Great sign when the coaches are picking their guys

[HawkNole09]

This program is trending up.

It needs to start landing impact players at WR. Guys that have gamebreaking ability. We don’t need a whole bench full, just one every other year to go along with productive players sprinkled around them.

Pair that with what we’ve seen at TE and OL and suddenly this team becomes very hard to defend.

It’s time to re-break the rock.
Raise the bar. Climb the mountain.

A National Championship is within our reach.

<Sorry, went a little ‘Braska there an it got sideways on me>

 

[Wasnt-drunk-didnt-troll]

Never go braska. Fwiw I think T.Tracy will be another step forward.

 

[Harbinger273]

This program is trending up.

It needs to start landing impact players at WR. Guys that have gamebreaking ability. We don’t need a whole bench full, just one every other year to go along with productive players sprinkled around them.

Pair that with what we’ve seen at TE and OL and suddenly this team becomes very hard to defend.

It’s time to re-break the rock.
Raise the bar. Climb the mountain.

A National Championship is within our reach.

<Sorry, went a little ‘Braska there an it got sideways on me>

I like where you are going with this. The foundation is there, now its just getting all the right pieces together and making the run to the top. I though we were on our way to a Natty in 2010, didn't work out that way of course. I don't think it is outside the realm of possibility. WR appears to be the final piece of the puzzle.

 

[GunnerHawk]

I like where you are going with this. The foundation is there, now its just getting all the right pieces together and making the run to the top. I though we were on our way to a Natty in 2010, didn't work out that way of course. I don't think it is outside the realm of possibility. WR appears to be the final piece of the puzzle.

Lines are solid with depth, so is QB and RB. TE is deep. WR is probably the key

 

[grayhair81]

I don't think in terms of a NC. I just want to see the Hawks compete for the west every year and have a team capable of going toe-to-toe with whoever wins the east. A playoff game would be nice. The big key for Iowa is always going to be having their key guys healthy at the end of the year. I don't ever see a day when they have the depth of a Bama or Clemson, etc.
I believe they have been making progress toward that end. I think the 2016 class is going to go down as one of the best in Hawk history.

 

[mazda1]

I'm not a big star guy, but it's hard for a TEAM of 3 stars to compete athletically with a team of 5 stars. On any given day it can happen, but it's a stretch to expect it. I do like our recruits and I think the newer staff are doing a solid job in this area. A NC is getting a bit ahead of ourselves.

 

[Johnsoda123]

I'm not a big star guy, but it's hard for a TEAM of 3 stars to compete athletically with a team of 5 stars. On any given day it can happen, but it's a stretch to expect it. I do like our recruits and I think the newer staff are doing a solid job in this area. A NC is getting a bit ahead of ourselves.

True, but the current setup favors a program like Iowa. Win the conference championship and go 12-1 and you are probably in the playoffs. KF has had 3-4 teams capable of that. This team might be one of those.

 

[Hawkfan_08]

So who or what is mostly to thank for this upward trend in recruiting? We have a lot of the same coaches (not all) but there seems to be more of an emphasis on the recruiting trail?

I do think the coaches we have pulled within the last 3 years have done a great job of connecting with kids.

 

[Harbinger273]

So who or what is mostly to thank for this upward trend in recruiting? We have a lot of the same coaches (not all) but there seems to be more of an emphasis on the recruiting trail?

I do think the coaches we have pulled within the last 3 years have done a great job of connecting with kids.

Seems like a combination of increased recruiting efforts in adaptation to the new landscape and New energetic blood at several coaching spots. KOK and Kelvin Bell too.

 

[Johnsoda123]

If you had to assign a % as to what translates into wins, and there were hypothetically only two components, what would it be?

Recruiting 50%?
Coaching (to include player development) 50%?

