Gotta hand it to Ferentz

[Auger]

He is putting together a nice recruiting class this year. He still has some good talent that he and his staff are in on right now too. I have been pretty critical of both Kirk and Brian this year and in my mind rightfully so. I do however need to give them some props as they have stepped up their recruiting. Last years class was solid and next years has some strong potential to it as well. A few years ago I did an analysis on Iowa's recruiting during the the KF era and what I found is his most successful seasons came about because of recruiting classes that had 6 or more 5.7 or higher rated kids in them. If he had 2-3 of these classes strung together it often times led to his peak seasons.

My only concern is that from these last two classes of the 14 5.7 rated or higher recruits 10 of them are either DB's, DL or QB's. However some are WR's, RB's and LB's. Others from last year's class that were rated lower have stepped up at the RB and WR positions. OL is a bit concerning as it doesn't really seem the coaching staff is having the developmental success with the 5.5 and 5.6 rated guys that they once had in the KF era. On top of that the staff hasn't had the success it had once recruiting the 5.7 and higher kids. I'm concerned about the OL down the road.

All and all solid job from KF and his staff these past couple recruiting cycles.

 

[VicHawkeye]

I'm not worried about the future Oline. The future Dline is lining up to be like the old famous monsters Frankenstein, Wolfman etc. Oline will be tough facing beasts every day in practice.

Stanley, Mansell and now Petras look to give Iowa a chance with the wildcard being playmakers on the outside. If Tracy, Lockett and others give Iowa real big play threats I believe that Iowa football will reach a Golden Age over the next few years.

What else do the Ferentz' have to do other than just going for it all out until Kirk retires?

 

[scotthawk1964]

The next two years should be the payoff. They have got the foundation for a great team, pending the LB situation next year. But I think this year is the best average star rating I can remember for a recruiting class. They already have a great start on the 2019 class, and with a good season next year could make the 19 and 20 classes strong. Crossing my fingers.

 

[cmhawks99]

I agree with using The number ranking as more important than the star ranking. With that said these last five classes have actually been pretty darn good and it's remarkable how well our two star kids have performed in these last five classes. In fact you could go so far as to say they have been the stars of the team...Jewel, Jackson, Wadley, Neiman, Hesse.

 

[Auger]

I agree with using The number ranking as more important than the star ranking. With that said these last five classes have actually been pretty darn good and it's remarkable how well our two star kids have performed in these last five classes. In fact you could go so far as to say they have been the stars of the team...Jewel, Jackson, Wadley, Neiman, Hesse.

We need to be careful when we praise the two star and low 3 star recruits. Its fun to point out the diamonds in the rough but unfortunately when we take too many of these lower rated kids in a class it leads to some down years for Iowa Football.

Of the kids rated 5.5 or lower from the 2013 class we got some diamonds (2) Jewell, Wadley some solid starters (4) Bazata, Boettger, Daniels, VandeBerg and then a whole lot of nothing (7) Willies, Gressel, Shimonek, Mitchell, Harris, Jones and Parker. Didn't help that class that we got no 4 stars and of the 5 5.7 rated 3 stars only 1 stayed with Iowa.

2014 Class we got had a total of 11 5.5 or lower rated kids. Only 1 Diamond in Jackson, 3 Solid Starters Render, Niemann, Hesse and then a bunch (7) of nothing or jury still out LeGrand, Truitt, Mends, Ellis, Reynolds, Harris, Kidd. We only had 3 players in this class rated 5.7 or higher and only 1 stayed with the program QB Wiegers.

2015 is somewhat jury is still out on these kids but here is what we have seen so far. Iowa recruited 15 kids rated 5.5 or lower. Nobody has stood out as a star yet. (2) Reiff, and Ojemudia have given Iowa some depth and minutes and so far (13) Cook, Boyle, Hockaday, Waechter, Vejvoda, Ogwo, Slater, Garbutt, Jinning, Falconer, Graham, Jansen and Wilson have either transfered away or have not given Iowa much of anything on the gameday football field. Most of this class will be JR's or SR's next season. A lot of missed depth. Iowa only got 1 kid (Daniels) rated 5.7 or higher in this class.

