Wisconsin’s decision to bring Shawn Eichorst back into the Big Ten gives Iowa fans a name they know well - and not for the reasons Wisconsin would want.
Eichorst, who has been the deputy athletic director at Texas since 2018, is returning to his home state as Wisconsin’s new athletic director. That move instantly pulled him back into the same conference where he became a familiar villain during his Nebraska days.
His reputation in Iowa circles was cemented in 2014, when he fired Bo Pelini after the season and replaced him with Mike Riley. Pelini had gone 67-27 in seven full seasons, plus one game as interim coach, while Riley lasted three seasons and finished 19-19 overall, including a 4-7 mark in 2017 before getting dismissed.
Eichorst’s explanation for the Pelini firing is the line that still follows him around: "In the final analysis, I had to evaluate where Iowa was". He said it in reference to Nebraska’s narrow 37-34 overtime win over the Hawkeyes, arguing the Cornhuskers should have been more dominant given the programs’ records at the time.
What happened after that only made the quote harder for Nebraska fans to hear. Following that declaration, Nebraska lost 10 of 11 against Iowa, including a 40-16 loss in Lincoln last season.
Now Eichorst is back in the Big Ten, and Iowa is looking at Wisconsin with fresh interest.
Next season will be the 100th meeting between Iowa and Wisconsin on the football field. Wisconsin holds a slim edge in the series at 49-48-2, though Iowa has taken four of the last five. The Badgers, meanwhile, have won six of the last 10.
That backdrop gives the Hawkeyes plenty to circle, especially after last season’s 37-0 rout of Wisconsin. Iowa would love to do it again in 2026, tie the all-time series at 49 wins apiece, and make Eichorst’s return to the conference even more memorable from their side.
For now, Iowa fans have a new Big Ten development to watch - and a very familiar name attached to it.
In Other News...
Iowa Taking Extra Precautions For Bananas Crowd At Kinnick
The Savannah Bananas are bringing their brand of summer baseball to Kinnick Stadium on July 3 and 4, and Iowa is treating the event like a heat-management exercise as much as a spectacle. With temperatures expected to run high, the university is building in extra relief for fans, including hydration stations, shaded spots, cooling areas and an air-conditioned first-aid tent, while also letting spectators carry in a sealed water bottle or an empty refillable one.
The safety plan goes well beyond the stands, with Johnson County Ambulance Services staging two UTVs and UI Health Care and Carver College of Medicine personnel on site with physicians, nurses, athletic trainers and medical students. Iowa is also urging fans to pre-hydrate, dress for the weather, look for shade and keep an eye out for signs of heat-related illness, a reminder that even a sold-out party at Kinnick can turn serious quickly if the weather does not cooperate. [Read more 🡒]
Ben McCollum Just Made An Aggressive Move For Elite Size
Ben McCollum and his staff are already taking an aggressive swing at the future, and it comes with size. Iowa has put a scholarship on the table for Bentley Lusakueno, a 6-foot-10 center from Woodward Academy in College Park, Ga., giving the Hawkeyes an early foothold with one of the more coveted young big men in the country. For a program trying to build under a new coach, landing in the mix this early matters, especially when the target already carries the kind of profile that usually brings a crowded recruiting battle.
Lusakueno is ranked among the top prospects in the 2028 class and already has multiple Division I offers, with programs such as Florida State, Georgia, Miami and Oregon involved. He has also been on the USA Basketball radar, which only adds to the sense that this is not a flyer but a real attempt to get ahead of the curve. The bigger question now is whether Iowa can turn an early offer into something more meaningful as the race for elite frontcourt talent starts to take shape. [Read more 🡒]
Arizona Still Has One Huge July 4 Recruiting Battle Left
July 4 is shaping up to be a busy day on the recruiting calendar, with three college football prospects expected to make their college choices public. Kyren Caldwell, a three-star wide receiver, is set to decide among Alabama, Maryland and Mississippi State, while three-star offensive lineman Mason Joshua is down to Arizona and Oklahoma State. For Iowa, though, the most relevant name in the mix is Darryl Flemister, a three-star athlete whose decision could add another piece to a class that has been tracking him closely.
Flemisters path to this point has included a broader top-five of Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Pittsburgh and Colorado, but only the Illini and Hawkeyes got official visits. That leaves Iowa in position to see whether the work it has put in can pay off when the announcements begin, even if the final choice is still being kept under wraps. [Read more 🡒]