Iowa State tight end Ben Brahmer says the Cyclones are treating their season opener as a business trip. ISU gets an early start to the season on August 23rd by playing Big-12 rival Kansas State in Dublin, Ireland.

Brahmer says the coaching staff has been detailed in helping the players get ready for playing overseas.

As he said the previous cut the Cyclones met with a “sleep specialist” to get ready for the trip.

IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa’s 2025 home football contest against UMass on Sept. 6 at 6:30 p.m., scheduled at Duke Slater Field at Kinnick Stadium, is officially sold out. The announcement was made Wednesday by the UI Athletics Department.

UMass joins Hawkeye contests against Indiana (Sept. 27) and Minnesota (Oct. 25) as sold out. A limited number of tickets remain for home games versus Albany (Aug. 30), Penn State (Oct. 18) and Oregon (Nov. 8). Iowa’s home finale against Michigan State (Nov. 22) also has tickets available.

Iowa has sold out 21 consecutive games inside Kinnick Stadium dating back to the start of the 2022 season.

Limited Hawkeye Village Ticket & Tailgate packages remain for select home games. Fans can secure their game tickets and the best gameday tailgate here: hawkeyesports.com/hawkeye-village.

Tickets are only sold and issued by the UI Athletics Ticket Office and its authorized agents. Persons buying tickets from other entities do so at their own risk. Fans should use caution if buying tickets from unauthorized outlets and are strongly encouraged to use SeatGeek, the official fan to fan marketplace of Hawkeyes, for sold out events.

The UI Athletic Ticket Office is only able to service/support purchases made through that office, or on SeatGeek. Iowa Athletics reserves the right to cancel any ticket purchases, less fees, made for the purpose of resale without notification.

All tickets for University of Iowa athletic events are distributed electronically and should be downloaded to a smartphone device. If you do not have access to a smartphone, please contact the ticket office to make arrangements.

Tickets are distributed no earlier than three weeks prior to the start of a season. If applicable, season tickets and/or parking will not be released until all required contributions have been received and processed by the I-Club.

As the NASCAR Cup Series returns to the Iowa Speedway the race for the playoffs is heating up. Four regular season races remain beginning with Sunday’s Iowa Corn 350. Tyler Reddick is currently sixth in the standings but without a win this season has still not locked up one of the 16 spots in the playoffs.

Reddick has posted multiple top ten finishes at the Iowa Speedway in truck and Xfinity races and says last year’s repave was a learning experience.

Reddick believes the track will be a little different this week and they will be forced to adjust during Saturday’s practice session.

Last year at Iowa Reddick donned a Hamburglar fire suit for the race. The golden arches remain the theme for this week.

For college basketball freshmen the transition to the defensive end can be difficult. Not so for Iowa State guard Jamarion Bateman. The six-three native of Milwaukee says he was prepared for ISU’s focus on defense.

Bateman says the intensity during summer workouts is exactly what he expected.

Bateman says as a freshman he is trying to learn from Cyclone senior guard Tamin Lipsey.

Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger says Bateman has impressed in workouts.

Otzelberger says Bateman has adjusted quickly to the level of intensity required to succeed.

ISU returns three starters from a team that finished 25-10 and made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State defensive backs Jontez Williams and Jeremiah Cooper have been named to the 2025 Paycom Jim Thorpe Award preseason watch list, awarded annually to the best defensive back in college football based on on-field performance, athletic ability and character.

Iowa State is one of eight teams nationally, and the only in the Big 12, with two players on the watch list. Williams and Cooper are two of the four Big 12 players featured on the list.

Williams, a Second Team All-Big 12 selection a season ago, anchored the defense as a lock down cornerback. He allowed only one touchdown and a 19.6 passer rating in 338 coverage snaps in 2024. Williams is the highest-graded returning corner in the Big 12, per PFF.

The Starke, Florida native led the Cyclones and tied for third in the Big 12 with four interceptions to go along with five pass breakups. All four of his interceptions came in consecutive games which tied for the second-longest streak in school history.

Cooper, an honorable mention All-Big 12 honoree last season, started all 14 games as a key piece of the Cyclone secondary. He led ISU with eight pass breakups, snared two interceptions and finished fourth on the team with 48 tackles.

Cooper’s seven career interceptions are tied for the eighth-most nationally among active players.

Iowa State opens the 2025 season August 23 in Dublin, Ireland against Kansas State in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic. Season tickets are on sale, here.