The '13, '14 and '15 classes were very light on 5.7 and higher rated kids and heavy on 5.5 or lower rated kids. While we found a handful of stars in those classes the majority of those 5.5 and lower kids never amounted to much on the football field and have explained our lack of depth these last few seasons. We also only got 9 total kids rated 5.7 or higher in these classes. In comparison the '17 and '18 classes Iowa already has 14 of those higher rated kids.

 

[Auger]

We need to be careful when we praise the two star and low 3 star recruits. Its fun to point out the diamonds in the rough but unfortunately when we take too many of these lower rated kids in a class it leads to some down years for Iowa Football.

Of the kids rated 5.5 or lower from the 2013 class we got some diamonds (2) Jewell, Wadley some solid starters (4) Bazata, Boettger, Daniels, VandeBerg and then a whole lot of nothing (7) Willies, Gressel, Shimonek, Mitchell, Harris, Jones and Parker. Didn't help that class that we got no 4 stars and of the 5 5.7 rated 3 stars only 1 stayed with Iowa.

2014 Class we got had a total of 11 5.5 or lower rated kids. Only 1 Diamond in Jackson, 3 Solid Starters Render, Niemann, Hesse and then a bunch (7) of nothing or jury still out LeGrand, Truitt, Mends, Ellis, Reynolds, Harris, Kidd. We only had 3 players in this class rated 5.7 or higher and only 1 stayed with the program QB Wiegers.

2015 is somewhat jury is still out on these kids but here is what we have seen so far. Iowa recruited 15 kids rated 5.5 or lower. Nobody has stood out as a star yet. (2) Reiff, and Ojemudia have given Iowa some depth and minutes and so far (13) Cook, Boyle, Hockaday, Waechter, Vejvoda, Ogwo, Slater, Garbutt, Jinning, Falconer, Graham, Jansen and Wilson have either transfered away or have not given Iowa much of anything on the gameday football field. Most of this class will be JR's or SR's next season. A lot of missed depth. Iowa only got 1 kid (Daniels) rated 5.7 or higher in this class.

The '13, '14 and '15 classes were very light on 5.7 and higher rated kids and heavy on 5.5 or lower rated kids. While we found a handful of stars in those classes the majority of those 5.5 and lower kids never amounted to much on the football field and have explained our lack of depth these last few seasons. We also only got 9 total kids rated 5.7 or higher in these classes. In comparison the '17 and '18 classes Iowa already has 14 of those higher rated kids.

Quoting myself here but you could point to the '13, '14 and '15 classes and say this is the difference between Iowa and Wisconsin these last couple seasons. Both teams find some diamond in the roughs but Wisconsin is able to get 2-3 better rated kids per class then Iowa. However the '17 and '18 classes Iowa has caught back up to Wisconsin.

 

[cmhawks99]

Honestly as you go back and look it is so hard to draw a trend line for classes like Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan State etc. because so many of their lower rated recruits go on to stardom. we honestly need them all from two stars on up it seems!

 

[cmhawks99]

I'm not 100 percent certain "careful" is the word I'd use at this point in time we've put somewhere in the neighborhood of 25 to start kids into the NFL and the information you transposed didn't show a very glowing review of the 5.7's either.

Also kids like Ohemudia and Hockaday have played & been awesome in special teams and filled in gaps where they were needed. We've also had some long-term talent in the D backfield & at linebacker so I'm not really sure how we can judge the kids that have played behind these guys. King started essentially four years, the linebackers 3+ years, I'm not sure if we can really make a direct correlation here...

I'll study it more later and I do agree that the 5.7 is significant of something but I think if you really drill down and looked you're going to find some of our best players, maybe most. Like Pat Angerer was a 5.5 King was a 5.6 obviously tons of two stars etc. etc. etc.

As for Wiscy I guess I don't have enough knowledge of their depth or whether or not these two or three higher rated kids are denting their depth.

 

[cmhawks99]

Just went directly to 2012, hardly an exhaustive study, or terribly meaningful. But there were 6-5.7 that netted Johnson and Elakitie.

10-5.5 or Less that Netted Sokol (the question should be did they perform and he did elsewhere, never got a chance here) T Smith, Kittle, Meier and Ott.

Not even disagreeing with you just saying you might be surprised at how many of our players have been 5.5 or less

 

[cmhawks99]

So now I'm looking at 2013 and I must be missing what you're saying. There were 5–5.7s on that team with Spearman probably performing the best, transferring and having a decent season before he finally got kicked out of school so at best that's one of five.

