New Story 2018 Iowa Freshmen Tracker

[Blair Sanderson]

Updated look at games, snaps, and grades for Iowa's true freshmen this year.

https://iowa.rivals.com/news/iowa-2018-freshmen-tracker-1

That was game #5 for Merriweather, so the redshirt is off.

 

[mrF6n6]

Julius Brents is already one of the best Corners in all of College Football.... rather amazing that Phil Parker lands somebody that good that quickly...
or should I say, Kelvin Bell... what a stud.

its interesting that Brents grades out at 79.8
and the second highest graded Freshmen is Tyrone Tracy at 78.5

I think people think he sucks because he's not starting... but I think he's redshirting because he's green and he's gonna be great.

looking forward to more TT.

also interesting is seeing Riley Moss grading out pretty high as well (73.1) ... and Riley has more snaps than Brents. (271-256)

 

[td77]

I guess I don’t understand burning Merriweather’s redshirt. If he’s not going to play meaningful snaps, mix in someone else to cover touchbacks and fair catches. That’s a head scratcher.

 

[Blair Sanderson]

also interesting is seeing Riley Moss grading out pretty high as well (73.1) ... and Riley has more snaps than Brents. (271-256)

Snap #'s include special teams, which is where Moss picks some up on Brents.

 

[ghostOfHomer777]

I guess I don’t understand burning Merriweather’s redshirt. If he’s not going to play meaningful snaps, mix in someone else to cover touchbacks and fair catches. That’s a head scratcher.

I think that not being redshirted impacts the sorts of reps that he gets in practice. My bet is that he travels more with the squad ... and also that he gets some reps with the upper teamers.

I assume that part of the idea is to develop the guy some ... so that way he'll be a bit more prepped going into next year. In losing Gervase ... we're losing a high quality guy who's seen a lot of snaps. By trying to develop Merriweather as much as possible ... that's trying to reduce the "transition" that we may eventually see at S (particularly if anybody gets injured).

 

[cheerscoach]

Julius Brents is already one of the best Corners in all of College Football.... rather amazing that Phil Parker lands somebody that good that quickly...
or should I say, Kelvin Bell... what a stud.

its interesting that Brents grades out at 79.8
and the second highest graded Freshmen is Tyrone Tracy at 78.5

I think people think he sucks because he's not starting... but I think he's redshirting because he's green and he's gonna be great.

looking forward to more TT.

also interesting is seeing Riley Moss grading out pretty high as well (73.1) ... and Riley has more snaps than Brents. (271-256)

Brents is already one of the top corners in ALL OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL? I hope you're not serious.

 

[millhawk]

I think that not being redshirted impacts the sorts of reps that he gets in practice. My bet is that he travels more with the squad ... and also that he gets some reps with the upper teamers.

I assume that part of the idea is to develop the guy some ... so that way he'll be a bit more prepped going into next year. In losing Gervase ... we're losing a high quality guy who's seen a lot of snaps. By trying to develop Merriweather as much as possible ... that's trying to reduce the "transition" that we may eventually see at S (particularly if anybody gets injured).

Bingo. The coaches want three game ready safeties next year. Hooker, Stone and Merriweather. This gives them time to bring Craddieth along slowly. Hooker leaves after next year. So in '20 they have Stone, Merriweather and Craddieth ready.

 

[td77]

I think that not being redshirted impacts the sorts of reps that he gets in practice. My bet is that he travels more with the squad ... and also that he gets some reps with the upper teamers.

I assume that part of the idea is to develop the guy some ... so that way he'll be a bit more prepped going into next year. In losing Gervase ... we're losing a high quality guy who's seen a lot of snaps. By trying to develop Merriweather as much as possible ... that's trying to reduce the "transition" that we may eventually see at S (particularly if anybody gets injured).

All of that makes really good sense and that’s a very articulate answer to my question. But why not do all of this but withhold him from a game unless it’s an emergency? That way you don’t have to “transition” as frequently in the future.

As it stands today, we’ve burned a year of eligibility as a contingency. The whole spirit of the new redshirt is to help avoid exactly this.

 

[cheerscoach]

Bingo. The coaches want three game ready safeties next year. Hooker, Stone and Merriweather. This gives them time to bring Craddieth along slowly. Hooker leaves after next year. So in '20 they have Stone, Merriweather and Craddieth ready.