Iowa City, Iowa — The 2025 Pioneer Heroes Game — set for 11 a.m. CT on Friday, Nov. 28, 2025, in Lincoln, Nebraska — will continue the rich tradition of recognizing and celebrating local heroes who exemplify the goal of positively impacting their community and inspiring others.

One citizen-hero from each state and team will be selected and honored at the Pioneer Heroes Game in Lincoln. The winners will receive VIP treatment as special guests, with on-field recognition and their names inscribed on the Heroes Trophy, which goes to the winning team of the annual contest.

Nominations for Iowa’s Hero are now open through Oct. 10, 2025. Fans are encouraged to nominate everyday citizens in Iowa who have performed extraordinary acts of heroism at hawkeyesports.com/hero.

“We are honored to continue our collaboration with Pioneer and the University of Nebraska in presenting the Heroes Game — an annual celebration of character, competition, and community,” said Henry B. and Patricia B. Director of Athletics Chair Beth Goetz. “More than just a football game, the Heroes Game is a platform to spotlight everyday heroes whose selfless contributions uplift our states. With deep agricultural roots in both Iowa and Nebraska, this partnership with Pioneer reflects the shared values of our region.”

“Agriculture plays an important role across Iowa and Nebraska,” said Todd Frazier, VP, U.S. Marketing, Corteva Agriscience. “That’s why we’re excited to continue sponsoring the annual Heroes Game – honoring those local heroes that live and work in the communities Pioneer serves every day is one small way we can express our appreciation.”

Pioneer, a current partner of both the Iowa Hawkeyes and Nebraska Cornhuskers, is a multi-year title sponsor of the Heroes Game. The ongoing relationship between Pioneer and Iowa is overseen by Learfield’s Hawkeye Sports Properties, the University’s athletics multimedia rightsholder and locally based team. The ongoing relationship between Pioneer and Nebraska is overseen by Huskers Athletic Partners, a Playfly Sports Property, the University’s athletics multimedia rightsholder.

The Hawkeyes open the 2025 season Aug. 30, hosting UAlbany at 5 p.m. (CT) on Duke Slater Field at Kinnick Stadium.

Winning isn’t out of the norm for CAM Baseball as they have had 11 winning seasons in the last 12 years including this one. The Cougars had a special 2025 season. A year that started out with a 9-0 record and a third-place finish in an ultra-competitive Rolling Valley Conference. Eventually, the Cougars fell in a second-round playoff loss to Newell-Fonda. Nonetheless, Head Coach Mick Long was happy with how the summer went for his team.

After the 9-0 start, the Cougars lost their first game of the season to the champions of the WIC in Coon-Rapids Bayard. After the loss, CAM entered the winning column again by winning their next four. Long says he was pleasantly surprised how well CAM hit in the first half of the year.

The Cougars lose four seniors in the offseason and all of them had major impacts on the program.

Three of the top four arms for CAM graduated and Long will look to several players to up more innings on the mound.

Collin Bower and Carson McKee both hit above .300 from the plate this season with Bower leading the team at a .464 average. Despite the key pieces leaving the program, Mick Long has confidence his team will be just as strong in 2026.

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Gregg Bentler, who served as public address announcer for multiple University of Iowa sporting events, passed away at the age of 59 on July 23, 2025.

Bentler was the event voice for many Hawkeye sporting events for over two decades, primarily for baseball and gymnastics. In recent years, Bentler was the lead public address announcer for men’s basketball.

Born in Burlington, Iowa, Bentler graduated from Marquette High School (West Point, Iowa) in 1984 and from the University of Iowa Tippie College of Business in 1988 with a Bachelor of Business Administration.

Family and friends will be received in the Feller Club Room at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Saturday, Aug. 16, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., with a celebration of life following at 1 p.m.

Memorial contributions may be made to CommUnity Crisis Center, 1121 S. Gilbert Court, Iowa City, IA 52240 or NAMI Johnson County, 1531 S. Gilbert Street, Iowa City, IA 52240.

Iowa State linebacker Will McLaughlin credits his faith for helping him get back on the field. After playing in 25 games his first two seasons the former Harlan standout missed the first nine games last season after a groin injury and back surgery last summer. After playing in the final five games last season McLaughlin is healthy and looking forward to the new season.

Injuries are a part of football and McLaughlin admits it was frustrating to be sidelined.

A healthy linebacker corps should help a Cyclone defense that slipped to 15th in the Big 12 against the run last season. That group will also have a role in boosting ISU’s pass rush.

The Cyclones get an early start to the season when they take on Big 12 rival Kansas State in Dublin, Ireland on August 23rd.