



Quarterbacks under further review, depth-chart risers in Iowa's fall camp
Three days removed from Kids Day at Kinnick, the Register's Chad Leistikow and Tyler Tachman take another look at the day of quarterback performances from Jeremy Hecklinski, Hank Brown and up-and-coming Jimmy Sullivan. We also go back to our media-day reporting and Saturday viewing to come up with …

Kids Day reaction: Did Jeremy Hecklinski deliver a knockout blow vs. Hank Brown?
It was just one practice out of nine, Kirk Ferentz reminded us. But Jeremy Hecklinski's dominant performance at quarterback has certainly shifted the QB conversation with Iowa football, 3 weeks ahead of the season opener. The Register's Chad Leistikow and Tyler Tachman react to what they saw at Kin…

Hawk Central: Ghost-pepper Iowa football takes, Kids Day preview
Only three-plus weeks until the season, the Register's Chad Leistikow and Tyler Tachman convene to offer their, mild, hot and ghost-pepper takes on the Iowa football season ahead. We choose 10 bold predictions in all, covering the offensive and defensive sides of the ball completely. And with media…

Fall-camp preview: What we're debating as Hawkeyes gear up for 2026 season
Back from vacation, the Register's Chad Leistikow reconvenes with Hawk Central teammate Tyler Tachman about the recently completed Big Ten Media Days while looking ahead to the start of fall camp for the Hawkeye football team. We discuss the potential of Tony Diaz living up to expectations, what a …

Breaking down the biggest Iowa football storylines at Big Ten Media Days
The Register's Tyler Tachman recaps the most important storylines from Iowa football's appearance at Big Ten Media Days in Chicago.

Hawk Central: Drafting Iowa football's top breakout candidates
The Register's Chad Leistikow and Tyler Tachman convene for 56 minutes, the bulk of which is devoted to evaluating potential breakout players on the 2026 Iowa football team. Who is the No. 1 pick in our offensive and defensive drafts? Plus, some Big Ten Media Days preview talk and women's basketbal…

Tyler Tachman is back! Recapping Iowa men's basketball practice, latest on QB battle
After some vacation and the departure of our radio show on KXnO, the Register's Chad Leistikow and Tyler Tachman are back together for a fresh episode of Hawk Central after an action-packed Wednesday in Hawkeye sports. Chad and Tyler break down what they've seen so far from Iowa men's basketball pr…

Hawk Central: 90 minutes with Iowa offensive coordinator Tim Lester
For the third straight summer, Iowa offensive coordinator Tim Lester sits down with the Des Moines Register's Chad Leistikow to talk football and preview the upcoming Hawkeye season. Big topics covered include the quarterback battle ahead, the Shanahan system evoluation at Iowa and whether Lester h…

Hawk Central: A full hour with Iowa offensive line coach George Barnett
The Register's Chad Leistikow sits down with George Barnett, who is entering his sixth year as Iowa's offensive line coach, and they cover a lot of good ground. This is Barnett's first interview since his offensive line won the Joe Moore Award. We discuss the impact of that honor, the NFL Draft, ho…

Hawk Central: Iowa basketball ramps up schedule, 1-on-1 with Jay Niemann
The Register's Chad Leistikow outlines how the layoffs at KXnO impact Hawk Central going forward before bringing on Tyler Tachman to discuss Iowa basketball's latest schedule addition (Virginia Tech) and the NBA Draft experience for first-rounder Bennett Stirtz. The last 70% of the show is Chad's s…