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Kirk Ferentz Talks Hank Brown, Brendan Sullivan, Iowa QB Situation

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Kirk Ferentz Talks Hank Brown, Brendan Sullivan, Iowa QB Situation


Kirk Ferentz Talks Hank Brown, Brendan Sullivan, Iowa QB Situation

In addition to holding court on several big picture issues like the transfer portal, Iowa’s NIL positioning, and the 105-man roster limit at Friday’s media availability, Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz also spent a considerable amount of time discussing the Hawkeye quarterback situation.

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First, he talked about the process of adding Auburn transfer Hank Brown, the newest member of Iowa’s quarterback room. “It’s like anything you do in the portal. If you go to the portal, you’re trying to improve your depth, trying to improve the level of competition at any given position,” Ferentz said. “Obviously, we’re a little thin at that spot right now body-wise. [We] need some guys that we think have a chance to really develop and grow.”

READ MORE: COMMIT: Portal Quarterback Hank Brown Chooses Iowa

“I know [offensive coordinator] Tim Lester has been really thorough with his evaluations on everybody, including high school film,” noted Ferentz. “That was a big part of the evaluation, going back and watching all the prospects that we look at in high school, following it to whatever college tape may be there.”

“I think the things that Tim is looking for, he found that with Hank,” said Ferentz. “The other key component is what is it going to be like when we meet the prospect, his family, how we feel they’re going to fit in the program. Vice versa, it has to be a mutual deal. [We] felt really good about it. We’re excited about it.”

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READ MORE: Three Thoughts on Hank Brown’s Commitment to Iowa

Ferentz also noted that both Brown and incoming true freshman Jimmy Sullivan were joining the program shorly and would be available to practice with Iowa in the lead-up to the Music City Bowl against #19 Missouri (December 30, 1:30 PM CT).

It’s new for us,” Ferentz said. “At least we’ll get eyes on these guys, get them out there. Tim will have them totally confused by Monday. They can travel with us to the bowl game but they can’t play. We’re going to add to the competition here in the spring and see how it goes. Both [Brown] and Jimmy Sullivan will be a part of that.”

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Ferentz was also asked if he was comfortable with where Iowa was at in terms of adding players out of the transfer portal. “It’s a process, as you know,” he explained. “A lot of people are out traveling around. I guess it all comes to an end Sunday, I think. Seems like it’s been a long journey.”

“I think we’re in a good position,” Ferentz added. “We’ll do our due diligence. If it works, it works with players we’re involved with. If not, so be it. We have a couple more visitors coming here I guess before Sunday. As far as I know, we’re done Sunday. That could change. I think we’re comfortable right now.”

Finally, Ferentz also addressed the condition of Brendan Sullivan, who missed the last two games of the regular season, but was back atop the new depth chart released on Friday.

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“[Sullivan looks] really good,” Ferentz said. “I’m going back to the end of the season. Friday and Monday, we were off that weekend. That Friday and Monday we worked. Just shorts, not contact. I don’t think he did anything or didn’t do much. Since that time he’s been great. He feels fully confident. The injury is in the history now.”

“[He’s] just getting caught up because he missed a couple weeks there. This has been a good period where he’s getting some work,” Ferentz explained.

“Tim even had like a little quarterback school going a couple days where we weren’t work, just working those guys mentally, going out in the field walking through some things, letting them throw the ball, stationary, things like that, things you can’t do in the spring because of all the stupid rules we have. That goes back to we need to change our approach to January to August. We really need to change that. But that’s a discussion for a different day.”



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Vote: Who Should be Iowa’s High School Athlete of the Week? (4/19/2026)

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Vote: Who Should be Iowa’s High School Athlete of the Week? (4/19/2026)


Here are the candidates for High School on SI’s Iowa high school athlete of the week for April 13-18. Read through the nominees and cast your vote.

Voting closes at 11:59 p.m. PT on Sunday, April 26. The winner will be announced in the following week’s poll. Here are this week’s nominees:

Taylor Roose, Pella boys track and field

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Roose competed in three events at the Norwalk Invitational, winning all three in the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash and long jump.

Daxon Kiesau, Urbandale boys track and field

Kiesau swept the throwing events at the Norwalk Invitational, taking first place in the shot put and the discus.

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Alex Burger, Southeast Valley boys track and field

Competing at home, Burger dominated, earning four gold medals. He won the 400-meter hurdles and the long jump while running on the winning 4×200-meter relay and shuttle hurdle relay.

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Kolby Hodnefield, Clear Lake boys track and field

Hodenfield, a defending state champion, broke the meet, venue and school record in the 200 and the 400 at the Clear Lake Invitational. He added victories as part of the 4×100 and 4×400 relays. Both relays also set meet records.

Easton Moon, North Polk boys tennis

Moon has started off his senior season on the courts unbeaten, winning all four matches while dropping just one game in 44 played.

Ava Lohrbach, Gilbert girls golf

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One of the top golfers in the state, Lohrbach has had a hot start, firing a 35 in her nine-hole debut and a 72 for her 18-hole opener.

Nathan Manske, Algona boys golf

An elite quarterback and basketball player, Manske is showing his golfing skills this spring, coming out with a state-low 30 in a nine-hole event.

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Ella Hein, Tipton girls track and field

Hein set school records in the 400-meter run and long jump at the Tiger/Tigerette Relays while also locking in the Blue Standard and qualifying for the Drake Relays. She won the long jump (18-6) and was second in the 400.

