The CFB landscape has never been crazier but it got me thinking about Iowa's place in the CFB world and how to move forward. In the old days, Iowa vary rarely got the top talent / 5 star kids because we didn't seem to want to play the recruiting "game" the same as other schools. What Iowa was great at was taking the 3 star kid and turning them in to a pro and has become known as one of the best developmental programs in the country.
Now, lets apply that to the fluidity of recruiting and the transfer portal. Iowa is still going to do decently in recruiting but will miss on a lot of high end players for the most part. They will either go to where they can get paid or better fits for them. Where the Iowa staff CAN make a huge difference is taking kids that were 4-5 star kids out of HS and are now in the portal. Maybe they went to a school originally and it didn't work out but they still have 2/3 years of eligibility left. What Iowa needs to do is sell the hell out of the developmental aspect and NFL ties to the portal kids. The talent is abundant in the portal now, but most of those kids are leaving for a better shot at getting to the league.
Granted, we will need a seller of large proportions for some positions that we have a poor history with (WR). If you are an OL, DL, TE, LB, CB, Safety, I would think Iowa has to be super attractive even if the NIL money isn't the same compared to another school. Iowa can really take an overall talent jump if they are willing.
Just my rambling 2 cents.
Now, lets apply that to the fluidity of recruiting and the transfer portal. Iowa is still going to do decently in recruiting but will miss on a lot of high end players for the most part. They will either go to where they can get paid or better fits for them. Where the Iowa staff CAN make a huge difference is taking kids that were 4-5 star kids out of HS and are now in the portal. Maybe they went to a school originally and it didn't work out but they still have 2/3 years of eligibility left. What Iowa needs to do is sell the hell out of the developmental aspect and NFL ties to the portal kids. The talent is abundant in the portal now, but most of those kids are leaving for a better shot at getting to the league.
Granted, we will need a seller of large proportions for some positions that we have a poor history with (WR). If you are an OL, DL, TE, LB, CB, Safety, I would think Iowa has to be super attractive even if the NIL money isn't the same compared to another school. Iowa can really take an overall talent jump if they are willing.
Just my rambling 2 cents.
