A couple of years ago, former Iowa State Cyclones star Breece Hall appeared to be one of the top up and coming running backs in the NFL, and entering his third professional season with the New York Jets in 2024, many had him pegged as a potential breakout candidate.

However, Hall ended up having a very disappointing campaign, rushing for 876 yards and five touchdowns while averaging a pedestrian 4.2 yards per carry. Yes, he added 57 catches for 483 yards and three scores, but to put it plainly, more was expected from Hall last year.

Now, with the Jets having a new coaching staff in place, Hall is at the center of trade speculation, and Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine has listed him as one of New York’s top trade candidates with training camp approaching.

“The vaunted draft class of 2022 looms large moving forward, though. Sauce Gardner, Garrett Wilson, Jermaine Johnson II and Breece Hall will all be up for contract extensions soon and paying all of them could get pricey,” Ballentine wrote.

Let’s be honest: the Jets will certainly be extending Gardner and Wilson before Hall, and Johnson may even have the edge, too. New York has a couple of young halfbacks in Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis that will probably get more playing time in 2025, as well.

Hall spent three seasons at Iowa State, leading the Big 12 in rushing touchdowns back-to-back campaigns in 2020 and 2021. He also led the country with 1,572 yards on the ground in the former year.

Overall, the 23-year-old racked up 3,933 yards and 50 rushing scores during his time with the Cyclones while also catching 82 passes for 734 yards and six touchdowns. The Jets took him in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft.

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Say goodbye to Joann stores because the craft retailer is permanently closing its remaining Iowa stores by the end of May.

Joann shuttered 255 locations in April, including two in Iowa, months after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy for the second time within a year. Since filing for bankruptcy, the company has held going-out-of-business sales at the locations.

At those sales, prices are marked down 70% to 90%, according to Joann.com. (Note: sales on the online site have ended.) Stores are also selling the furniture, shelves and equipment, according to the site.

When is Joann closing its stores?

The more than 440 stores that remain will be closed by May 31, said Jo Anne McCusker, a spokesperson for GA Group, the retail liquidator that won all of Joann’s chain’s assets through auction in February. The chain’s website says many stores will close by May 30.

When are Joann stores in Iowa closing?

There are seven Joann stores that will close in Iowa by May 31, according to USA TODAY. The Ames location was not included in a list the company provided to USA TODAY, but the location is listed as a liquidation store on Joann’s website.

• Ankeny: 1205 SE 16th Court, Suite 200
• Cedar Rapids: 255 Collins Road NE
• Clive: 9999 University Ave.
• Davenport: 902 W. Kimberly Road, Suite 41
• Dubuque: 2600 Dodge St., Suite A-4
• Iowa City: 1676 Sycamore St.
• Waterloo: 1407 Flammang Dr.

Have any Iowa stores already closed?

USA TODAY reported that two Joann stores in Iowa were included in an earlier round of store closures.

JoAnn stores in Mason City and Muscatine closed on April 28.

Kate Kealey is a general assignment reporter for the Register. Reach her at kkealey@registermedia.com or follow her on Twitter at @Kkealey17.

Northwestern University men’s basketball has announced a historic “home-and-home” exhibition series with Iowa State that will be played over the next two years.

The series begins Sunday, October 26, 2025, when Northwestern travels to Ames to face the Cyclones at Hilton Coliseum. Iowa State will return the favor during the 2026 preseason, visiting Welsh-Ryan Arena on either Saturday, October 24, or Sunday, October 25, 2026:

The matchup represents significant firsts for both programs. Northwestern will break new ground by playing its first preseason exhibition against a Division I opponent in program history. For Iowa State, the October contest will mark their first exhibition game at Hilton Coliseum since 2017, when they defeated Emporia State 77-68.

The Cyclones will enter the Northwestern exhibition having already completed their preseason opener at Creighton on October 17. The 2025 schedule marks the first time Iowa State has played two exhibition games in a single season since 2009, when they defeated Black Hills State 96-47 and UNC Pembroke 106-54

Both teams enter the series following contrasting 2024-25 campaigns. Iowa State posted a 25-10 record and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, earning the 13th spot in ESPN’s Way Too Early Top 25 rankings. Northwestern finished 17-16 in their third consecutive winning season.

Specific tipoff times and television broadcast schedules will be announced at a later date. Northwestern’s full 2025-26 schedule has yet to be released, buttickets are currently available for purchase.