Podbit · New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce
Under Kirk Ferentz, every tight end who has started at Iowa has made at least an NFL practice squad. Kittle uses that stat as his entire recruiting pitch. It isn't about national championships — it's about getting through the door.
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At 34:28 · chapter starts 33:20
Jason raises the question that every Iowa tight end gets asked: what is it about that program? Kittle's answer is structural. From day one, every player is told they will not play if they cannot run block — which immediately makes every Iowa tight end a complete two-way player rather than a receiving specialist. [1] — George Kittle "Under Kirk Ferentz, every tight end who has started at Iowa has made at least an NFL practice squad. Kittle uses that stat as his entire re…" 34:28 It instills an unselfish, team-first mentality before a player ever takes a snap. The pipeline numbers are striking: every tight end who has started under Kirk Ferentz has made at least an NFL practice squad, and roughly 15 of 18 have made full active rosters. Kittle uses this as his literal recruiting pitch — not national championships, not glamour, just a near-certain path to the league. He caps it by noting Iowa City is a fantastic college party town, which he offers without apology as a secondary selling point.
Every tight end who has started under Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz has made at least a practice squad roster, representing a near-perfect NFL placement rate.
George Kittle claims every tight end who has started at Iowa under Kirk Ferentz has made at least an NFL practice squad.
Thomas's wife deferred her CrossFit career — she's in the global top 1% of athletes — to put him through law school debt-free. He wants her to chase the dream now; she wants the emergency fund and house down payment first. On a $200K lawyer income with no debt, the opportunity cost is just a few months of slower saving.
Underground calisthenics battles are exactly like UFC meets a rap battle — 150 people crowded around a circle, fighters walking out with masks and chains, nicknames like 'Extra Money' vs 'Calisthenics the Prince,' and people throwing money and betting. The battle set: 100 burpees, 50 muscle-ups, 75 dips, 75 squats with a 65-pound dumbbell. This is the next big spectator sport.
Rico Verhoeven controlled the undisputed heavyweight boxing champion for approximately 10 rounds — and had his appeal upheld when officials admitted the fight was stopped after the bell. The result was never overturned. Rogan calls it either incompetence or corruption, and argues the money behind Usyk made an upset politically inconvenient.
Rogan lays out a blunt case: boxing's 3-judge system is structurally broken, and the judges know who the promoter wants to win. Glory's 5-judge format is the right model. Corruption doesn't have to be conscious — just knowing Usyk is the cash cow is enough to tilt the scales.
With the Usyk-Wilder fight stalling and Fury-Joshua coming too late, the real fight the world wants is the rematch. Rico is a free agent. Usyk vacated his belts. The story is unfinished and both Rogan and Rico know it. His Excellency Turki Alasheikh already called for it ringside — the question is money.
Rico texted Jason Statham during the Canelo-Crawford fight. Statham showed Rico's highlight videos to promoters. Two days later, Rico was on a call about fighting Anthony Joshua. When Joshua pulled out, Rico pitched Usyk himself — Undisputed vs. Undisputed. Usyk said yes in two weeks. The whole thing started with one text.
Every heavyweight who faced Usyk tried to move to the right — straight into his power hand. Rico and Peter Fury identified the obvious solution: move left, away from the left hand, and smother him with size. It sounds simple. Nobody had done it. That one adjustment was the foundation of 10 dominant rounds.
MMA fans boo when fights go to the ground. They love stand-up. Kickboxing is pure stand-up. Yet it barely exists in America while boxing and MMA are enormous. Rogan's diagnosis: no promotion machine. If the UFC got behind kickboxing the way they've built MMA, it would explode. The talent is there — the storytelling machine is not.
A nation of 17 million people gave the world Ramon Deckers, Peter Aerts, Badr Hari, Melvin Manhoef, Rob Kamen, Ernesto Hoost, and Rico Verhoeven. Rico's theory: the country is so small that every gym shares knowledge freely. In the US, you need a flight. In Holland, you drive 40 minutes and spar the national champion.
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