Hawk Central Hour

Chad Leistikow hosts a Tuesday edition of the Hawk Central Hour, and women's basketball leads the conversation after the Hawkeyes' 91-70 rout of No. 11 Ohio State and the career-ending injury to guard Taylor McCabe. Chad and Register teammate Dargan Southard analyze the (Addie) Deal going forward and more. Chad and Tyler Tachman follow up by breaking down the "bye week" for the Iowa men and look ahead to Wednesday's game against USC.

Live from College Park, the Register's Chad Leistikow joins Dargan Southard to dissect Iowa women's basketball's crazy overtime win over Maryland.

Both Iowa basketball teams are coming off big weekend wins. The Register's Chad Leistikow and Dargan Southard detail a 2-0 week for the Iowa women, including a top-15 home win against Michigan State on Sunday. We explore the play of Hannah Stuelke, the emergence of Addie Deal and the latest on Emely Rodriguez. Chad and Tyler Tachman delve into the Iowa men's trip to Indiana, which resulted in a dominant victory at Assembly Hall.

The Hawkeyes have been busy in the transfer portal, with a run of 11 football commitments in eight days. The Register's Chad Leistikow and Tyler Tachman size up the big-picture approach and discuss the 11 newcomers who will arrive this month. Chad and Tyler also surmise what happened with Iowa men's basketball in a 0-2 week, while Chad and Dargan Southard have a different conversation after the Hawkeye women find a way to go 2-0 without playing their best basketball.

During Iowa's bowl trip in Tampa, Iowa athletics director Beth Goetz sat down with the Register's Chad Leistikow for about an hour, most of it in podcast form, to tackle a lot of crucial categories in today's college-sports landscape. Goetz is asked about football succession plans, the nerves of the Ben McCollum hire, her thoughts on Iowa wrestling and, most importantly, Iowa's financial position in a revenue-sharing world.

Who said Iowa football season was over? The transfer portal has fully kicked in, and the Hawkeyes have a little bit of movement out and some early movement into the program. The Register's Chad Leistikow is joined by Tyler Tachman to recap the takeaways of the ReliaQuest Bowl while looking ahead to the offseason that has already begun. Chad and Tyler also revisit Iowa's big basketball win over UCLA, and Dargan Southard joins Chad to discuss the latest happenings with Iowa women's basketball.

Live from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, the Register's Chad Leistikow joins Tyler Tachman to dissect Iowa's ReliaQuest Bowl win over Vanderbilt.

It's almost game time, which means it's time for our ReliaQuest Bowl preview special on the Hawk Central Hour. In this 56-minute episode, the Register's Chad Leistikow is joined by On3's Tom Kakert, who has been to all seven of Iowa football's seven visits to Tampa under Kirk Ferentz. We share memories of past games here, while digging in deep to preview the challenge ahead for No. 23 Iowa against Diego Pavia and No. 14 Vanderbilt. Tyler Tachman is on vacation but does weigh in with his game prediction as well.

With two Cy-Hawk basketball games (which both unfolded in similar fashion) in the books and Big Ten Conference play looming, it feels like a good time to take stock of the Iowa basketball programs. Chad Leistikow and Tyler Tachman tip things off with a conversation about the men's 66-62 loss in Ames. Later, Dargan Southard and Chad recap the women's response to a 74-69 loss at Iowa State. We also mix in some football.

The Iowa football team is headed to the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa, Florida, and the Register's Chad Leistikow hosts a robust, 73-minute show providing an early preview of the Hawkeyes vs. Vanderbilt matchup. We preview Iowa vs. Iowa State basketball on the women's side with Dargan Southard and the men with Tyler Tachman. To finish, Chad sits down exclusively with Iowa football GM Tyler Barnes to discuss the Hawkeyes' recruiting class of 2026 and transfer-portal plans.

With Iowa's 40-16 Black Friday win over Nebraska in the books, the Register's Chad Leistikow and Tyler Tachman evaluate the 8-4 regular season and look ahead to the state of the football roster going into the 2026 season. Basketball chatter is also on the menu for this extended Hawk Central episode, as Chad breaks down the men's Big Ten-opening loss to Michigan State. We finish with 15 quality minutes on the unbeaten Hawkeye women, who open Big Ten play on Saturday at Rutgers.

Live from Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, the Register's Chad Leistikow joins Tyler Tachman to dissect Iowa's emphatic 40-16 road win over Nebraska.

It's a busy holiday week for the Hawkeyes, and our super-sized Hawk Central Hour (podcast-only edition) has you covered. The Register's Chad Leistikow hosts more than an hour of conversation about hoops and football, leading off with Tyler Tachman from California after the Iowa men took down Ole Miss in Palm Desert. Chad and Tyler then do our deep dive into the Iowa-Nebraska football matchup, and Dargan Southard joins the show to discuss the 11th-ranked Iowa women's basketball team, which is coming off important wins over Baylor and Miami.

