Deacon Hill in Transfer Portal

[IAFB2021Champs]

I agree with this sentiment (mostly). He simply wasn't good enough. But, it wasn't as if he could tell the coaching staff, "Thanks, but I think I'll sit this one out." I was just disappointed that he came into the spring not fixing the one thing he had control over, that didn't require any coaching.

I disagree with this sentiment (mostly). He went to Iowa thinking he had a chance to play and could make a difference, he couldn’t. He had every right to quit/leave or put in some effort to lose some weight to help him become better, it appeared that he did not do that. I’m not disappointed with him that the coaching staff was too stupid to realize he should not have been playing and continued to play him.

 

[Bierhalter]

My guess would be it was Lainez who was QB2 all spring.

Didn't Lester say, last week, that Lainez was getting 85 percent of the snaps?

No and no

 

[GOHOX69]

What if Marco and Cade suck?

 

[MeetTheFerentzes]

I said on another thread that I don't think it's a coincidence that Sullivan, the presumed starter at NW and a guy Lester previously recruited at WMU, is now in the portal a few mins after Deac announced. I think that's our guy.

Too confusing to have two QB's named Sullivan on the team in '25.

 

[GOHOX69]

I believe deacon was at 290lbs when he left wisky and did lose 35lbs by the fall.
Bottom line: he stepped in when we needed a QB and helped us have a 10-2 season...so thanks to deacon and good luck. Will always be a Hawkeye!

The schedule was milque toast soft.

 

[ButtersHawk]

Too SEXY to have two QB's named Sullivan on the team in '25.

 

[MeetTheFerentzes]

I believe deacon was at 290lbs when he left wisky and did lose 35lbs by the fall.
Bottom line: he stepped in when we needed a QB and helped us have a 10-2 season...so thanks to deacon and good luck. Will always be a Hawkeye!

We brought in a QB who weighed 290#? JFC Who would have thought it was going to be a disaster...

 

[MeetTheFerentzes]

They aren’t getting anyone worth a penny if they are asking them to compete for qb2.

I guess we'll see. There are a lot of quality college QB's out there and only 130 or so starting FBS jobs. Whomever Iowa brings in, even if he starts out only competing for QB2, will have an above average chance of getting playing time in '24 and an excellent chance of being QB1 starting in '25, especially if it's someone who already has worked in the RPO and has more game experience than ML.

 

[myteamcanbeatupyourteam]

No and no

The percentage may be wrong but Lester confirmed Lainez was getting most of the reps.

So, more than likely, yes and yes.

 

[CyberJJ]

Lester may have told him that he was third string or may have had an honest conversation that they were looking in a different direction.

Not uncommon to see transfers after spring ball where players get feedback on where they stand on the depth chart.

 

[Hawk-A-Doodle-Doo]

Wait.....can middle schools grab guys out of the portal now?

 

[MitchLL]

We brought in a QB who weighed 290#? JFC Who would have thought it was going to be a disaster...

That's a good weight for QB sneaks...unfortunately Deacon usually fumbled the snap, so that strategy failed as well.

 

[hawkinarkansas]

Clearly outmatched at the D1/P5 level. I predict he’ll land as a FCS level mascot somewhere.

 

[hawkguy77]

What if Marco and Cade suck?

Even if they both suck, I won't miss Deacon. I wish him well wherever he ends up.

 

[hawkeyebob62]

The question isn't why Defcon is in the portal. It's whether or not Bama will make him use the "Do NOT Contact" tag like they did with Proctor.

 

[EvilMonkeyInTheCloset]

I'm going to be walking around work at full mast all day today.

This has to mean that Kirk and Co have set their sights on an upcoming QB in the portal.

On someone heavier and slower most likely.....

 

[thunderstruck1]

No he won't, not without a lot of work and sculpting. Lower level QBs are typically pretty good, just smaller and not as strong of an arm. His fundamentals are awful.

Well, in a lesser division Hill is as big as a DE and should be able to mow LB's over. In a lesser division, DB's are not running 4.3's and 4.4's like they are at the highest level and the windows tend to be larger. Everyone in a lesser division is pretty much smaller and slower. He got a fair bit of work in with Lester and he sure could drop down a division and do well.

 

[BrotherHawkeye]

I disagree with this sentiment (mostly). He went to Iowa thinking he had a chance to play and could make a difference, he couldn’t. He had every right to quit/leave or put in some effort to lose some weight to help him become better, it appeared that he did not do that. I’m not disappointed with him that the coaching staff was too stupid to realize he should not have been playing and continued to play him.

I think we're on the same page on this one. I would think (hope) guys sign on to play because they think that they can play. When his time came, I don't fault him for buckling up his chinstrap and going out there when he's told to do so. He simply wasn't good enough, which was compounded by the ineffectiveness of the coaches to create anything resembling an offense. Whether Lainez would have been better doesn't matter anymore. That's in the rearview mirror. As far as Hill this spring, he should have come into the spring practice down at least 20 pounds; I'm not saying that alone would have made a difference, but it surely wouldn't have hurt to try.