 

[percyland]

Even during our average seasons it feels like we always have a shot if we have a night game at home against a team like Penn St, Mich, Ohio state etc. Iowa has to get enough solid talent depth that we don't consistently drop games to teams like Purdue or Iowa state. If we can consistently beat the teams we are supposed to beat and throw in an upset we can have some really solid seasons with great bowl game locations.

 

[Wasnt-drunk-didnt-troll]

So who or what is mostly to thank for this upward trend in recruiting? We have a lot of the same coaches (not all) but there seems to be more of an emphasis on the recruiting trail?

I do think the coaches we have pulled within the last 3 years have done a great job of connecting with kids.

New blood in the coaching staff. 100%

 

[And1Hawk]

So who or what is mostly to thank for this upward trend in recruiting? We have a lot of the same coaches (not all) but there seems to be more of an emphasis on the recruiting trail?

I do think the coaches we have pulled within the last 3 years have done a great job of connecting with kids.

What can you point to for the upward trend exactly? I’m not saying you are wrong but the way you are hyping this I’d have to think we are getting top 10 recruiting classes now. Maybe we are and I’m just not realizing it.

There’s a predictor that the national title winner comes from the pool of schools that have 4 consecutive top 10 recruiting classes or something like that. Are we there now?

 

[HTAutomotive]

This program is trending up.

It needs to start landing impact players at WR. Guys that have gamebreaking ability. We don’t need a whole bench full, just one every other year to go along with productive players sprinkled around them.

Pair that with what we’ve seen at TE and OL and suddenly this team becomes very hard to defend.

It’s time to re-break the rock.
Raise the bar. Climb the mountain.

A National Championship is within our reach.

<Sorry, went a little ‘Braska there an it got sideways on me>

I would love having a WR that could catch the damn ball.

 

[ih8iast8]

New blood in the coaching staff. 100%

& some new, old blood

 

[Wasnt-drunk-didnt-troll]

& some new, old blood

Kok def coming through in the QB recruitting, no doubt about that.

 

[Hawk_4shur]

If you had to assign a % as to what translates into wins, and there were hypothetically only two components, what would it be?

Recruiting 50%?
Coaching (to include player development) 50%?

It depends on what you mean by "recruiting". If you mean the recruiting rankings based on stars, I would say 15-20%. If you mean filling a team full of the "right" guys that work hard, play for each other and work everyday to get better, I'd say 35-40%.

 

[Wasnt-drunk-didnt-troll]

60% talent 40% coaching. Players win games, coaches lose games, refs change games.

 

[Hawkfan_08]

What can you point to for the upward trend exactly? I’m not saying you are wrong but the way you are hyping this I’d have to think we are getting top 10 recruiting classes now. Maybe we are and I’m just not realizing it.

There’s a predictor that the national title winner comes from the pool of schools that have 4 consecutive top 10 recruiting classes or something like that. Are we there now?

Fair question. First, I have reread my statement a few times and don't feel like I am "overhyping" anything.*edit* When I say improvements in recruiting I am meaning from ranking down in the 40s or 50s to down near 25. The other thing that I believe is that we are getting more of our top guys. We are also opening up new recruting areas, particularly in the south.

I believe a top 25 class, paired with the coaches we have will get us to 9 or 10 win seasons and more opportunities to compete for the West title and Big Ten title game. That I feel is a more realistic version of what Iowa can achieve with the outside shot to be in talks for the playoffs every few years or so.

*edit* I apologize if it came off that way.

 

[Wasnt-drunk-didnt-troll]

Fair question. First, I have reread my statement a few times and don't feel like I am "overhyping" anything.*edit* When I say improvements in recruiting I am meaning from ranking down in the 40s or 50s to down near 25. The other thing that I believe is that we are getting more of our top guys. We are also opening up new recruting areas, particularly in the south.

I believe a top 25 class, paired with the coaches we have will get us to 9 or 10 win seasons and more opportunities to compete for the West title and Big Ten title game. That I feel is a more realistic version of what Iowa can achieve with the outside shot to be in talks for the playoffs every few years or so.