As for 5.5's or less they were 13. Willies is still an Internet hero in here although I will agree he was no great shakes at Texas Tech but he performed moderately. Shimonek had a solid career, although getting benched late this year and then coming back & leading them to victory vs Texas so again the question is whether he was worthy of a scholarship or not and he was. Then Boettger, Daniels, Jewel and Wadley.

So that's six or seven out of 13 depending on how you would prefer to slice it up.

 

[kceasthawk]

We need to be careful when we praise the two star and low 3 star recruits. Its fun to point out the diamonds in the rough but unfortunately when we take too many of these lower rated kids in a class it leads to some down years for Iowa Football.

Of the kids rated 5.5 or lower from the 2013 class we got some diamonds (2) Jewell, Wadley some solid starters (4) Bazata, Boettger, Daniels, VandeBerg and then a whole lot of nothing (7) Willies, Gressel, Shimonek, Mitchell, Harris, Jones and Parker. Didn't help that class that we got no 4 stars and of the 5 5.7 rated 3 stars only 1 stayed with Iowa.

2014 Class we got had a total of 11 5.5 or lower rated kids. Only 1 Diamond in Jackson, 3 Solid Starters Render, Niemann, Hesse and then a bunch (7) of nothing or jury still out LeGrand, Truitt, Mends, Ellis, Reynolds, Harris, Kidd. We only had 3 players in this class rated 5.7 or higher and only 1 stayed with the program QB Wiegers.

2015 is somewhat jury is still out on these kids but here is what we have seen so far. Iowa recruited 15 kids rated 5.5 or lower. Nobody has stood out as a star yet. (2) Reiff, and Ojemudia have given Iowa some depth and minutes and so far (13) Cook, Boyle, Hockaday, Waechter, Vejvoda, Ogwo, Slater, Garbutt, Jinning, Falconer, Graham, Jansen and Wilson have either transfered away or have not given Iowa much of anything on the gameday football field. Most of this class will be JR's or SR's next season. A lot of missed depth. Iowa only got 1 kid (Daniels) rated 5.7 or higher in this class.

The '13, '14 and '15 classes were very light on 5.7 and higher rated kids and heavy on 5.5 or lower rated kids. While we found a handful of stars in those classes the majority of those 5.5 and lower kids never amounted to much on the football field and have explained our lack of depth these last few seasons. We also only got 9 total kids rated 5.7 or higher in these classes. In comparison the '17 and '18 classes Iowa already has 14 of those higher rated kids.

Over all a well done post. I would how ever caution against certain points. Counting guys like Shimonek and even Willes as players who did nothing at Iowa, is certainly true, but this is more a function of the game today then a failure of the staff to recruit quality players. Shimonek obviously has some D1 talent, he just didn't want to wait around behind Beathard for his shot. This happens at schools all over the country, especially with QB's. Willes had his chances to stay and contribute, and chose to get a fresh start elsewhere. I think these players show that the staff does have an eye for talent, and given time to nurture it will get results. Its up to the player to buy in and stay committed. Unfortunately when your recruiting these teenagers, be they 2 stars or 5 stars, thats the thing that is so hard to get a read on, is how committed he'll be.

 

[Auger]

I'm not 100 percent certain "careful" is the word I'd use at this point in time we've put somewhere in the neighborhood of 25 to start kids into the NFL and the information you transposed didn't show a very glowing review of the 5.7's either.

Also kids like Ohemudia and Hockaday have played & been awesome in special teams and filled in gaps where they were needed. We've also had some long-term talent in the D backfield & at linebacker so I'm not really sure how we can judge the kids that have played behind these guys. King started essentially four years, the linebackers 3+ years, I'm not sure if we can really make a direct correlation here...

I'll study it more later and I do agree that the 5.7 is significant of something but I think if you really drill down and looked you're going to find some of our best players, maybe most. Like Pat Angerer was a 5.5 King was a 5.6 obviously tons of two stars etc. etc. etc.

As for Wiscy I guess I don't have enough knowledge of their depth or whether or not these two or three higher rated kids are denting their depth.

