Hawk Central Hour

Iowa basketball has a lot of positive momentum right now, and the Register's Chad Leistikow and Tyler Tachman dig into the early roster-building stages of the Ben McCollum era. Iowa football also is in full swing, and we've got updates on the quarterbacks, the offense and plenty to discuss there, too, after a glimpse into Thursday's practice. And what to make for Aaliyah Guyton's portal entry? Chad is joined by Dargan Southard to discuss the latest there.

What a week. First, Chad Leistikow and Tyler Tachman of the Des Moines Register break down Ben McCollum's introduction as Iowa's men's basketball coach and look at the potential roster that he might be able to assemble. Later, Chad and Dargan Southard look back on the Iowa women's basketball season and preview portal additions for Jan Jensen and Co.

Monday morning delivered the news Iowa fans had been waiting for. Ben McCollum is the Hawkeyes' new head coach after one year at Drake that ended in the NCAA Tournament second round. A program with potential but in need of restoration is now McCollum's to turn around. The Register's Chad Leistikow and Tyler Tachman dissect the coaching search and Beth Goetz's eventual decision.

The Iowa men's basketball coaching search is evolving by the minute, and the Register's Chad Leistikow and Tyler Tachman dig into the transfer portal, Darian DeVries and Ben McCollum on this Tuesday morning. Chad is later joined by Dargan Southard to preview the Iowa women's basketball path in the NCAA Tournament. Could this team make a Sweet 16 run?

What was long rumored became official Friday afternoon. The Fran McCaffery era has ended at Iowa after 15 seasons. As a result, AD Beth Goetz faces her most crucial hire yet in hopes of re-igniting energy around the Hawkeyes basketball program. The Register's Chad Leistikow and Tyler Tachman dissect the good and bad of McCaffery's tenure, while analyzing what Iowa might do next.

This week's Hawk Central Hour dives into a full hour of Iowa basketball, starting with the surprising men's victory at Nebraska to earn a Big Ten Tournament berth. The Register's Chad Leistikow and Tyler Tachman discuss the extension of the season and the future of Fran McCaffery while previewing Wednesday's matchup against Ohio State. Chad and Dargan Southard spend 30-plus minutes on Iowa women's basketball, reacting to the top story lines of the Big Ten Tournament while looking ahead to Selection Sunday.

The No. 11 seed Hawkeyes are marching on in the Big Ten Tournament after a gritty second-round win over Michigan State. Live from Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, the Register's Chad Leistikow and Dargan Southard dissect the win and look forward to Friday's quarterfinal vs. Ohio State.

The Iowa women's basketball team is playing well entering Indianapolis, and the Register's Chad Leistikow and Dargan Southard delve into the key story lines heading into its path at the Big Ten Tournament. Chad also talks with Tyler Tachman about the new football hire for the Hawkeyes, and Eli McKown comes aboard to help preview the Big Ten Wrestling Championships.

The Register's Chad Leistikow kicks off this Thursday Hawk Central Radio Hour with Dargan Southard, who was in Ann Arbor to cover the Hawkeye women's 79-66 win at Michigan. Chad does an audio version of his "five thoughts" column to underscore the importance of Wednesday's W. Later, Chad and Tyler Tachman discuss the big loss of Ladell Betts from Iowa's football staff and the Iowa men's basketball team's Big Ten Tournament chances.

A podcast-only edition of the Hawk Central Radio Hour, as the Register's Chad Leistikow is joined by teammate Tyler Tachman to discuss the Hawkeyes' week out East and the future of Fran McCaffery. We talk about Chad's balanced, deep dive on the decision Beth Goetz is facing in the coming weeks. Dargan Southard later jumps on to break down his trip to Columbus, where the Iowa women dropped a crazy overtime game to No. 8 Ohio State. We look at potential seeding ahead for Indianapolis and the NCAAs.

On this week's Hawk Central radio show, Iowa football defensive coordinator joins the Register's Chad Leistikow for 21 minutes to discuss Super Bowl headliner Cooper DeJean's time with the Hawkeyes, including his impact on Parker's secondary and comparisons to Nile Kinnick. Dargan Southard later joins Chad to discuss back-to-back road wins for the Iowa women's basketball team and the reasons why this team is clicking so well right now.

The start of this early-February week was packed with news, so we delivered our Hawk Central podcast a day early. Tyler Tachman joins Chad Leistikow to break down the Owen Freeman season-ending injury, then Dargan Southard and Chad delve into the monstrous 2/2 win over USC for the Iowa women. How does the schedule look from here?

Coming off Iowa's 85-80 home win against Northwestern, the Register's Chad Leistikow and Dargan Southard look at the recent team developments (including a two-game win streak) with big-picture conversation about previous transition years for Iowa women's basketball. Later, Chad and Tyler Tachman dig into the Cooper DeJean story line, offensive-line recruiting and the opportunity for resurgence or peril in men's basketball.

It hasn't been the month Fran McCaffery or Jan Jensen envisioned for their Iowa basketball teams. The Register's Tyler Tachman and Dargan Southard dissect what's happened and what could be coming down the road for both programs.

Men's basketball leads our conversation this week, following the Hawkeyes' 99-89 loss to USC late Tuesday night. The Register's Chad Leistikow and Tyler Tachman also look ahead to Friday's game at UCLA and discuss Mark Gronowski's surgery and its impact on the Iowa football quarterback derby. Chad and Dargan Southard finish things up to discuss whether it's time to move Hannah Stuelke to the 5 spot.

Her first year as permanent Iowa AD in the books, Goetz sits down with the Register's Chad Leistikow to discuss all the hot-button topics, including Kirk Ferentz's successor, the upcoming dilemmas surrounding revenue sharing in college athletics, men's basketball attendance, Carver renovations and more. Sit back and enjoy this laid-back conversation.

The Mark Gronowski buzz continues, as Chad Leistikow and Tyler Tachman of the Des Moines Register follow up on their emergency pod Tuesday by leading off Wednesday's Hawk Central radio show with more talk about the South Dakota State transfer, including why he came to Iowa and what it says about Tim Lester. Plus, Chad and Tyler break down the quarterback room of the future, the Iowa men's comeback against Nebraska. Women's basketball talk ensues about Chad's column to play the freshmen more.

Iowa football made the transfer-portal splash fans were looking for Tuesday, officially landing quarterback Mark Gronowski from South Dakota State. He arrives with one year remaining following four successful seasons with the Jackrabbits, two of which ended with an FCS national title. With Iowa's QB revamp now complete, the Register's Chad Leistikow and Tyler Tachman analyze what the Gronowski add means moving forward.

Sunday's big home showdown against No. 8 Maryland signals the start of regular season's second half in Iowa City. The No. 22 Hawkeyes sit with a strong record and have meshed together nicely. But there is clearly another gear this team can hit. Ahead of Sunday's big matchup, the Register's Chad Leistikow and Dargan Southard dissect where Iowa is and where it can go as Big Ten play intensifies.

The Hawkeyes owned a 10-point lead in the second half of Monday's Music City Bowl loss to Missouri. But a sputtering finish stuck Iowa with a disheartening 27-24 loss to end a frustrating 2024 season. Live from Nissan Stadium in Nashville, the Register's Chad Leistikow joins Tyler Tachman to recap a year of missed opportunity in Iowa City.