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Maeve Bowen-Burt, Iowa City High girls track and field

The sophomore helped the Little Hawks land three Drake Relays events on the last night of qualifying, advancing in the 400 hurdles, along with the sprint medley and 4×400 relays.

About Our Athlete of the Week Voting

High School on SI voting polls are meant to be a fun, lighthearted way for fans to show support for their favorite athletes and teams. Our goal is to celebrate all of the players featured, regardless of the vote totals. Sometimes one athlete will receive a very large number of votes — even thousands — and that’s okay! The polls are open to everyone and are simply a way to build excitement and community around high school sports. Unless we specifically announce otherwise, there are no prizes or official awards for winning. The real purpose is to highlight the great performances of every athlete included in the poll.

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Houston icon George Foreman laid to rest in Iowa, drawn by a peaceful 1988 visit

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Houston icon George Foreman laid to rest in Iowa, drawn by a peaceful 1988 visit


The late boxing great George Foreman lies buried in a cemetery in the northwestern corner of Iowa – a place he has no connection to outside of a lone visit to the region nearly 40 years ago.

Foreman died March 21, 2025, at the age of 76 in Houston and was buried in Logan Park Cemetery at Sioux City, Iowa, a month later, city officials confirmed. Foreman’s family returned Thursday to his burial site, holding a news conference with Sioux City Mayor Bob Scott to reveal Foreman’s burial place, marked by a large monument that bears an image of him as a teen following his Olympic gold medal boxing win.

The family explained in a statement released by Sioux City officials that he had visited the Iowa city in 1988, and often recalled the sense of peace he experienced there.

After traveling to the city on April 17 last year to bury Foreman, his family said they immediately understood the region’s appeal.

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“Our father lived a life of purpose, faith and gratitude,” the family said in a statement released by Sioux City officials. “To see him laid to rest in a place that brought him peace means everything to us.”

Scott joined the family at Foreman’s monument that lies just a few miles north of the Missouri River in an upper Midwest city of nearly 87,000 people. The cemetery overlooks the scenic Loess Hills, created by windblown silt deposits that reach up to 200 feet high (about 61 meters) and line the river along the Iowa border for 200 miles (322 kilometers).

“Their story is a reminder of how one place can stay with someone for a lifetime,” Scott said.

A native Texan, Foreman rose to fame when he made the 1968 U.S. Olympic boxing team, winning gold in Mexico City. He became the heavyweight champion of the world in 1973 by defeating the great Joe Frazier, only to lose the title a year later to Muhammad Ali in the famous “Rumble in the Jungle.”

A full 20 years later in 1994, Foreman became the oldest man to win the heavyweight championship at 45, defeating Michael Moorer in an epic upset.

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Foreman retired in 1997 with a 76-5 career record.

He then moved on to the next chapter in his life as a businessman, pitchman and occasional actor, becoming known to a new generation as the face of the George Foreman Grill. The simple cooking machine sold more than 100 million units and brought him more wealth than boxing.

A biographical movie based on Foreman’s life was released in 2023.

Copyright © 2026 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.



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GOP governor candidate Zach Lahn pitches Iowa-first platform at Dubuque town hall

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GOP governor candidate Zach Lahn pitches Iowa-first platform at Dubuque town hall


DUBUQUE, Iowa (KCRG) — About 50 Iowans braved the threat of severe storms to hear from Republican candidate for governor Zach Lahn at his town hall in Dubuque Friday night.

Lahn, a farmer and businessman, said his campaign is about solving the long-term systemic issues facing Iowans.

One priority is addressing what Lahn calls a cancer crisis in Iowa, as the state has the second-highest cancer rate in the country. Solving the crisis means ensuring Iowans have access to clean, nitrate-free drinking water, working with farmers to reduce agricultural runoff.

“Iowans are just ready for something that they should be able to count on, like clean drinking water,” Lahn said. “We have ways to clean up the drinking water in Iowa that isn’t on the backs of farmers, but is working alongside with them because they’re drinking the water too, and they want to do what’s right.”

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Lahn also wants to stop Iowa’s “brain drain,” as more of Iowa’s college graduates left the state for opportunities elsewhere.

“Don’t leave! Give me some time! I’m going to fight to keep you here,” Lahn said. “I was one of these kids. I thought I had to leave the state to find something better. We have to prioritize Iowa’s incentive dollars to make sure they’re going to grow Iowa businesses that are going to be here for the long haul, so our kids have places to work.”

Running a distinct campaign feels challenging this election, as Lahn is one of five GOP candidates who want to be Iowa’s next governor, facing U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, former Department of Administrative Services Director Adam Steen, state Rep. Eddie Andrews and former state Rep. Brad Sherman.

Iowa Auditor Rob Sand is the only Democrat running for the state’s top office.

Lahn said he stands out by promising Iowa will be for Iowans, pledging to ban the use of eminent domain for private gain and tax out-of-state landowners and data centers at higher rates to lower property taxes.

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“It always goes back to follow the money, so when it comes to not being a weak-kneed Republican today, I believe the paramount piece of that is answering only to the citizens of Iowa, not to special interests to pad their bottom line, but what’s best for the people of Iowa,” Lahn said.

Copyright 2026 KCRG. All rights reserved.



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