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Leistikow: Hiring Warren Ruggiero shows Iowa football is determined to upgrade pass game

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Leistikow: Hiring Warren Ruggiero shows Iowa football is determined to upgrade pass game


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In his second game after being promoted midseason to Syracuse’s offensive coordinator in 2014, Tim Lester found himself going up against another first-year offensive coordinator in Wake Forest’s Warren Ruggiero.

Lester got the better end of that matchup that year with a 30-7 win and also beat Wake Forest the following year, 30-17.

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And though Lester left Syracuse after the 2015 season, he continued to watch Ruggiero’s career with the Demon Deacons. By 2021, Ruggiero was a finalist for the Broyles Award, given to the nation’s top assistant coach. And now, Lester has brought Ruggiero aboard to help his offensive staff for the Iowa football program.

Ruggiero will serve as a senior offensive analyst in 2025 for the Hawkeyes, who are reshaping their offense under Lester in his second year as offensive coordinator. A source with direct knowledge of the situation confirmed the hiring to the Register.

Ruggiero’s track record in 11 years as Wake Forest’s offensive coordinator probably makes him overqualified to fill the Hawkeyes’ running backs coach opening, which should be sorted out in the next few weeks as longtime head coach Kirk Ferentz and Lester pore through candidates to replace the recently departed Ladell Betts.

But it’s pretty common for highly proven coordinators to become analysts when they are no longer employed, because that allows them the freedom to move to another job if one comes up. Ruggiero was not retained by new Wake Forest coach Jake Dickert, who came aboard from Washington State for the 2025 season.

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According to Wake Forest’s website, the Demon Deacons were the only ACC team to average at least 30 points a game in every season from 2017 through 2022. Wake Forest’s 2021 offense was Ruggiero’s best as offensive coordinator, averaging a school-record 41.0 points per game behind quarterback Sam Hartman.

When a coach overachieves at a school that historically doesn’t have much success, that is something worth noticing. Wake Forest had six winning seasons out of seven from 2016 through 2022 after having none in the previous seven.

At Iowa, it makes sense that Ruggiero (who will turn 59 in April) will work with the Hawkeyes’ new stable of quarterbacks, which is the same position he coached at Wake Forest.

Lester, of course, doubles as Iowa’s quarterbacks coach but there is a lot of work to go around with five quality guys in the room this spring: South Dakota State transfer Mark Gronowski, Northwestern transfer Brendan Sullivan, Auburn transfer Hank Brown, walk-on junior Jackson Stratton (who went 2-0 as a starter for Iowa last season) and true freshman Jimmy Sullivan.

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Whatever the cost was to bring Ruggiero aboard, this seems to be a worthwhile investment. It also underscores that the Hawkeyes are serious about overhauling their offense, which was the worst in the Power Five in 2022 and 2023 but made positive strides under Lester last season − especially in the run game, which ranked No. 2 in the Big Ten and averaged 5.12 yards per carry.

The next step is to unlock the passing game, and Lester has repeatedly said that will take the most time. With the high-profile addition of Gronowski, a sixth-year senior who led South Dakota State to multiple national titles, and now picking up a proven, successful offensive coordinator to serve as analyst, it’s clear that the Hawkeyes are determined to move this offense further in a positive direction.

Hawkeyes columnist Chad Leistikow has served for 30 years with The Des Moines Register and USA TODAY Sports Network. Chad is the 2023 INA Iowa Sports Columnist of the Year and NSMA Co-Sportswriter of the Year in Iowa. Join Chad’s text-message group (free for subscribers) a.t HawkCentral.com/HawkeyesTexts. Follow @ChadLeistikow on X.



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Where to watch Iowa women’s basketball vs. Indiana today, TV, time

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Where to watch Iowa women’s basketball vs. Indiana today, TV, time


Looking for a second road win this week, No. 14 Iowa women’s basketball heads to Indiana for today’s 4 p.m. contest inside Assembly Hall. BTN will televise the game.

The Hawkeyes (13-2, 4-0 Big Ten Conference) remained perfect in league play with a 67-58 win at Northwestern on Jan. 5, a game in which Iowa survived despite enduring heavy foul trouble.

Meanwhile, Indiana (11-6, 0-5) has reached desperation territory. The Hoosiers have dropped four straight, including two at home, during this extended skid.

Here’s how to watch today’s game.

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  • Date: Sunday, Jan. 11
  • Start time: 4 p.m. CT
  • Location: Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana

Dargan Southard is a sports trending reporter and covers Iowa athletics for the Des Moines Register and HawkCentral.com. Email him at msouthard@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Dargan_Southard.



