Locked On Andrew Wade

Andrew Wade graduated from Newton High School in 2008. He played baseball, was part of the swim team and went out for cross country a couple of years.

Today, he is the host of Locked On Hawkeyes, a podcast that focuses mostly on Iowa Hawkeye sports.

The podcast is part of the Locked On Sports Network, which includes several hundred podcasters around the nation covering teams they love.

Wade got connected with the Locked On Podcast Network when he started listening to Locked On Broncos, which covers his favorite NFL team.

“I had been listening to Locked On Broncos hosted by Cody Roark and also writing with him at predominantlyorange.com at the time,” Wade said. “I was already doing a podcast about gambling lines. The college division in Locked On wasn’t super developed yet so I reached out to Cody and he gave me the CEO’s (David Locke) email. I emailed him every week for like two months until he replied and the rest is history.”

Wade is passionate about the Hawkeyes and the NFL Draft. So one can bet they’ll get plenty of topics on those two things when tuning in.

“I was already doing the analysis and research before games with something else I was working on so I decided to turn it into a podcast,” Wade said. “I felt like I had a good opinion to add, and I wanted to challenge myself in a new way and grow as a speaker.”

Wade said he grew up with a speech impediment and figured there was no better way to practice public speaking than to host a podcast.

“I struggle with speaking too fast and I struggle with some words,” Wade said. “I figured there was no better way to help improve my speaking than to host a show where all I do is talk.”

Wade also was the editor at Dear Old Gold for 1 1/2 years before giving up that title six months ago.

Hosting the podcast on the Locked On Network hasn’t always been easy. Hosts get paid based on the number of podcast downloads they get.

Wade has taken a few breaks during the past couple of years.

The first break was due to not making enough money for the time he put in. But the Locked On Network has fixed that somewhat by grabbing two big sponsorships in Built Bar and Rock Auto.

The most recent break came because of some controlled criticism he took for supporting Iowa football players who have been outspoken about racial inequalities within the program. Wade needed a mental break but feels like the show is now getting back on the right track.

“I think the direction of the show is moving in a positive direction, and I have some really cool show ideas and guests coming soon,” Wade said.

Wade has had some big guests on his show since starting it a few years ago. Hawkeye legend Ricky Stanzi is at the top of his list.

“I was like a kid in a candy store for that one,” Wade said. “I think he’s going to be a guest again here soon so that’s a teaser.”

Wade also had future Iowa quarterback Deuce Hogan on the podcast recently, too. The Newton native puts a lot of time in with Iowa recruiting.

“That one reminded me that these guys are still kids. They appreciate it more than we know when you ask them for an interview or to be on a podcast,” Wade said.

His two most recent interview subjects were Lucy Rohden, a U of I graduate known for producing funny videos about Hawkeye rivals and posting them on social media, and Marshall “Mello” Miller.

Miller is a co-host of the Stick To Football Podcast, a podcast that focuses largely on NFL Draft evaluation.

Wade is asked to produce about three episodes a week and 95 percent of the content he puts out comes from his own ideas.

“Having interview subjects is huge for me,” Wade said. “It helps when I can get guys like Matt VandeBerg, Jordan Bohannon and Marcus Fizer to come on the podcast.”

The Fizer interview was part of Wade’s podcast series on the TBT, a basketball tournament that included a team made up of guys with state of Iowa ties. Mike Daum will be a guest on the podcast soon, too.

Wade currently lives in Denver, Colo., with his wife Angie. He works full-time as a health care consultant for a company based out of Los Angeles, Calif.

Wade was a four-year letterwinner for the Cardinal swim team and a three-year letterwinner on the baseball team. He lettered twice in cross country.

Contact Troy Hyde at thyde@newtondailynews.com