I woke up this morning especially giddy. This may be due to the fall weather and the Hump Day phenomenon, and that my family is healthy, or the fact that I am taking Friday off work. But in reality, I think I'm high on Iowa Hawkeye euphoria.
Who really thought Iowa would be 3-0 right now? Not many. Who thought Iowa would be ranked 5th in the AP poll?? Probably nobody. Forget everything about offense, defense, and special teams, and just let it sink in that the Iowa Hawkeyes are ranked 5th in the month of September. And consider that ESPN's college football writers Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach each have Iowa in the CFP. There is of course a long, long way to go, but the national respect is awesome and unexpected, especially so early in the season. Personally I'm on a thrill ride, and once again I can't wait until Saturday.
This thread is about appreciating Iowa. I love the Black & Gold. I love it around campus, on the uniforms, in the stands, on TV, etc. I love Iowa City and the feeling of being on campus when visiting my son. I love the legions of Hawk fans in my native Chicagoland, and the amount of Hawk gear, flags, + decals I see constantly in the suburbs.
And I love what this football team of made of. A head coach who's almost considered ancient, who half this board wanted fired more than once over the last 10 years. A guy who has survived scandals and his own stubbornness, who has kept his course while making enough minor adjustments to avoid a mutiny. And a guy who seems genuinely good as a person and equally good at teaching how to play football. Think about our DC and the success he's had and the loyalty to the program over decades. Phil Parker has been a godsend to this team. Even Brian seems to have grown out of an almost bratty stage to where he is learning from his mistakes and showing some humility. Not that these guys are perfect or have unassailable records, but I appreciate this staff and how they run the Iowa program.
Yet it still boils down to the players. Iowa football has been a collection of a few 4* sprinkled in with some other good recruits and a pile of 2* guys and walk-ons. Think about the 2015 team that lost the B1G championship by a hair. How many P5 offers did Canzeri, Wadley, Kittle, Boettger, Myers, Vandeberg, Smith, King, Meier, Hesse, Niemann, Jewell, Bazata, Mabin, Fisher, have?? More than half the starters and key players of a 12-0 team combined for zero P5 offers. That is amazing. And now, several years later, KF and staff may be doing it again. Look at the starters and key reserves, and you will see that Koerner, Merriweather, Moss, Benson, ZVVB, Evans, Roberts, Dejong, Schott, Laporta, Jones, Richman, and Ragaini were not P5 recruits. Again, amazing that the Iowa staff can identify and develop so many unheralded recruits and turn them into legitimate B1G players with championship potential. I appreciate these guys, their effort, and their trust in the program. And yes, I appreciate the 4* guys like Jacobs, Craig, Colby, etc. that will continue to make their mark on this program.
Appreciate the early success, the players, and the staff. Appreciate Iowa City and the Hawkeyes. FIGHT FOR IOWA.
I can't wait to be back on campus Oct. 9th. Go Hawks!!
Who really thought Iowa would be 3-0 right now? Not many. Who thought Iowa would be ranked 5th in the AP poll?? Probably nobody. Forget everything about offense, defense, and special teams, and just let it sink in that the Iowa Hawkeyes are ranked 5th in the month of September. And consider that ESPN's college football writers Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach each have Iowa in the CFP. There is of course a long, long way to go, but the national respect is awesome and unexpected, especially so early in the season. Personally I'm on a thrill ride, and once again I can't wait until Saturday.
This thread is about appreciating Iowa. I love the Black & Gold. I love it around campus, on the uniforms, in the stands, on TV, etc. I love Iowa City and the feeling of being on campus when visiting my son. I love the legions of Hawk fans in my native Chicagoland, and the amount of Hawk gear, flags, + decals I see constantly in the suburbs.
And I love what this football team of made of. A head coach who's almost considered ancient, who half this board wanted fired more than once over the last 10 years. A guy who has survived scandals and his own stubbornness, who has kept his course while making enough minor adjustments to avoid a mutiny. And a guy who seems genuinely good as a person and equally good at teaching how to play football. Think about our DC and the success he's had and the loyalty to the program over decades. Phil Parker has been a godsend to this team. Even Brian seems to have grown out of an almost bratty stage to where he is learning from his mistakes and showing some humility. Not that these guys are perfect or have unassailable records, but I appreciate this staff and how they run the Iowa program.
Yet it still boils down to the players. Iowa football has been a collection of a few 4* sprinkled in with some other good recruits and a pile of 2* guys and walk-ons. Think about the 2015 team that lost the B1G championship by a hair. How many P5 offers did Canzeri, Wadley, Kittle, Boettger, Myers, Vandeberg, Smith, King, Meier, Hesse, Niemann, Jewell, Bazata, Mabin, Fisher, have?? More than half the starters and key players of a 12-0 team combined for zero P5 offers. That is amazing. And now, several years later, KF and staff may be doing it again. Look at the starters and key reserves, and you will see that Koerner, Merriweather, Moss, Benson, ZVVB, Evans, Roberts, Dejong, Schott, Laporta, Jones, Richman, and Ragaini were not P5 recruits. Again, amazing that the Iowa staff can identify and develop so many unheralded recruits and turn them into legitimate B1G players with championship potential. I appreciate these guys, their effort, and their trust in the program. And yes, I appreciate the 4* guys like Jacobs, Craig, Colby, etc. that will continue to make their mark on this program.
Appreciate the early success, the players, and the staff. Appreciate Iowa City and the Hawkeyes. FIGHT FOR IOWA.
I can't wait to be back on campus Oct. 9th. Go Hawks!!