Live from Kinnick Stadium, the Register's Chad Leistikow and Tyler Tachman break down Iowa's last-second win over Michigan State.

The Hawkeyes' season has become a battle of trying to finish 8-4 after back-to-back crushing losses to Oregon and USC. The Register's Chad Leistikow and Tyler Tachman dive into what the team is still playing for while examining the pass-game struggles in Year 2 of the Tim Lester offense. We also break down Five Big Questions to preview Iowa vs. Michigan State before launching into a healthy discussion on the early start for Ben McCollum's basketball team.

Ahead of senior day vs. Michigan State, the Register's Chad Leistikow and Tyler Tachman assess what remains for Iowa to squeeze out of this season after several painful losses. They also look at the Hawkeyes' updated injury situation.

Live from Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the Register's Chad Leistikow joins Tyler Tachman to dissect Iowa's 26-21 loss at USC that saw the Hawkeyes go scoreless in the second half.

Iowa's No. 21 rating in the College Football Playoff as the top three-loss team in the rankings signaled that the Hawkeyes have a ton to play for against No. 17 USC on Saturday. The Register's Chad Leistikow and Tyler Tachman look at the importance of winning this game regardless, the consequences of another loss and answer Five Big Questions to preview the Nov. 15 game in (rainy?) Los Angeles.

The Register's Chad Leistikow and Tyler Tachman break down what's most pivotal for Iowa football this week if the Hawkeyes are going to rebound at USC following a tough Oregon loss.

Live from Kinnick Stadium, the Register's Chad Leistikow and Tyler Tachman dissect Iowa's 18-16 loss to Oregon on a last-second field goal from Atticus Sappington.

In a podcast-only edition of Hawk Central, the Register's Chad Leistikow, along with Tyler Tachman and Dargan Southard, go long in previewing Saturday's big Iowa vs. Oregon football showdown at Kinnick Stadium. With Iowa entering the first College Football Playoff rankings at No. 20, what added elements does that add to this top-20 showdown? We answer Five Big Questions before predictions then segments to recap the basketball openers for the Iowa men and women. 

Ahead of Iowa's Week 11 showdown vs. No. 6 Oregon, the Register's Tyler Tachman and Chad Leistikow break down if the Hawkeyes have enough in the tank to pull a major home upset.

The Iowa media met with all three Hawkeye coordinators on Tuesday, and there was plenty of great information to unpack from Tim Lester (offense), LeVar Woods (special teams) and Phil Parker (defense). The Register's Chad Leistikow and Tyler Tachman revisit the highlights and look forward to Ben McCollum's first game as Iowa's basketball coach.

Live from Kinnick Stadium, the Register's Tyler Tachman and Chad Leistikow dissect every element of Iowa's riveting win over Minnesota.

Is this Iowa-Minnesota game a trap for Iowa? Both teams could be facing an emotional letdown coming off big wins, and the Register's Chad Leistikow and Tyler Tachman analyze the importance of this battle for the Floyd of Rosedale. We dig into Five Big Questions, including Iowa's quest for its first Big Ten touchdown pass and the battle of wits between former Western Michigan head coaches.

With Iowa football eyeing its third consecutive win, the Register's Chad Leistikow and Tyler Tachman break down how the Hawkeyes keep their Minnesota dominance going.

Live from Kinnick Stadium, the Register's Chad Leistikow and Tyler Tachman break down Iowa football's thrilling win over Penn State.

The Hawkeyes (4-2) welcome the Nittany Lions (3-3) for a Kinnick Stadium night game (6 p.m., Peacock) on Oct. 18 with high stakes for the home team especially. The Register's Chad Leistikow and Tyler Tachman break down the importance of Iowa needing to win a "big game," and we definitely believe that this still constitutes a big game with Penn State's reputation and talent levels. Later, Chad and Dargan Southard team up to bring you hot takes from Iowa women's basketball media day.

The Register's Chad Leistikow and Tyler Tachman dissect what Iowa football can expect from Penn State as the Nittany Lions look to push forward after firing James Franklin.

On the drive home from Camp Randall Stadium, the Register's Chad Leistikow and Tyler Tachman unpack what was a dominating 37-0 thumping by Iowa over Wisconsin. Mark Gronowski's comeback was the first big story of the day, and the stories just kept coming in this extended version of our postgame pod.