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Iowa women’s wrestling finishes third at National Duals

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Iowa women’s wrestling finishes third at National Duals


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CEDAR FALLS − The undefeated start to the Iowa women’s wrestling program has ended after the Hawkeyes lost a dual for the first time in program history at the NWCA National Duals on Jan. 10.

A 40-5 win over William Jewell College and a 39-3 victory over Sacred Heart set up a major semifinal clash with rival North Central College on Jan. 10.

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Iowa won six of 10 matches in the semifinals. Karlee Brooks beat national runner-up Yele Aycock by a 8-4 decision, 138-pounder Skye Realin defeated a former national champion by a 6-6 score on criteria in Claire Dicugno with a four-point throw at the buzzer, Reese Larramendy knocked off No. 1 ranked and former Hawkeye teammate Bella Mir in a 10-4 decision at 145 and 180-pounder Kylie Welker wrestled and won in just her second match back after a period of rest to start the season.

All of those wins helped put Iowa in front, 21-18, going into the final bout at 207 pounds.

What did the Hawkeyes in was losses by fall at 110, 124 and 207. The 207 loss, with Dasia Yearby pinning Jaycee Foeller in the first period, gave North Central a 23-21 victory despite the Cardinals dropping six of 10 matches. North Central also scored team points in nine of 10 bouts because they scored match points and did not lose by fall.

As a result, the Iowa program’s 42-0 unblemished record in duals was broken.

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The final result was eerily similar to the dual between the two teams at the same tournament two years ago, where the Hawkeyes also lost six of 10 bouts, but got crucial bonus points and at least one team point in all 10 bouts to escape with a 21-20 win.

Iowa women’s wrestling coach Clarissa Chun emphasized to her team two years ago that every point mattered in the win. This time around, it worked against them as the Cardinals got the upset victory.

“Every point does matter,” Chun said. “You can’t replicate those moments in those times, in certain moments and positions. We got to be better at finishing, that’s apparent. We can get to the legs, but we got to continue to wrestle through that to the strong finish.”

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Iowa women’s wrestling’s Skye Realin discusses loss to North Central

VIDEO: Iowa women’s wrestling’s Skye Realin discusses loss to North Central

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Chun said the emotions were raw afterwards, with wrestlers in and out of the lineup taking the loss to heart. Welker, who won her bout 8-2 against Jael Miller, took it hard since she nearly had a pin that could have flipped the final result.

“There was a lot of us that felt it was hard to take a loss, especially for me, and there was a couple other girls that took it pretty hard,” Welker said. “I have girls that look to me, so I’m like, ‘I got to pull myself together and step forward with them, alongside them so we can finish this tournament.’”

Ultimately, the Hawkeyes finished with a win in the third-place bout shortly after by defeating a solid Grand Valley State team, 26-15. The main difference, they said, was the positive energy exuded from the coaching staff to not harp on the past and look for the next best thing.

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Iowa women’s wrestling’s Karlee Brooks discusses loss to North Central

VIDEO: Iowa women’s wrestling’s Karlee Brooks discusses loss to North Central

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While the loss brings an unfamiliar feeling to the program, it’s something they knew would come eventually. While it was their main rival today, McKendree will also present a tough challenge to the field when the NCAA Championships come in March.

Behind stars Welker and Kennedy Blades, rising wrestlers like Brooks and Realin, as well as proven veterans in Larramendy, Brianna Gonzalez and Foeller, Iowa will have a good chance to win a third-consecutive team title this season.

Even in a crushing loss, they got some key wins from those like Realin, Larramendy and Brooks that bode well for the Hawkeyes in the future. The places they faltered were spots they’ll have confidence to bounce back or won’t apply come the NCAA Championships, like Nyla Valencia’s loss by fall after controlling most of the bout at 110 pounds, and Welker and Blades giving up team points in their matches.

Regardless, the third-place finish served as a reminder to the program and fans alike that this year is going to bring Iowa’s toughest challenge yet.

“Everyone on our team knows it, this sport has depth,” Chun said. “There are great wrestlers across the entire country.”

