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Phil Parker has ‘good idea’ of Iowa’s starting cornerbacks, but ‘things change every day’

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Phil Parker has ‘good idea’ of Iowa’s starting cornerbacks, but ‘things change every day’


Iowa defensive coordinator reluctant to name starting cornerbacks with more than a week before start of 2024 season

Iowa defensive coordinator Phil Parker leaves the field at halftime during a game between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023. (Nick Rohlman/The Gazette)

IOWA CITY — Phil Parker has a “good idea” of who his starting cornerbacks will be in 2024.

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But with 11 days to go until the Hawkeyes’ season opener, the Iowa defensive coordinator (and 2023 Broyles Award recipient) was reluctant Tuesday to name who specifically those starters will be.

“I got a list of guys and rank them, but things change every day with us throughout the practice,” Parker said.

Jermari Harris seems to be the likely answer at one of the spots as he approaches his sixth season of college football. He started 12 of Iowa’s 14 games last year, and Parker said he has been “taking a lot” of first-team reps in fall camp.

With another first-team cornerback spot up for grabs, the Hawkeyes’ options include T.J. Hall, John Nestor and Deshaun Lee.

Parker has been “seeing T.J. Hall grow and improve his standard of play.” Nestor is “really doing a good job, very competitive out there.” Lee, meanwhile, is “doing a heck of a job.”

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“It’s really interesting to see those four over there,” Parker said. “One day, one guy might have a better day than the other guy. It’s depending on what day and what the point of attack, how productive are they?”

Lee started six games in 2023 — first in place of Harris during his two-game suspension and later in place of Cooper DeJean after his injury. Hall primarily played on special teams in six games before suffering an injury. Nestor played 10 games as a true freshman, also with the bulk of those snaps happening on special teams.

Iowa has not always been keen on rotating defensive backs. Iowa’s Week 6 win over Purdue last year, for example, featured only five players who took snaps in the secondary, according to Pro Football Focus’ snap counts. But its current depth at cornerback could create some options there.

“You can see maybe playing more guys in the back end, if you have to,” Parker said.

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Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com

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Why is Iowa’s governor having dinner with Donald Trump at Mara-a-Lago?

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Why is Iowa’s governor having dinner with Donald Trump at Mara-a-Lago?


DES MOINES, Iowa (Gray Media Iowa State Capitol Bureau) – Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds returns to Mara-a-Lago for the second time in two months. Reynolds will have dinner Thursday night with President-elect Donald Trump and several other Republican governors at his Florida Resort.

One of those dinner guests with be the former presidential candidate that Reynolds endorsed before the Iowa Caucuses instead of Trump, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, as first reported by Politico.

Governors could be a necessary ally for Trump if he moves forward with plans for mass deportations of people living in the United States without legal status.

Reynolds announced her visit to Florida late Thursday morning before she flew to meet with the returning president.

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Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds announced that she will join President-elect Donald Trump at his Florida resort.(Kim Reynolds post on X/Twitter)

This will be Reynolds’ second trip in two months to visit Trump’s resort near Palm Beach. She and Iowa’s U.S. Senator Joni Ernst, her fellow Republican, attended Trump’s victory party on election night.

Governor Kim Reynolds and Senator Joni Ernst attended Donald Trump's victory party at...
Governor Kim Reynolds and Senator Joni Ernst attended Donald Trump’s victory party at Mar-a-Lago on election night.(Kim Reynolds post on X/Twitter)



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Matt Campbell on Bears’ radar. What to know about the ISU coach, his contract extension

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Matt Campbell on Bears’ radar. What to know about the ISU coach, his contract extension


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The Cyclones’ head coach football Matt Campbell is expected to take an interview with the Chicago Bears nearly a month after agreeing to a contract extension with Iowa State University.

Both The Athletic and the Chicago Tribune reported that Campbell is among various coaches in talks for the vacant position. The Bears look to interview Pete Carroll of the Seattle Seahawks, former Stanford coach David Shaw and more, according to ESPN.

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Who is Matt Campbell?

Campbell has served as Iowa State’s head football coach since the 2016 season. Before coming to Ames, Campbell served as the head coach of Toledo Rockets in Ohio. He is the third-longest tenured coach in Iowa State’s history.

Iowa State saw a historic season in 2024, making it to the team’s seventh bowl game since Campbell became head coach. The Cyclones finished 11-3, the program’s first season with double-digit victories.

When did Matt Campbell sign a contract extension with Iowa State?

Campbell signed a contract extension with the Cyclones through 2032 in December.

“Coach Campbell has built a special football program at Iowa State; one that all Cyclone fans can take great pride in,” university president Wendy Wintersteen said in a statement. “His continued commitment to both academic and athletic excellence, combined with his strong character and integrity, make him the ideal individual to lead Iowa State’s football program. He is very deserving of this new contract.”

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What’s Matt Campbell’s record at Iowa State?

Campbell has a 64-51 record and is the all-time coaching wins leader at Iowa State.

He is 99-66 in 14 years as a FBS head coach.

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Where is Matt Campbell from?

Campbell was born in Massillon, Ohio, according to ESPN. He graduated from Mount Union in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in history. Campbell and his wife, Erica, have four children, according to Iowa State.

Has Matt Campbell interviewed for the NFL before?

Reports from 2021 said that Campbell turned down an 8-year, $68.5 million deal to become the Detroit Lions’ head coach. That job ultimately went to Dan Campbell, who has turned the team into the No. 1 seed in the NFC for the first time in franchise history.