A couple of years ago I looked into every class in the KF era. What I found was the 5.5 and lower rated kids only about 30% of them ever started at Iowa or played significant minutes. This grouping represented over half of the kids recruited to Iowa during this time. It proved to be a huge reason why Iowa couldn't remain consistent year to year in the Win Loss column. For every Mitch King or Bob Sanders there were 5 lower rated kids that never made the 2 seeps.

On the flip side the 5.7 rated players and higher produced a lot better results. 5.7 rated players like Ricky Stanzi, A.J. Edds, Tyler Nielsen, Marvin McNutt and Broderick Binns from the '06 and '07 classes helped bring in one of the better eras of Iowa Football. Add in the 4 star guys from those classes (Bulaga, Ballard, Clayborn and Hunter). Iowa found some diamond in the rough players in the 5.5 and lower rated guys group but they still only got about 30% value out of the grouping compared to 60% value out of the 5.7 and higher rated guys. Those values have been pretty consistent throughout the years at Iowa.

The last time Iowa had classes like the '17 and '18 classes was '06 and '07. So if Kirk and Brian can figure out the X's and O's of today's college football good things could be coming again.

 

[cmhawks99]

In 2014 as you have said two of those players are gone and Wiegers has provided depth so let's call it one of three.

There were 11 5.5's and Niemann I am convinced will likely get drafted, Hesse has a shot, Jackson is a star, Render is starting, Reynolds is in the two deep and I believe has started & the verdict is still out on Mends.

 

[Auger]

Over all a well done post. I would how ever caution against certain points. Counting guys like Shimonek and even Willes as players who did nothing at Iowa, is certainly true, but this is more a function of the game today then a failure of the staff to recruit quality players. Shimonek obviously has some D1 talent, he just didn't want to wait around behind Beathard for his shot. This happens at schools all over the country, especially with QB's. Willes had his chances to stay and contribute, and chose to get a fresh start elsewhere. I think these players show that the staff does have an eye for talent, and given time to nurture it will get results. Its up to the player to buy in and stay committed. Unfortunately when your recruiting these teenagers, be they 2 stars or 5 stars, thats the thing that is so hard to get a read on, is how committed he'll be.

I agree with this. It's just when you lose a few players to transfers on top of all the kids that don't pan out it leaves Iowa very thin or without quality talent or too young of talent at some positions. I will add that no matter how talented a kid is when he decides to transfer he ends up fighting an even bigger uphill battle. Transferring more times than not doesn't work out for these kids. It really equates to them losing a year or two of development in college when you factor in changing coaching staffs and in some cases systems.

 

[cmhawks99]

A couple of years ago I looked into every class in the KF era. What I found was the 5.5 and lower rated kids only about 30% of them ever started at Iowa or played significant minutes. This grouping represented over half of the kids recruited to Iowa during this time. It proved to be a huge reason why Iowa couldn't remain consistent year to year in the Win Loss column. For every Mitch King or Bob Sanders there were 5 lower rated kids that never made the 2 seeps.

On the flip side the 5.7 rated players and higher produced a lot better results. 5.7 rated players like Ricky Stanzi, A.J. Edds, Tyler Nielsen, Marvin McNutt and Broderick Binns from the '06 and '07 classes helped bring in one of the better eras of Iowa Football. Add in the 4 star guys from those classes (Bulaga, Ballard, Clayborn and Hunter). Iowa found some diamond in the rough players in the 5.5 and lower rated guys group but they still only got about 30% value out of the grouping compared to 60% value out of the 5.7 and higher rated guys. Those values have been pretty consistent throughout the years at Iowa.

The last time Iowa had classes like the '17 and '18 classes was '06 and '07. So if Kirk and Brian can figure out the X's and O's of today's college football good things could be coming again.

Just a guess but from the studying I've done over the years, that's the interesting thing about Iowa and two stars versus the nation & four stars they only perform at a slightly better clip. There was an Internet study/article done on Iowa not very long again that went into exquisite detail on the astronomical numbers for Iowa 2-stars and making the NFL.

Now with that said I do get where you're coming from and you may have seen me say several times; if a two – star or walk-on doesn't hit Iowa's 2-deeps by their redshirt sophomore year they are not very likely to contribute at all.