Well, I hate to tell you but Milani and Koerner will be in the mix as well. Don't be surprised to see Koerner backing up Stone at FS next year. Milani is kind of like Ward last year. Not the greatest athlete, but they trust him.
I agree that some people are going to have to provide some depth at the safety spots next year, I just don't think we can know who that will be. I think Castro is a smart kid who is similar to Stone and may work his way into the equation as a freshman like Stone did. We love us some HS QB's at safety. I can go back a long way, but more recently, Snyder was a QB, Hooker played some QB, Gervase was a good QB, Stone played QB, etc... and Castro plays QB. I don't expect this trend or tendency to change.

 

[hawkster03]

Julius Brents is already one of the best Corners in all of College Football....

 

[hawkster03]

It will be very interesting to see what kind of a career Doyle's kid will have. Such a cool thing.

 

[hawkster03]

I think that not being redshirted impacts the sorts of reps that he gets in practice. My bet is that he travels more with the squad ... and also that he gets some reps with the upper teamers.

I assume that part of the idea is to develop the guy some ... so that way he'll be a bit more prepped going into next year. In losing Gervase ... we're losing a high quality guy who's seen a lot of snaps. By trying to develop Merriweather as much as possible ... that's trying to reduce the "transition" that we may eventually see at S (particularly if anybody gets injured).

I agree. I don't think he has played a lot of football honestly. The kid was a baller, as in basketball. The coaches obviously like him a lot and want him to develop as much as possible, starting this year. No reason to not trust the coaches, especially the Dback.

 

[Johnsoda123]

Well, I hate to tell you but Milani and Koerner will be in the mix as well. Don't be surprised to see Koerner backing up Stone at FS next year. Milani is kind of like Ward last year. Not the greatest athlete, but they trust him.
I agree that some people are going to have to provide some depth at the safety spots next year, I just don't think we can know who that will be. I think Castro is a smart kid who is similar to Stone and may work his way into the equation as a freshman like Stone did. We love us some HS QB's at safety. I can go back a long way, but more recently, Snyder was a QB, Hooker played some QB, Gervase was a good QB, Stone played QB, etc... and Castro plays QB. I don't expect this trend or tendency to change.

I still think Moss ends up at safety but what do I know.

 

[cheerscoach]

I still think Moss ends up at safety but what do I know.

I forgot about Moss. I agree that could be a possibility as well. A lot of 'story' to be written about the future. I think it's fun to speculate.

 

[nu2u]

Well, I hate to tell you but Milani and Koerner will be in the mix as well. Don't be surprised to see Koerner backing up Stone at FS next year. Milani is kind of like Ward last year. Not the greatest athlete, but they trust him.
I agree that some people are going to have to provide some depth at the safety spots next year, I just don't think we can know who that will be. I think Castro is a smart kid who is similar to Stone and may work his way into the equation as a freshman like Stone did. We love us some HS QB's at safety. I can go back a long way, but more recently, Snyder was a QB, Hooker played some QB, Gervase was a good QB, Stone played QB, etc... and Castro plays QB. I don't expect this trend or tendency to change.

Yep, there will be quite a few players in competition for spots behind Hooker and Stone. Castro is a very interesting prospect who might get the Julius Brents treatment next year = possibly good enough to win a back-up spot and then start in the event of injury to players ahead of him. I agree, Milani is primed to play more also. Craddieth is highly regarded.

One other possibility: Michael Ojemudia moves to Safety, Hooker to OLB. The competition at CB is already fierce and will only increase with DJ Johnson and Terry Roberts coming off redshirt seasons. Ojemudia played Safety almost exclusively in high school and made quite a few INTs .....now that he has added more weight, a move back might be considered. PP really likes OJ, he'll play in some capacity. Heck, Moss could move to Safety also, who knows? PP has a lot of options!

 

[OILCHECKER]

Just curious, but how does the NCAA officially track this? Is it pretty much on the honor system that schools are reporting who participated each week?

 

[ghostOfHomer777]

All of that makes really good sense and that’s a very articulate answer to my question. But why not do all of this but withhold him from a game unless it’s an emergency? That way you don’t have to “transition” as frequently in the future.

As it stands today, we’ve burned a year of eligibility as a contingency. The whole spirit of the new redshirt is to help avoid exactly this.

Exceedingly fair question. I think that the coaches are anticipating that there might be games were the D ends up seeing a lot of snaps .... and, in such an instance, we'll probably want our starters to not see quite as many special teams snaps. Thus, those could be some snaps that he might pick up. In a game like the Maryland game .... the D only saw 39 snaps .... thus, there simply weren't many to go around.

