

It's great if he's turned himself around and matured, but you can un-say things like that. He may be genuinely sorry and regretful, but there's no getting your credibility back after something like what he did. It'd be like having Lance Armstrong do a podcast where he's saying nice things about the USADA. Equal parts awkward, weird, and hollow.
 
kicker22 said:
True, but after being away from it so long its definitely a collective improvement over anything we'd sustained with some consistency the past 20 years.
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Oh definitely love the trajectory, don't get me wrong. I just meant that this is definitely not the only time our stars have started to align.
 
mattcozzi said:
our hope is that fans will check out our show and spend 30ish mins with us each week as well.
Click to expand...
Keep us posted. I always liked DJK, and it will be nice to have a podcast where the moderator doesn't have to worry about being shunned by the UI athletic powers that be.
 
kicker22 said:
Is this the collective hell freezing moment we get when were finally in a position where football, men's and women's basketball, and wrestling are all successful at the same time. We wait and wait for this to happen and then when it does and the excitement reaches a peak we get hammered with a virus that that could cripple college athletics for the unforeseeable future.
Click to expand...
Life isn't fair, the sooner one understands this, the easier it is.
 
hawkdrummer1 said:
We had similar moments in the mid 80s. Hayden had football rocking, Lute had just taken us to a Final Four and BJ/Marble/Gamble/Horton had just come aboard under Raveling. Gable had the wrestling program deep into one of the greatest runs in NCAA sports history and C Vivian Stringer was bringing the women's program into National relevance (2 elite 8s and a Final Four were to come)
Click to expand...
Bump Elliot was an awesome AD. Probably the best we've ever had.
 
As to progress in Iowa football, the last 5 years are pretty impressive based on wins/losses, and bowl game performance. Is there another 5 year period that exceeds this one?

And, recruiting seems to be on an uptick. We have done better with skill receivers. We have made some inroads south of the mason/Dixon line, which is tough sledding for the BT. QB’s have been successful, but not spectacular. Running backs still need improvement, and O line consistency is crucial.

NFL picks have been impressive. D continues, under Parker, to be very strong. Important in the BT. We have made some positive adjustments to defend the variety of spread offenses we face.

I have liked the progress under Brian and glad to see O’Keefe back. Special teams coaching has been prioritized and I like where we are going. Punters? Receivers coach I would give an A+. Good staff changes have been successful overall.

Like all Hawk fans, I want to see us move to a dominate position in the West Division. I think that can happen. With the blue bloods, OSU, MI, and PSU in the East, the journey to an outright BT Championship is elusive, but attainable. The West has improved. MI is a bit of a mess, PSU has some problems with high level recruits, but not production at their predicted level.

I love the fact that we have a stellar reputation as a family oriented program, and our Hawkeye for Life philosophy, and that our coaches are pretty long term. Yes, we have some warts. More of those are reflected by geography than we are willing to admit but reality sets in. However, if you look around the BT, who would you hire from another conference team to coach the Hawkeyes?
 
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