Iowa

Flexibility Key to Iowa Success in ’24

Published

2 years ago

August 25, 2024

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Color me surprised by Kirk Ferentz (basically) announcing his starting quarterback 10 days before the season-opener. There wasn’t a competitive advantage to the Iowa Football coach doing so.

The news likely won’t put the Hawkeyes at a disadvantage against FCS Illinois State, though. No disrespect intended, but the game shouldn’t be close if Iowa is a College Football Playoff contender, which some of us believe.

Public opinion on the Hawkeye quarterback competition formed on Aug. 10 during the team’s only open practice. Sixth-year senior Cade McNamara struggled, to put it mildly. Backup Brendan Sullivan, a Northwestern transfer, was marginally better.

Ferentz said Thursday that McNamara would be the starter if the team were playing the next day. While it didn’t completely close the book on the competition, it meant something to say that after camp had just wrapped up.

Nobody should be surprised despite the Kids Day disaster. Ferentz has publicly backed McNamara since he arrived through the transfer portal from Michigan. He’s just rarely been healthy enough to show people outside of the football building what the coach sees.

That could change next week. McNamara said last month that he felt the best he had since becoming a Hawkeye late in ’22. He underwent knee surgery a few months before that. Then, he tore his ACL in Week 5 last year after injuring his quad during training camp.

McNamara was early into his return to practice on Aug. 10. Rust made sense. Improvement also did.

McNamara’s play convincing Ferentz to name him the leader in the clubhouse is a good thing for the Hawkeyes. It means he’s been better than how he and Sullivan looked Aug. 10, which was a must. And Sullivan likely has improved, too.

At the risk of eliciting a “no crap” response from you, Iowa needs much better quarterback play than it experienced in 2023. It’s better positioned to do so. I know, “breaking.”

The key moving forward is flexibility, however. The offensive staff must be precise in its continued evaluation and then act if change is warranted.

If you just began following this program, you might say “no crap” again. If not, there’s evidence showing that the few close quarterback competitions witnessed during the last quarter century have been wonky.

This month’s competition was close, according to the coaches. The student-athletes observed that as well.

As the saying goes, you can’t fool the team. It will be watching and judging along with the staff. Fairness is essential for culture.

It can’t be like ’12 and last season, when rigidity overrode what our eyes were seeing. Poor quarterback play can’t keep this team from reaching its potential. Nobody around here can handle that emotionally.

The stars are aligned for a memorable Iowa Football season, perhaps one of the most memorable in a long, long time. If, in the end, the prevailing perception is that the offense kept that from happening, first-year coordinator Tim Lester will face less blame than did his predecessors. More will be directed at the boss.

We’ve been told that it’s Lester’s show on that side of the ball. Heed history. Believe it when you see it. Know it’s not out of the question, however.

Phil Parker and Seth Wallace were given more control of the defense in ’18 after being beat again having a linebacker covering a receiver. The Cash position was born.

Afford Lester the same opportunity. Welcome advancements within the pro-style offense and adjust better to rule changes. Take advantage of player strengths.

Ideally, McNamara will be what Iowa saw in recruiting. It’s plausible he presides over an efficient, opportune offense. It doesn’t need to be great.

It’s also possible that Sullivan keeps developing and ends up being a better fit for Lester’s scheme. He’s more mobile than McNamara.

Let it continue playing out with an openness to switching. There’s no time to waste. A formidable Iowa State team is the opponent Week 2. The Big Ten opener at Minnesota is two weeks later.

It’s tricky, of course. It’s much easier making imaginary decisions sitting in the stands or on the couch or typing on a computer in your underwear. Nobody’s impacted, with the possible exception of the latter.

Personnel decisions always play a critical role in determining success and failure. The stakes are raised when it’s at the game’s most important position. That’s the current dynamic.

Source link

Iowa

Iowa State football lands 2027 3-star linebacker commit Keaton Wollan

Published

4 hours ago

April 22, 2026

Press Room

Iowa State football lands 2027 3-star linebacker commit Keaton Wollan

After securing multiple commitments on the offensive side of the ball, Iowa State football has landed its first defensive commitment in the 2027 recruiting class.

Keaton Wollan, a three-star linebacker out of Amery, Wisconsin, committed to the Cyclones on April 21. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound linebacker announced his decision on social media.

He chose Iowa State over other offers from Texas Tech and North Dakota State. He previously visited Ames in March, but he also took recent visits to Minnesota and Wisconsin.

As a junior at Amery High School, Wollan was a two-way standout and earned all-state honors for the 2025 season. Defensively, he racked up a team-high 125 total tackles, including nine for loss and 1.5 sacks. He also had four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, three interceptions and one defensive touchdown.