 

[cmhawks99]

I agree with this. It's just when you lose a few players to transfers on top of all the kids that don't pan out it leaves Iowa very thin or without quality talent or too young of talent at some positions. I will add that no matter how talented a kid is when he decides to transfer he ends up fighting an even bigger uphill battle. Transferring more times than not doesn't work out for these kids. It really equates to them losing a year or two of development in college when you factor in changing coaching staffs and in some cases systems.

This is an excellent point and as applied to Derick Willies he didn't go on to a great career at Texas Tech but I propose he would've been very beneficial to our program & to himself had he stayed at Iowa. Of course that's assuming he kept his head on straight and quit being a "me" first guy. Which clearly didn't happen at Texas Tech so it likely wouldn't have happened here either...Doh!!

 

[Auger]

In 2014 as you have said two of those players are gone and Wiegwrs has provided death so let's call it one of three.

There were 11 5.5's and Niemann I am convinced will likely get drafted, Hesse has a shot, Jackson is a star Render is starting, Reynolds is in the two deep and I believe has started & the verdict is still out on Mends.

Not all your 5.7 and higher kids are going to pan out. However they pan out at a much higher rate then the 5.5 and lower kids. I will reiterate that Iowa really needs to get at least six 5.7 rated or higher per class. Getting under that won't make that much of a difference if 50-60% of them pan out. In the '13, '14 and '15 classes Iowa never made it over 5 in a class. In fact they only averaged 3 per class and only averaged 1 4 star per class. Of the total of 9 rated 5.7 or higher 6 of them transferred or never could overcome injuries. 1 never made it out of the depth chart Wisnieski, 1 is a backup QB Wiegers and 1 is a current star on the Iowa OL. Iowa's biggest problem from '13-'16 is they didn't recruit enough 5.7 and higher rated recruits. In '16 Iowa didn't get a four star guy. They got 4 5.7 guys two of which are already big contributors (Fant, Rugamba).

 

[H4wkfan4life]

In '16 Iowa didn't get a four star guy. They got 4 5.7 guys two of which are already big contributors (Fant, Rugamba).

we also got our 3 star qb, that beat out the 4* qb(thanks wiscy)
then throw in
a jackson
hockenson
lattimore
young
and more

not a total bust

 

[kceasthawk]

I agree with this. It's just when you lose a few players to transfers on top of all the kids that don't pan out it leaves Iowa very thin or without quality talent or too young of talent at some positions. I will add that no matter how talented a kid is when he decides to transfer he ends up fighting an even bigger uphill battle. Transferring more times than not doesn't work out for these kids. It really equates to them losing a year or two of development in college when you factor in changing coaching staffs and in some cases systems.

I concur 100% on your comment about kids transferring losing ground in the limited time they have to play at the college level. Guys like Willes are a perfect example. That five years to play four goes by really fast when your changing schools and trying to learn a new system, and earn your spurs all over again.

 

[Auger]

Just a guess but from the studying I've done over the years, that's the interesting thing about Iowa and two stars versus the nation & four stars they only perform at a slightly better clip. There was an Internet study/article done on Iowa not very long again that went into exquisite detail on the astronomical numbers for Iowa 2-stars and making the NFL.

Now with that said I do get where you're coming from and you may have seen me say several times; if a two – star or walk-on doesn't hit Iowa's 2-deeps by their redshirt sophomore year they are not very likely to contribute at all.

I think when KF and staff end up with 10 or more lower rated recruits they hope that 50% of them will pan out. Maybe 1 or 2 will be stars someday, 2 or 3 will be solid starters and a handful can be soild depth guys who pan out year 5 and become solid starters their final year to help fill a hole. Every once and a while Iowa gets that kind of value from their lower rated recruits. However most of the time it falls well under that 50% and we end up some years with no depth and a few starting positions that are a weakness at the B1G level. This is why I say those 5.7 or rated recruits come in pretty handy when you get 6 or more per class. A lot of those guys that pan out are already contributing or have the talent to start at Iowa for 3 years or more.

 

[Auger]

we also got our 3 star qb, that beat out the 4* qb(thanks wiscy)
then throw in
a jackson
hockenson
lattimore
young
and more

not a total bust

I agree '16 won't produce a ton of talent but there is talent mixed with plenty of solid players. We haven't really talked about the 5.6 rated players in this thread which Stanley, Lattimore and Young are. The 5.6 rated guys over the years have produced a number of stars and produce value players at a little over 40%. The '16 class has 9 of these guys. I think in addition to the ones mentioned above Hooker and Niemann have some serious potential. Niemann is suppose to be more athletic than his brother.