It doesn't appear that Hill was in the plans for the fall, so he's leaving, which probably supports the initial premise that he came to Iowa thinking he was good enough to play at Iowa. At least in the eyes of last fall's coaching staff, he was. This spring, he isn't.

 

[WhyteWRandCBU]

Hill has been reading this board.

 

[obfuscating]

Well this is very interesting. It also tells me that a portal QB to compete with Lainez is a lock and they probably already know who it is. Who is the question.

Petras returning?

 

[CaboKP]

How about you? What's your height and weight? Do you think if Deacon was say 225 lbs you would feel a single bit different about his on field performance?

The question wasn't to me, but...
I have a feeling if Deacon weighed 225, that would be about 50 lbs below what he played at. He is a big strong guy and has a big gut. A person his height and strong could be 255 and lean.

I assume I am not alone in my thought.

 

[pink shizzle]

PRAISE BE TO HE!!!!!!

He has risen (Hill's ass off the chair at the buffet and to the portal)!!

 

[texashawkeye87]

Goodbye, Cheeseburger Charlie.

 

[pink shizzle]

Petras returning?

 

[MikeyHawk]

Absolutely weighing 225lbs could have helped his mobility.

You ever watched a football game?

Based on his posts, doubt that he has watched a football game

 

[jdv77]

I would like to put out one idea that I do not think was recognized or appreciated by the majority of this board at the time he was hired. Tim Lester is coaching for his future, and he has ambitions that go beyond being the offensive coordinator at Iowa for the rest of his life.

 

[MeetTheFerentzes]

Petras returning?

I admit - If this news came about, I would grab myself a 5-gallon bucket of popcorn as I enjoyed the meltdown on this board.

 

[Mohawkeye]

Good thing he got in all that practice time with the coaches in spring practice. Especially when they are installing a new offense. Why the hell do they have a portal session right after spring practice? Would have been nice to have given extra time with the other QB’s.

No kidding! What a waste. But thank God Deacon had the maturity and wisdom to do what KF wouldn’t by removing himself from the depth chart. It was a toxic situation that just wasn’t going to improve on its own.

Wishing Deacon well.

 

[CRWash63]

Epiphany is an “Aha!” moment. As a literary device, epiphany (pronounced ih-pif–uh-nee) is the moment when a character is suddenly struck with a life-changing realization which changes the rest of the story. Often, an epiphany begins with a small, everyday occurrence or experience.
or
My feelings on hearing this news rocketed to the moon and back several times. I wish Deac well - BOY AND I GLAD HE IS GONE. LET ME KNOW THE MOMENT HE CROSSES THE JOHNSON COUNTY LINE HEADED OUT OF TOWN - "GO WEST YOUNG MAN, GO WEST!"

 

[IIowaFarmBoy]

Good poi

Well, in a lesser division Hill is as big as a DE and should be able to mow LB's over. In a lesser division, DB's are not running 4.3's and 4.4's like they are at the highest level and the windows tend to be larger. Everyone in a lesser division is pretty much smaller and slower. He got a fair bit of work in with Lester and he sure could drop down a division and do well.

C

Well, in a lesser division Hill is as big as a DE and should be able to mow LB's over. In a lesser division, DB's are not running 4.3's and 4.4's like they are at the highest level and the windows tend to be larger. Everyone in a lesser division is pretty much smaller and slower. He got a fair bit of work in with Lester and he sure could drop down a division and do well.

Chuckled about DBs.

 

[Tom Paris]

Huh…. This highlights how “wrong “they were “last year”….

What the hell does that even mean?

A quarterback transfers, out one that performed poorly, and that shows how wrong the staff was last year…

All I can tell you is it just improved the quality of this message board. I won’t have to listen to people bitch about Deacon Hill and Kirk Ferentz quite as much as I have.

Quite frankly Deacon made this board almost unreadable.

You can't stop yourself, can you? Defending the indefensible. It doesn't make you smart, dude.

 

[obfuscating]

Wish him well. Not his fault JB and BF put him out there.

 

[SI_NYC]

 

[MitchLL]

Based on his posts, doubt that he has watched a football game

I think he means no ill will, but he gets sidetracked on occasion.

 

[desihawk]

our most durable qb is in the portal. can’t this coaching staff get anything right? i expect a certain poster to start a new thread expressing this sentiment any day now.

 

[myteamcanbeatupyourteam]

Petras returning?

LOL. Not possible, although I know you're joking.

 

[desihawk]

after the initial euphoria i have to say i liked deacon’s attitude. the guy is mentally tough, didnt get fazed no matter how bad he screwed up, and that is a winning attribute in a qb. i have zero animosity towards him. in fact he was arguably sufficient for us to have a more than respectable 2023 for which i’m thankful.
without deacon the w-l ceiling got higher but the floor got somewhat lower as well. we have to find a good and durable replacement.

 

[INXS83]

That nightmare is over for Iowa.

 

[Rambler Hawk]

Is this Christmas morning? Sure seems like it.

Luckily it’s not April 1st! ❤️

 

[ClarindaA's]

My Gawd….. Iowa could be sporting the fighting Sulllivans