Also, there might be a game or two where the Hawks enjoy a beat-down. In such a case ... a guy like Merriweather could benefit from a whole quarter of snaps.

Lastly, now that the Hawks have instituted using a hybrid-OLB as one of our packages ... and given that it has been effective ... that look is no longer on the shelf if Amani, Geno, or Jake are injured ... UNLESS we have another guy who is capable of stepping in and supplying us with quality snaps! In this last context ... yes, Merriweather would definitely be a "contingency" player for us. However, given all the other considerations ... he's a contingency player whom they can try to feed as many snaps as are available.

And, of course, all the live reps ... they're already acclimating him to the speed of the game. By the end of the season, it might be possible that he ends up seeing upwards of 60 snaps (or possibly more). In that case ... he's then had the opportunity of seeing the equivalent of a whole game worth of snaps. For a young guy ... that's pretty invaluable experience!

 

[ghostOfHomer777]

I still think Moss ends up at safety but what do I know.

I anticipate that it is certainly possibly that at least one CB makes the transition over to safety. Given how upper-classman laden our safety group is ... we need more depth there.

Of course, I also think that guys like Roberts or Creamer could potentially project pretty well at WR or RB too. Hopefully those guys work hard and are prepping like a starter. They're not going to develop fast enough at CB if they don't.

 

[cheerscoach]

Bingo. The coaches want three game ready safeties next year. Hooker, Stone and Merriweather. This gives them time to bring Craddieth along slowly. Hooker leaves after next year. So in '20 they have Stone, Merriweather and Craddieth ready.

Has Merriweather appeared in a game yet at safety, because I know Milani and Koerner have. Do you think Merriweather would see the field before Milani and Koerner this year if the injury bug struck? They apparently really like Merriweather on special teams. Good athlete, almost no experience playing safety even in high school (only his senior year, only 2 years of football) but they apparently believe he has a big upside if they can teach him coverage. He will be interesting to follow and see how fast he can learn.

 

[wedomn8]

Let's not forget that just because he has played in 5 games this year, doesn't mean he can't be red shirted another year. Let's say he is progressing slower than needed, and someone comes in and moves ahead next year. He could red shirt then and with graduations, be more game ready in year 3. Not saying that is what the thinking is, but I think we get way too hung up on red shirts needing to be freshmen.

 

[ghostOfHomer777]

Another possible advantage (of not redshirting Merriweather) concerns how guys are staggered eligibility-wise. That helps keep windows of opportunity open for guys to earn starting spots.

In 2019, Amani will be a SR, Stone will be a JR, Merriweather will be a SO, Craddieth will be a RS FR, and Castro will be a TR FR.

 

[HawkOn15]

Has Merriweather appeared in a game yet at safety, because I know Milani and Koerner have. Do you think Merriweather would see the field before Milani and Koerner this year if the injury bug struck? They apparently really like Merriweather on special teams. Good athlete, almost no experience playing safety even in high school (only his senior year, only 2 years of football) but they apparently believe he has a big upside if they can teach him coverage. He will be interesting to follow and see how fast he can learn.

I do know for a fact that Merriweather was in at the end of Northern Illinois and he might have been in against UNI.

 

[ghostOfHomer777]

Yep, there will be quite a few players in competition for spots behind Hooker and Stone. Castro is a very interesting prospect who might get the Julius Brents treatment next year = possibly good enough to win a back-up spot and then start in the event of injury to players ahead of him. I agree, Milani is primed to play more also. Craddieth is highly regarded.

Yeah ... Iowa's safety spot can be a very cerebral position. Each of our top safeties this year ... Amani, Geno, and Jake are each former QBs. Similarly, Sebastian Castro also was a QB prior to this season ... so he presumably is a very versatile athlete with a high football IQ ... just the sort of guy who tends to do great within our D at safety!

I believe that both Craddieth and Merriweather are high caliber athletes ... it's just that Merriweather was likely considered more of a raw talent in football ... and, consequently, most of his recruitment was more basketball oriented. However, he changed high schools ... going over to a program that was a football power ... and yet he still managed to find a niche for himself regardless. From the high school footage ... it appeared to me that he was a DB who played really well in run support (you don't always see that toughness in a DB).

Folks had been recruiting Craddieth at both DB and WR. He's a guy who also exhibited great toughness. It sounds like it's just taking him a little while to get down the mental side of the game. I'm happy to be patient with our guys ... different guys learn stuff at different rates.