I think by the time '16, '17 and '18 classes are all So's, Jr's and Sr's Iowa will be back to being a top 5 B1G team. The '17, '18 and potential '19 classes will be where it all comes together I believe. Unfortunately for Stanley these next couple seasons we will have some serious holes on our team much like this current year. The future could be very bright however.

 

[cmhawks99]

Yes that 2016 class is already out performing their ranking, A Jackson and Hockensen 5.5s look like studs so does Welch. Banwart is Second string center, it seems I've heard Williams mentioned a number of times on the O-line though I don't see him on the two/deep right now and Boswell and Young may be getting passed over by other players, but neither one redshirted and I have seen a few sources speak very highly of Boswell he just may never get a chance to prove it for us.

On an even stranger note at least for me Torren Young and Stanley we're both 2-stars until fairly late in the fall and they suddenly jumped clear up to 5.6s.

This year, of the 10 or 11 kids that played as freshman for us Smith, ISM Cooper and Stone we're all 5.5 or less and Nixon that everybody is giddy about and Alabama offered, was only a 5.5.

The point I'm trying to make isn't one of contradiction because I think you've brought good information to the table. It's that again, it's really hard to draw a trend line for Iowa in particular.

 

[Auger]

Yes that 2016 class is already out performing their ranking, A Jackson and Hockensen 5.5s look like studs so does Welch. Banwart is Second string center, it seems I've heard Williams mentioned a number of times on the O-line though I don't see him on the two/deep right now and Boswell and Young may be getting passed over by other players, but neither one redshirted and I have seen a few sources speak very highly of Boswell he just may never get a chance to prove it for us.

On an even stranger note at least for me Torren Young and Stanley we're both 2-stars until fairly late in the fall and they suddenly jumped clear up to 5.6s.

This year, of the 10 or 11 kids that played as freshman for us Smith, ISM Cooper and Stone we're all 5.5 or less and Nixon that everybody is giddy about and Alabama offered, was only a 5.5.

The point I'm trying to make isn't one of contradiction because I think you've brought good information to the table. It's that again, it's really hard to draw a trend line for Iowa in particular.

If you look at it year to year you will see the trends and you will see how Iowa's win loss record follows those trends. There are a few seasons that are abnormal but you also have to look at Iowa's schedule those years too. Again remember that there are always some 5.5 and lower rated kids that stand out however there are much more that don't. Look at the 2008 and 2009 classes and you will see why Iowa started to drop off again after that Orange Bowl win.

 

[cmhawks99]

Well you nailed something that I've said on this board no less than 10×2008, 2009 even 2010 a little bit those were terrible years for Iowa recruiting wise we have recruited better every year since then in my opinion.

 

[cmhawks99]

Incidentally regardless of ranking my belief is they hope at least 50 percent of every class turn out and that isn't always the case. That awesome class we signed back im I think what was it 2005 I don't think performed near that level

 

[Auger]

Incidentally regardless of ranking my belief is they hope at least 50 percent of every class turn out and that isn't always the case. That awesome class we signed back im I think what was it 2005 I don't think performed near that level

A lot of the 2005 class lost its luster when Christensen turned out to be a not so great QB. Dace Richardson was one of the most talented OT's Iowa ever recruited he just couldn't stay healthy but when he was on the field he was great. Doering turned out to be a dud. Moeaki and Eubanks were studs. And then 3 four star guys ended up transfering.

Iowa had another class like that not that long ago in 2010. Scherff, Coker, Morris, Fiedorowicz and Donnal were all great 5.7 rated or higher players but it became a class of what could have been when Derby transferred and Rhabo claimed a few others. Then Coker ended up leaving the program as well after '09 recruit Brandon Wegher left and Robinson ended up leaving as well. Left Iowa with hardly any talent at RB.

Iowa has had some bad luck with the 5.7 and higher rated recruits which does create these what could have been seasons at Iowa. My only fear with the '17 and '18 classes is if they turn out to be like the '10 and '11 classes where some bad luck turned a great string of classes into "what could have been" seasons. A big difference however is in this class so far Iowa only has one 2 star and only 3 5.5 ranked 3 stars. This is a very deep talented class.