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Iowa women’s wrestling’s results at NWCA National Duals

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Iowa women’s wrestling’s Kylie Welker’s National Duals press conference

VIDEO: Iowa women’s wrestling’s Kylie Welker discusses program’s first loss

Round of 16: Iowa 40, William Jewell College 5

  • 103 – Sterling Dias (Iowa) over Juliana Alejandro (William Jewell College) TF 11-0
  • 110 – Nyla Valencia (Iowa) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
  • 117 – Alexandra Waitsman (William Jewell College) over Harlee Hiller (Iowa) Fall 1:04
  • 124 – Isabella Gonzales (Iowa) over Miyah Palacios (William Jewell College) TF 10-0
  • 131 – Emily Frost (Iowa) over Shelby Kemp (William Jewell College) Fall 1:22
  • 138 – Lilly Luft (Iowa) over Zainab Ibrahim (William Jewell College) Fall 2:01
  • 145 – Cadence Diduch (Iowa) over Mckinzie Ross (William Jewell College) TF 11-0
  • 160 – Kennedy Blades (Iowa) over Paige Barber (William Jewell College) TF 10-0
  • 180 – Katja Osteen (Iowa) over Jianna Chavez (William Jewell College) Fall 1:22
  • 207 – Jaycee Foeller (Iowa) over Desiree Hall (William Jewell College) TF 10-0

Quarterfinal: Iowa 39, Sacred Heart University 3

  • 103 – Valarie Solorio (Iowa) over Aaliyah Payne-Parris (Sacred Heart) Fall 0:54
  • 110 – Ava Bayless (Iowa) over Tiffany Stoshak (Sacred Heart) TF 10-0
  • 117 – Brianna Gonzalez (Iowa) over Tatiana Walker (Sacred Heart) TF 11-0
  • 124 – Cali Leng (Iowa) over Lauren Nguyen (Sacred Heart) TF 10-0
  • 131 – Bella Williams (Iowa) over Bella Sowards (Sacred Heart) TF 10-0
  • 138 – Skye Realin (Iowa) over Elleahna Anderson (Sacred Heart) Fall 2:21
  • 145 – Reese Larramendy (Iowa) over Selena Sifuentes shaffer (Sacred Heart) TF 10-0
  • 160 – Kennedy Blades (Iowa) over Love Daley (Sacred Heart) TF 10-0
  • 180 – Kylie Welker (Iowa) over Madeline Hodges (Sacred Heart) TF 10-0
  • 207 – Josephine Larson (Sacred Heart) over Libby Dix (Iowa) Dec 5-2

Semifinal: North Central College 23, Iowa 21

  • 103 – Valarie Solorio (Iowa) over Brianne Graves (North Central College) TF 12-0
  • 110 – Kaelani Shufeldt (North Central College) over Nyla Valencia (Iowa) Fall 5:38
  • 117 – Riley Rayome (North Central College) over Brianna Gonzalez (Iowa) Dec 3-3
  • 124 – Sara Sterner (North Central College) over Cali Leng (Iowa) Fall 1:45
  • 131 – Karlee Brooks (Iowa) over Yele Aycock (North Central College) Dec 8-4
  • 138 – Skye Realin (Iowa) over Claire Dicugno (North Central College) Dec 6-6
  • 145 – Reese Larramendy (Iowa) over Bella Mir (North Central College) Dec 10-4
  • 160 – Kennedy Blades (Iowa) over Taylor Graveman (North Central College) TF 11-1
  • 180 – Kylie Welker (Iowa) over Jael Miller (North Central College) Dec 8-2
  • 207 – Dasia Yearby (North Central College) over Jaycee Foeller (Iowa) Fall 1:38

Third-place dual: Iowa 26, Grand Valley State 15

  • 103 – Sterling Dias (Iowa) over Rayana Sahagun (Grand Valley State) Dec 7-0
  • 110 – Ava Bayless (Iowa) over Kiely Tabaldo (Grand Valley State) Dec 6-0
  • 117 – Brianna Gonzalez (Iowa) over Libby Roberts (Grand Valley State) TF 10-0
  • 124 – Sage Mortimer (Grand Valley State) over Isabella Gonzales (Iowa) Fall 0:37
  • 131 – Karlee Brooks (Iowa) over Aspen Blasko (Grand Valley State) Dec 8-3
  • 138 – Katerina Lange (Grand Valley State) over Lilly Luft (Iowa) TF 10-0
  • 145 – Cadence Diduch (Iowa) over Margaret Buurma (Grand Valley State) TF 10-0
  • 160 – Kennedy Blades (Iowa) over Noelle Gaffney (Grand Valley State) Fall 3:45
  • 180 – Kylie Welker (Iowa) over Maddison Ward (Grand Valley State) TF 10-0
  • 207 – Sabrina Nauss (Grand Valley State) over Jaycee Foeller (Iowa) Fall 4:47

Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him at Emckown@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23.





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Ben Kueter earns top-10 in return to Iowa men’s wrestling lineup

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Ben Kueter earns top-10 in return to Iowa men’s wrestling lineup








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Iowa heavyweight Ben Kueter is back and feels better than ever | The Gazette






























































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