Offensively, he had a team-high 932 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on 160 carries. He also caught 15 passes for 179 yards, and he was an impact player in the return game, logging more than 500 kick and punt return yards.

According to 247 Sports Composite rankings, Wollan is the No. 93 linebacker prospect in the country and the No. 11 overall recruit in his class from the state of Wisconsin.

Wollan is the sixth player to commit in the Cyclones’ 2027 recruiting class.

Iowa State football 2027 recruiting commitments

As of April 21

Gavin Ericson-Staton, OL | Lombard, Illinois/Montini Catholic
Isaiah Hansen, RB | Newton, Iowa/Newton HS
Koen Hinzman, OL | Hudson, Michigan/Hudson Area HS
Will Slagle, OL | Grinnell, Iowa/Grinnell HS
Bryson Thompson, WR | San Antonio, Texas/Claudia Taylor Johnson HS
Keaton Wollan, LB | Amery, Wisconsin/Amery HS

Eugene Rapay covers Iowa State athletics for the Des Moines Register. Contact Eugene at erapay@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @erapay5.

Source link

Iowa

Iowa DOT plans overnight I‑80 closure at northeast mixmaster

Published

16 hours ago

April 21, 2026

Press Room

Iowa DOT plans overnight I‑80 closure at northeast mixmaster

Prepare for more overnight closures at the northeast mixmaster as the Iowa Department of Transportation closes the ramp connecting westbound Interstate 80 and northbound Interstate 35.

Here’s what to know.

When will the Iowa DOT close the westbound I‑80 to northbound I‑35 ramp?

The westbound I-80 to northbound I-35 ramp will be closed to traffic from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. the next morning from April 21-24.

What’s the detour when the Iowa DOT closes the westbound I‑80 to the northbound I‑35 ramp?

During the closures, drivers wanting to go from westbound I‑80 to northbound I‑35 will follow a signed detour.

Instead of taking the closed ramp, motorists will stay on westbound I‑80, bypassing the northeast mixmaster connection. They’ll then exit at U.S. Highway 69, turn around, and head back east on I‑80, where they can connect to northbound I‑35 using the open portion of the northeast mixmaster.

Cooper Worth is a service/trending reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at cworth@gannett.com or follow him on X @CooperAWorth.

Source link

Iowa

Iowa women’s basketball transfer portal visitor commits to Big Ten foe

Published

1 day ago

April 21, 2026

Press Room

Iowa women’s basketball transfer portal visitor commits to Big Ten foe

An Iowa women’s basketball transfer portal visitor committed to one of the Hawkeyes’ conference foes instead. Former Iowa State guard Kenzie Hare took a visit to Iowa during her transfer portal recruitment, but the 5-foot-9 guard committed to Indiana on Sunday night.

Hare had several visits throughout her transfer portal recruiting process, including trips to Michigan and Illinois State, but the Des Moines Register’s Chad Leistikow reported that Hare also visited Iowa.

On3’s Talia Goodman reported Hare’s commitment to the Hoosiers.

Hare has one year of eligibility remaining. This past season with the Cyclones, in 32 games played and 31 starts, Hare averaged 6.0 points and 2.5 rebounds per game on 40.5% field goal shooting and 40% from 3-point range. A hip injury limited Hare to just 10 games during her first year with the Cyclones in the 2024-25 season.

The soon-to-be redshirt senior transferred to Iowa State before the 2024-25 campaign after spending two seasons at Marquette from 2022-24. Hare averaged a career-best 14 points per game on 45.5% field goal shooting and 42.5% 3-point shooting during the 2023-24 season with the Golden Eagles.

Had Iowa been able to lure the Naperville, Ill., native to Iowa City, Hare would have been another valuable addition to the Hawkeyes’ backcourt depth. But, Iowa has landed other backcourt reinforcements throughout this transfer portal cycle.

The Hawkeyes inked both Dani Carnegie and Amari Whiting.

Carnegie was a first-team All-SEC selection this past season at Georgia, averaging 17.8 points per game on 42.7% field goal shooting, 35.4% from 3-point range and 83.3% from the free-throw line. Whiting averaged 9.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.8 steals per game on 42.5% field goal shooting, 32.1% 3-point accuracy, and 71.6% free-throw shooting.

As Hare joins a promising core of players in Bloomington, the Hawkeyes will once again face the former Cyclone at least once this upcoming season as part of their Big Ten regular-season slate.

Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions. Follow Scout on X: @SpringgateNews

Source link