Lisa Bluder appreciates the sentiment, however she wouldn’t settle for Dr. Jill Biden’s invitation — even when it have been nonetheless on the desk.
The primary woman walked again her controversial invite of each Bluder’s Iowa Hawkeyes workforce and the NCAA champion LSU Woman Tigers to the White Home after receiving blowback.
Bluder, nevertheless, prolonged an invite of her personal.
“I gratefully acknowledge the First Woman’s sentiments, however a day on the White Home ought to belong solely to the champion, LSU and Coach Mulkey,” Bluder tweeted Tuesday. “We might welcome the First Woman and President to return to Iowa’s ‘Home’ — Carver Hawkeye Area — any time!”
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Biden, who was in attendance for LSU’s 102-85 win over Iowa, recommended each workforce come to Washington D.C., which had been pooh-poohed by voices round each squads.
Historically, solely winners are invited to the White Home, although a spokesperson tried to make clear Biden’s feedback.
“The First Woman beloved watching the NCAA ladies’s basketball championship sport alongside younger pupil athletes and admires how far ladies have superior in sports activities for the reason that passing of Title IX,” Vanessa Valdivia, press secretary for the primary woman tweeted Tuesday. “Her feedback in Colorado have been meant to applaud the historic sport and all ladies athletes.
Lisa Bluder appreciated the invite — however wouldn’t need to go to the White Home anyway.Getty Pictures First woman Dr. Jill Biden walked again her controversial invite of the Iowa Hawkeyes to the White Home.Getty Pictures
“She seems to be ahead to celebrating the LSU Tigers on their championship win on the White Home.”
President Joe Biden did formally lengthen an White Home invite to LSU, in addition to males’s champion UConn on Tuesday, with the dates to be decided — and no point out of Iowa.
“We are able to all study loads from watching these champions compete,” he stated, “and I look ahead to welcoming them at every of their White Home visits.”
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Hawkeyes star Caitlin Clark, who captivated the sports activities world together with her Herculean efforts and trash-talking, instructed ESPN’s “Exterior the Traces” on Tuesday that she wouldn’t be making a visit.
“I feel LSU ought to get pleasure from that second for them, and congratulations clearly,” Clark stated. “They should go there. Perhaps I may go to the White Home on totally different phrases. That’s for LSU.
“That’s a fairly cool second and they need to get pleasure from each second of being a champion.”
LSU star Angel Reese, who famously taunted Clark with John Cena’s “You possibly can’t see me” hand gesture after Clark had used it in opposition to Louisville earlier within the NCAA match, referred to as Biden’s try to ask each groups “a joke” on Monday.
LSU’s Angel Reese has not shied away from her emotions about Jill Biden’s Iowa invite.Getty Pictures
On Tuesday, she defined her emotions on the “Paper Route” podcast, saying she’s unsure she’ll settle for the President’s invitation.
“If we have been to lose, we might not be getting invited to the White Home,” Reese stated. “Keep in mind she made a remark about how each groups ought to be invited due to sportsmanship. I’m like, ‘Are you saying that due to what I did?’
Eliot and Ross breakdown the impact of the Hawkeyes landing South Dakota State transfer quarterback Mark Gronowski in the transfer portal.
Is Gronowski immediately QB1 or Iowa?, how he elevates the floor and the ceiling of the QB room, why his accomplishments set him apart from previous Iowa transfer targets and acquisitions, shout out to Tim Lester/Brad Heinrichs/Tyler Barnes, what’s next with the Hawkeyes and the portal, plus more.
Video: Kaden Wetjen talks punt return touchdown vs. Northwestern
Kaden Wetjen discusses a variety of topics following Iowa’s win over Northwestern.
IOWA CITY — On Tuesday, Kaden Wetjen was announced as the winner of the 2024 Jet Award, which honors the most outstanding return specialist in college football.
Wetjen became a weapon on special teams in 2024 as the Hawkeyes’ full-time punt and kickoff return man. He took a punt for a touchdown against Northwestern in October. Then he returned a kickoff to the house in Iowa’s matchup against Missouri in the Music City Bowl.
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Wetjen finished the 2024 season amassing more than 1,000 combined kickoff and punt return yardage.
A standout at Williamsburg High School, Wetjen’s recruiting process in high school was not chock-full of college football’s elites. Division III programs wanted him. NAIA-level Grand View offered. Seth Wallace talked to Wetjen about walking on at Iowa.
But Wetjen opted to go to junior college, taking his talents to Iowa Western. His time there earned him some recruiting attention but it still was relatively limited. Iowa came around again.
More: Iowa football: How overlooked, undersized Kaden Wetjen has become nation’s top returner
Ultimately, Wetjen decided on a preferred walk-on opportunity with the Hawkeyes over scholarship offers elsewhere, the most prominent of which was FBS-level UMass.
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Wetjen worked his way into a bigger role at Iowa over time. He didn’t play in his first season, but in 2023 he led Iowa in kickoff returns and filled in at punt return following Cooper DeJean’s season-ending injury. In 2024, Wetjen had his best season and became one of the nation’s premier returners.
For the second consecutive season, a Hawkeye was named Big Ten’s Rodgers-Dwight Return Specialist of the Year. DeJean took the honor in 2023, Wetjen did it in 2024.
Ahead of the Music City Bowl, Wetjen indicated he was likely to return to Iowa in 2025, but not yet certain.
“The plan is to come back,” Wetjen said in December. “But I’ll say I’m 98% sure.”
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If Wetjen does return, Iowa is projected to return multiple key pieces of its 2024 special teams unit.
Drew Stevens, who was 20-of-23 on field goals last season, is set to come back, along with punter Rhys Dakin, who gained meaningful experience as a freshman.
Follow Tyler Tachman on X @Tyler_T15, contact via email at ttachman@gannett.com
Nebraska Cornhuskers (12-2, 2-1 Big Ten) at Iowa Hawkeyes (10-4, 1-2 Big Ten)
Iowa City, Iowa; Tuesday, 8 p.m. EST
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BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Hawkeyes -3.5; over/under is 159.5
BOTTOM LINE: Iowa plays Nebraska after Drew Thelwell scored 25 points in Iowa’s 116-85 loss to the Wisconsin Badgers.
The Hawkeyes are 8-1 in home games. Iowa averages 89.4 points and has outscored opponents by 12.3 points per game.
The Cornhuskers are 2-1 in Big Ten play. Nebraska has a 9-2 record against teams over .500.
Iowa averages 10.4 made 3-pointers per game, 1.9 more made shots than the 8.5 per game Nebraska gives up. Nebraska has shot at a 46.2% rate from the field this season, 0.2 percentage points fewer than the 46.4% shooting opponents of Iowa have averaged.
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The Hawkeyes and Cornhuskers square off Tuesday for the first time in conference play this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Owen Freeman is shooting 65.2% and averaging 16.8 points for the Hawkeyes.
Brice Williams is shooting 49.1% and averaging 18.8 points for the Cornhuskers.
LAST 10 GAMES: Hawkeyes: 6-4, averaging 90.1 points, 29.3 rebounds, 19.1 assists, 8.4 steals and 5.0 blocks per game while shooting 51.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 79.6 points per game.
Cornhuskers: 9-1, averaging 76.6 points, 33.8 rebounds, 14.0 assists, 7.7 steals and 2.2 blocks per game while shooting 47.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 64.2 points.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
