Hawkeye Sports Daily Rewind: Iowa adds to its support staff, Football Advisory Committee update, more transfers

It’s the offseason for Iowa’s major sports and while baseball is keeping the lights on, news flow these days is much more ebb and flow. In an effort to keep things fresh, we’re trying something new: a daily recap of the news in Hawkeye sports land. The BHGP staff typically shares things as they come up throughout each day and we debate the validity of a full scale article against the time constraints of the staff writers. That won’t change, but we will be trying to compile those news items we share back and forth into something for the BHGP community to discuss rather than to pop up sporadically on other posts.

Feedback welcome in the comments.

The Iowa Hawkeyes add a familiar name to their support staff.

Dr. Kaye Cole was hired recently into Iowa’s athletic department “via a personal work agreement” as Mental Health Therapist and Consultant. Dr. Cole’s credentials are significant, including as a “vetted clinician for the National Football League Players’ Association.” She began her studies at Iowa and is married to former Hawkeye, Colin Cole.

Her addition is a strong one and particularly important given her emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout her career. Iowa’s assistant athletic director for sports medicine and sports performance, Terry Noonan, noted that increasing mental health resources was important for student-athletes.

Bringing her into the staff is particularly interesting when you look at it through the lens of Hawkeye Nation’s interview with David Porter, the chairperson of the Iowa Football Advisory Committee.

It’s worth the read because Rob Howe touches on a TON with Porter but the biggest takeaway (emphasis mine) is how simply Porter explains the micro-aggressions which yielded “rumblings” about the Hawkeye program:

The best example I can think of to describe it is that you may have a coach from a privileged background that doesn’t understand that when talking to a kid that doesn’t come from a privileged background you have to do it differently, just because of the kids background. You may not think you’re saying something wrong, but you’re saying something wrong for that kid. The same can be said in the inverse. In either case, it is not the kids obligation to make the adjustment. They are just kids. It’s the coaches obligation to understand who the kids are, where the kids are educationally, emotionally and physically, and how to best help them reach the standard.

He talks at length about “rebuilding trust” because there is some skepticism about his role in this but he makes clear throughout the interview, whatever is best for the student-athletes will ultimately yield what is best for the program.

Transfer portal tidbits:

With the Iowa Hawkeyes out of the running for Liam Robbins, two other Big Ten bigs popped up in the portal. Neither has the resume of Robbins and both would be a decided step down from the original projection as Iowa’s center (Jack Nunge). But, they are warm bodies who have played some games in the Big Ten and could bridge the gap to the full Riley Mulvey/Josh Ogundele takeover.

A brief reminder that Joe Toussaint looks jacked in any situation.

Alcohol News:

Do we need these? Probably not but that didn’t stop BHGP’s Matt Cabel from saying, “8 percent? Try me.” I’ll say this much, maybe it’s time for me to update my review from two summers ago. These two would be a delightful flavor addition, IMO.

Stealing an idea from Zombie Deadspin with a comment of the day:

“BHGP is as good a place as any to await the onset of Ragnarok.” - Thor7