The Iowa Hawkeyes lost two players from their football team this week.

Both running back Leshon Williams and wide receiver Kaleb Brown have announced that they will redshirt for the rest of the season and enter the transfer portal at the end of the year.

Despite the two players opting to leave the program, it hasn’t phased head coach Kirk Ferentz. He isn’t worried about the decisions that they made at all.

When asked about Williams and Brown transferring, Ferentz offered a short and brutal quote.

“Not to be callous, but if a player isn’t playing, you don’t lose much.”

Williams had been dealing with an injury throughout the season thus far. Before the injury, he had shown flashes of being a player that could end up making an impact. Unfortunately, those flashes were never able to come to light on the field.

As for Brown, there were big plans for him coming into the season. But, he was suspended for the first game of the year and was never able to earn his role back.

Clearly, Ferentz is not worried about how his team will respond to the news. Basically, he doesn’t think the losses of them will impact the team at all.

Ferentz isn’t necessarily wrong with what he stated. Neither player had a role that will change how the team has been operating. However, it was the way he said it that was a bit out of line.

Regardless of the role that they players had, handling the situation with a bit more grace would have been a better look.

All of that being said, Iowa is not a program that needs to be graceful necessarily. The Hawkeyes want to win football games and neither Williams or Brown was contributing to that goal so far this year.

Looking ahead to the future, we wish the best to both Williams and Brown. Hopefully, they find success in their future endeavors.

The Iowa On3 Massey Ratings top 25 list as of Oct. 8 underwent some changes compared to last week’s rankings. These updates highlight the competitiveness of Iowa high school football, especially when you consider that only three of the top ten teams remain unscathed.

Meanwhile, two teams ranked 11 to 25 swapped spots. Here’s how the state’s top teams fared after the 2024 Iowa high school football season has reached its halfway point.

The On3 Massey Ratings, officially used during the BCS era, is a model that ranks sports teams by analyzing game outcomes, strength of schedule, and margin of victory.

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After losing to Dowling Catholic, the Tigers have secured victories against ranked teams. Their latest conquest was against 23^rd-ranked Waukee Northwest, wherein Drake DeGroote completed three touchdown passes to Zay Robinson. Valley can extend their winning streak to five games against Waterloo West.

The Maroons survived the fierce opposition ushered in by fifth-ranked Ankeny Centennial in a match that needed three overtime periods to be settled. Dowling Catholic showed resilience despite a 21-3 halftime deficit and scoring their first touchdown with six minutes left in the third quarter. Overcoming that test of character should give the Maroons confidence in their upcoming match against Urbandale.

The Dragons are flying again after clinching their third consecutive victory against ranked opponents. This time, they’ve shut out eighth-ranked Southeast Polk, thanks to their defense, ranked fourth in Iowa high school football. After limiting Ankeny, Waukee, and Southeast Polk to 14 points, Johnston should have no problems defeating Urbandale on the road.

The Bulldogs remain undefeated after five games and haven’t allowed 20 points to an opponent since their season opener against sixth-ranked Pleasant Valley. Bettendorf’s latest result was a 33-14 masterpiece over Kennedy, a game practically over by halftime when the Bulldogs established a 27-6 lead. Bettendorf can improve to 6-0 by defeating Davenport Central this week.

The Jaguars could not translate their fantastic start against Dowling Catholic into a victory. Failing to close out the Maroons after three overtimes handed them their second consecutive defeat. However, they remain in the top ten and could bounce back with easier matchups against Roosevelt and Waukee Northwest over the next two weeks.

In their last match, the Spartans surrendered 28 points to Cedar Falls. While that’s a concern, the second-best offense in Iowa high school football scored a season-high 52 points. Pleasant Valley is on a groove, scoring 101 points in their two previous games. In that case, they should have no problems maintaining the momentum against Muscatine.

After starting the season at 1-3, the Hawks have won two consecutive games, beating Iowa City West and Prairie by a combined score of 73-38. However, their schedule gets more challenging as they face 11^th-ranked Liberty and top-ranked Valley in their following two assignments.

The Rams’ shutout loss to Johnston halted their winning streak. That result also brings their record against the top ten teams to 2-2. It’s also a total contrast to their 48-3 win over Sioux City East the week before. Southeast Polk should make a better effort in the next two weeks to defeat No. 13 Waukee and second-ranked Dowling Catholic. Those games are perfect for the Rams’ defense to prove why they are Iowa high school football’s top-ranked defense.

The Titans have scored over 50 points in back-to-back games, defeating Jefferson 56-6. The week before, they scored 55 on Glenwood. Lewis Central can keep their hopes for a perfect season intact by defeating Winterset, Norwalk, and Dallas Center-Grimes in their next three games.

The Comets flew to the top ten after a 29-8 victory over Ballard Community. North Polk’s defense has intensified, allowing only 33 points in its last three games. Before that run, they gave up 68 points to Bondurant-Farrar and Carlisle combined. On deck for the Comets are Indianola this week and Boone on the 18^th.

11. Liberty
12. Pella
13. Waukee
14. Linn-Mar (+1)
15. West Lyon (-1)
16. Decorah
17. Xavier
18. Iowa City High
19. Cedar Falls
20. Humboldt
21. Grundy Center
22. Williamsburg
23. Waukee Northwest
24. ADM
25. Western Dubuque