The Iowa football team comes out of a bye week with more mystery than ever, with quarterback questions while facing an opponent in Wisconsin with its own question marks. The Register's Chad Leistikow and Tyler Tachman first take the QB out of the equation and look at the big-picture implications of this game before diving into a detailed game preview from Iowa's perspective. We also dabble with some Iowa men's basketball talk ahead of Big Ten Media Days.  

With Mark Gronowski's status up in the air for Saturday's game vs. Wisconsin, the Register's Chad Leistikow and Tyler Tachman assess how the Hawkeyes can escape Camp Randall Stadium victorious.

We were hoping to have more concrete injury information for you on quarterback Mark Gronowski, but his status remains "cloudy" according to offensive coordinator Tim Lester. The good news: It's an Iowa bye week, so there's time to sift through it all. The Register's Chad Leistikow and Tyler Tachman spend at least half of this week's Hawk Central Hour discussing the quarterback possibilities with Gronowski, Hank Brown and even Jeremy Hecklinski going forward. We also dig into the good and bad of Iowa's defense and special teams through five games.

The Register's Chad Leistikow and Dargan Southard dissect every angle of McKenna Woliczko's commitment to Iowa women's basketball.

Live from Kinnick Stadium, the Register's Chad Leistikow and Tyler Tachman dissect Iowa's 20-15 home loss to No. 12 Indiana. A game in which the Hawkeyes had a chance to end their losing streak vs. ranked teams, but couldn't push the upset bid across the finish line.

A tough task awaits the Hawkeyes against No. 12 Indiana this Saturday at Kinnick Stadium. The Register's Tyler Tachman and Chad Leistikow get your set for this Homecoming matchup with our five big questions about the game while also discussing the Ferentz vs. Cignetti angle and debate who Iowa's best defensive player might be. 

Listen as the Register's Tyler Tachman and Dargan Southard break down where Iowa football stands entering a pivotal Week 5 showdown against No. 12 Indiana. 

Live from SHI Stadium, the Register's Chad Leistikow joins Tyler Tachman to dissect Iowa's gritty 38-28 win at Rutgers.

Iowa football opens Big Ten Conference play this Friday night at Rutgers, and the Register's Chad Leistikow and Tyler Tachman break down this winnable matchup for the slightly-favored Hawkeyes. We also touch on new basketball recruit Ethan Harris and make our score predictions for the game.

After Iowa put together its best offensive showing of the year in Week 3 against UMass, the Hawkeyes head to Rutgers for Friday's Big Ten opener. The Register's Chad Leistikow and Tyler Tachman dissect where the Hawkeyes stand as the competition intensifies.

Live from Kinnick Stadium, the Register's Chad Leistikow and Tyler Tachman dissect Iowa's offensive performance in Saturday's 47-7 win over UMass.

As Iowa licks its wounds from a 16-13 loss at Iowa State, the Hawkeyes' ineffective passing game remains the top focus. The Register's Tyler Tachman and Chad Leistikow dig into the bubbling questions that Tim Lester's offense could be too refined to get right at the college level. We also preview Iowa vs. UMass with five big questions and offer our predictions.

Listen as the Register’s Tyler Tachman and Dargan Southard dissect Iowa’s disappointing passing game and what steps forward can be taken in Week 3 against UMass.

Live from Jack Trice Stadium, the Register's Chad Leistikow and Tyler Tachman dissect Iowa's uninspiring loss to No. 18 Iowa State. More struggles for quarterback Mark Gronowski despite the Hawkeyes' strong defensive and special teams work.

Listen as the Register's Tyler Tachman catches up with former Iowa linebacker Jay Higgins, who recently made the Baltimore Ravens' 53-man roster out of training camp as an undrafted free agent.

We get you set for Saturday's Iowa-Iowa State showdown, as host Chad Leistikow previews the game from Iowa State's side with the Register's Travis Hines and from Iowa's side with the Register's Tyler Tachman. Chad and Tyler finish the show with their game predictions.

Ahead of Iowa's Week 2 showdown at No. 18 Iowa State, the Register's Chad Leistikow and Dargan Southard break down the level of urgency surrounding the Hawkeyes offense after a lackluster showing in Week 1 vs. Albany.

Live from Kinnick Stadium, the Register's Chad Lestikow and Tyler Tachman break down every angle of Iowa's season-opening win over Albany.

We're all ready for the games now, yes? To size up expectations for the Hawkeyes' season football opener against UAlbany, the Register's Chad Leistikow and Tyler Tachman evaluate the quarterback, left tackle, receivers and other spots with a game of "better, the same or worse." Then, in a return staple to our preview show, we answer Five Big Questions about the upcoming game and learn a little bit more about Albany.

With Iowa expected to cruise against an overmatched FCS foe, the Register's Tyler Tachman and Chad Leistikow dissect what should be considered a successful season opener.