 

[cmhawks99]

A lot of the 2005 class lost its luster when Christensen turned out to be a not so great QB. Dace Richardson was one of the most talented OT's Iowa ever recruited he just couldn't stay healthy but when he was on the field he was great. Doering turned out to be a dud. Moeaki and Eubanks were studs. And then 3 four star guys ended up transfering.

Iowa had another class like that not that long ago in 2010. Scherff, Coker, Morris, Fiedorowicz and Donnal were all great 5.7 rated or higher players but it became a class of what could have been when Derby transferred and Rhabo claimed a few others. Then Coker ended up leaving the program as well after '09 recruit Brandon Wegher left and Robinson ended up leaving as well. Left Iowa with hardly any talent at RB.

Iowa has had some bad luck with the 5.7 and higher rated recruits which does create these what could have been seasons at Iowa. My only fear with the '17 and '18 classes is if they turn out to be like the '10 and '11 classes where some bad luck turned a great string of classes into "what could have been" seasons. A big difference however is in this class so far Iowa only has one 2 star and only 3 5.5 ranked 3 stars. This is a very deep talented class.

Good stuff and again I think if you look back we're gonna find out the last three or four classes have actually been pretty good. Even a guy like Ojemudia, Who may never start a whole season, but has started a few games, played a lotta nickel and provided great depth is an example of the kind of kids Iowa needs to stick around with us, Aaron Mends is another kid who his bought into the Iowa way and hasn't transferred!

 

[kcgolfer]

Cold water alert. Iowa is still only 9th in the B1G in recruiting so far.

 

[cmhawks99]

Cold water alert. Iowa is still only 9th in the B1G in recruiting so far.

Yes but....all of them except UM have more kids. Minne has 26!

 

[Harbinger273]

Yes that 2016 class is already out performing their ranking, A Jackson and Hockensen 5.5s look like studs so does Welch. Banwart is Second string center, it seems I've heard Williams mentioned a number of times on the O-line though I don't see him on the two/deep right now and Boswell and Young may be getting passed over by other players, but neither one redshirted and I have seen a few sources speak very highly of Boswell he just may never get a chance to prove it for us.

On an even stranger note at least for me Torren Young and Stanley we're both 2-stars until fairly late in the fall and they suddenly jumped clear up to 5.6s.

This year, of the 10 or 11 kids that played as freshman for us Smith, ISM Cooper and Stone we're all 5.5 or less and Nixon that everybody is giddy about and Alabama offered, was only a 5.5.

The point I'm trying to make isn't one of contradiction because I think you've brought good information to the table. It's that again, it's really hard to draw a trend line for Iowa in particular.

I remember thinking early on that the 16 class was a sleeper class. No 4 stars, no one jumped out on paper but athletes and players immediately made an impact. I think it was a very good class! 17 was even better and now it looks as though the program is poised for a great class in 18. Maybe the much maligned Tyler Barnes is not such a doddering fool after all. Kelvin Bell is a major factor.

 

[cecilB]

He is putting together a nice recruiting class this year. He still has some good talent that he and his staff are in on right now too. I have been pretty critical of both Kirk and Brian this year and in my mind rightfully so. I do however need to give them some props as they have stepped up their recruiting. Last years class was solid and next years has some strong potential to it as well. A few years ago I did an analysis on Iowa's recruiting during the the KF era and what I found is his most successful seasons came about because of recruiting classes that had 6 or more 5.7 or higher rated kids in them. If he had 2-3 of these classes strung together it often times led to his peak seasons.

My only concern is that from these last two classes of the 14 5.7 rated or higher recruits 10 of them are either DB's, DL or QB's. However some are WR's, RB's and LB's. Others from last year's class that were rated lower have stepped up at the RB and WR positions. OL is a bit concerning as it doesn't really seem the coaching staff is having the developmental success with the 5.5 and 5.6 rated guys that they once had in the KF era. On top of that the staff hasn't had the success it had once recruiting the 5.7 and higher kids. I'm concerned about the OL down the road.

All and all solid job from KF and his staff these past couple recruiting cycles.

The success coorelates with attrition rates, regardless of what your analysis says