Back in 2019 six NFL teams reached out to Campbell, a source told the Register. It’s not clear if he actually accepted any interviews.

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

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Big 12 basketball power rankings: Streaking Iowa State, Houston, Arizona lead the way

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Big 12 basketball power rankings: Streaking Iowa State, Houston, Arizona lead the way


Three Big 12 Conference basketball teams have each won its first three games in the league thus far.

Not coincidentally, all three are riding lengthy winning streaks, with one of those squads drastically turning its season around after a shaky start.

Here, now, are the updated Big 12 basketball power rankings, with games through Jan. 8:

Cyclones are definitely rolling, having won 10 straight ballgames. That was punctuated by back-to-back blowout wins at Hilton Coliseum against Baylor and Utah, the latter on Tuesday.

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Next Up: At Texas Tech, Saturday; Vs. Kansas, Wednesday.

The Cougars are also coming off decisive back-to-back wins at the Fertitta Center, having now won seven straight. While they left no doubt last Saturday in a 31-point win against BYU, the Cougars had to shake off a pesky TCU squad in the second half to eventually prevail by 19. 

Next Up: At Kansas State, Saturday; Vs. West Virginia, Wednesday.

What a difference conference play has made for the Wildcats, whose postseason outlook appears much brighter. Especially after going on the road and disposing of two solid squads in Cincinnati and West Virginia, as Arizona currently rides a five-game win streak.

Next Up: Vs. UCF, Saturday; Vs. Baylor, Tuesday.

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The Jayhawks avoided what would have been an unfathomable 0-2 start in conference play at Allen Fieldhouse, pulling away in the second half Wednesday to defeat Arizona State. Kansas trailed by six at the break before holding the Sun Devils to just 13 second-half points.

Next Up: At Cincinnati, Saturday; At Iowa State, Wednesday.

Definitely a huge win by the Red Raiders on Tuesday, following up a rout at Utah with a hard-fought 72-67 win at BYU. Elijah Hawkins, Darrion Williams and Chance McMillian combined to go 19-of-32 from the field and 10-of-19 from 3-point range.

Next Up: Vs. Iowa State, Saturday; At Kansas State, Tuesday.

A tenacious win for the Knights on Wednesday, rallying from a 74-71 deficit in the final three minutes against Colorado. UCF held the Buffaloes scoreless in that span while ending the game with a 4-0 run, all on free throws – the latter from Deebo Coleman with 35 seconds left for a 75-74 victory.

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Next Up: At Arizona, Saturday; At Arizona State, Tuesday.

A nice bounce-back win by the Bears on Tuesday after being blown out over the weekend at Iowa State. Baylor manhandled Cincinnati, 68-48, holding the Bearcats to nearly identical shooting percentages from field goal (34.7 percent) and 3-point range (34.8).

Next Up: At Arizona State, Saturday; At Arizona, Tuesday.

The Mountaineers couldn’t sustain the momentum of an early fast start in the conference, falling at home on Tuesday to Arizona. They’ll try to bounce back with a weekend visit to the Rockies.

Next Up: At Colorado, Sunday; At Houston, Wednesday.

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Lingering memories of a blowout loss at Houston last weekend carried over into a home game Tuesday, as the Cougars fell short to Texas Tech. It may still be too early for a must-win, but a road win this weekend at TCU can definitely help get BYU back on track.

Next Up: At TCU, Saturday; Vs. Oklahoma State, Tuesday.

A tale of two halves for the Sun Devils Wednesday night in Kansas. In the first half, Arizona State more than held its own. But after halftime, the Sun Devils made only five field goals, and were 1-of-11 from beyond the arc.

Next Up: Vs. Baylor, Saturday; Vs. UCF, Tuesday.

Horned Frogs overcame a slow start and hung tough with Houston early in the second half. But the Cougars’ powerful defense and their ability to make key shots proved to be too much. TCU returns home this weekend for an interesting test against BYU.

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Next Up: Vs. BYU, Saturday; Vs. Utah, Wednesday.

Bearcats going through a tough stretch. The good news is they’re back at home this weekend. The bad news is they’re facing Kansas. Can Cincy rise to the occasion?

Next Up: Vs. Kansas, Saturday; At Colorado, Wednesday.

A solid win for the Cowboys on Tuesday as they rolled past Kansas State, building a 19-point lead at the break. Also a big night for Abou Ousmane, who led the way with 27 points on 11-of-15 shooting from the field. He also went a perfect 4-of-4 from the line.

Next Up: At Utah, Saturday; At BYU, Tuesday.

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The Wildcats actually shot 51 percent from the field and 75 percent from the line in Tuesday’s loss at Oklahoma State. But they turned the ball over 19 times, and the Cowboys scored 31 points off those turnovers. OSU also had 31 points from players off the bench compared to just 14 for the Wildcats.

Next Up: Vs. Houston, Saturday; Vs. Texas Tech, Tuesday.

The Buffaloes let one slip away on Wednesday, dropping a narrow one-point game on the road at UCF. They’ll be thinking about that for three straight days before finally getting a chance to get it out of their system.

Next Up: Vs. West Virginia, Sunday; Vs. Cincinnati, Wednesday.

A bright spot for the Utes in their loss to Iowa State on Tuesday was Gabe Madsen scoring 20 points. He also made four 3-pointers while recording four assists and two steals.

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Next Up: Vs. Oklahoma State, Saturday; At TCU, Wednesday.



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