*edit* I apologize if it came off that way.

I agree with you on the recruitting upgrade. I too think the coaches are getting guys higher on thier board at this point in time and also think they have expanded guys who they think are realistic possibilities. As the old adage goes, when your only tool is a hammer everything looks like a nail. I think the new staff has brought to light that the staff has built a good reputation for itself and they can take legitimate shots at higher targets. We are all fans and you too are just as valid in your opinion.

 

[herkyhawk00]

Lines are solid with depth, so is QB and RB. TE is deep. WR is probably the key

D Line has depth. Oline shockingly continues to not.

 

[And1Hawk]

Fair question. First, I have reread my statement a few times and don't feel like I am "overhyping" anything.*edit* When I say improvements in recruiting I am meaning from ranking down in the 40s or 50s to down near 25. The other thing that I believe is that we are getting more of our top guys. We are also opening up new recruting areas, particularly in the south.

I believe a top 25 class, paired with the coaches we have will get us to 9 or 10 win seasons and more opportunities to compete for the West title and Big Ten title game. That I feel is a more realistic version of what Iowa can achieve with the outside shot to be in talks for the playoffs every few years or so.

*edit* I apologize if it came off that way.

No worries and you are right that recruiting is picking up which is a good thing. If it translates to some more good runs that’s even better.

 

[grayhair81]

D Line has depth. Oline shockingly continues to not.

Yes. Ironically, the O Line recruiting has not enjoyed the improvement in recruiting that most positions have, although they have gotten a few good ones. Jackson and Wirfs look impressive and Kallenberger sounds like he is progressing well. They have four guys committed in this class already. Hopefully they will be able to build some depth soon.

 

[And1Hawk]

Yes. Ironically, the O Line recruiting has not enjoyed the improvement in recruiting that most positions have, although they have gotten a few good ones. Jackson and Wirfs look impressive and Kallenberger sounds like he is progressing well. They have four guys committed in this class already. Hopefully they will be able to build some depth soon.

I have found it strange over the years that we have struggled so much witn consistency in OL recruiting and performance consistency across the starting 5 given we do a decent job putting guys in the league. We’ve had some high drafted lineman but areunderwhelming in other parts of those same lines.

I will argue that the woes in the OL have cost this program more wins over the years than most position groups. Stalled drives, stifled rushing, poor pass blocking, hidden yards lost, etc. Most focus on ‘play calling’ and ‘scheme’ though and miss the obvious issue.

 

[walleye hunter16]

60% talent 40% coaching. Players win games, coaches lose games, refs change games.

This is about where I would place the %'s. Maybe 65/35.
players dont have to be all the top players at the position. It is actually quite common that hard work, preparation and teamwork can very much raise the level of the teams ability. Coaches teach them all those aspects and help to guide them and hopefully regularly put them in position to best use their best talents.
Last year OSU definitely had players with ability that exceeded Iowas but Iowa came out and played fast and unintimidated and never let up. The more talented OSU players did not know what happened or how to deal with what Iowa was doing to them.

 

[Kinnick.At.Night]

I really like looking at the offer lists of our commits and seeing scores of Power 5 teams. It seems there's a lot more of that in recent years. That can't be anything but promising.

 

[hawkeye1944]

Does the early signing date help?

 

[grayhair81]

I have found it strange over the years that we have struggled so much witn consistency in OL recruiting and performance consistency across the starting 5 given we do a decent job putting guys in the league. We’ve had some high drafted lineman but areunderwhelming in other parts of those same lines.

I will argue that the woes in the OL have cost this program more wins over the years than most position groups. Stalled drives, stifled rushing, poor pass blocking, hidden yards lost, etc. Most focus on ‘play calling’ and ‘scheme’ though and miss the obvious issue.

I agree about O Line inconsistency. For all the guys they have sent to the next level, the overall performance of the line has not been great. I think that has been attributable to two factors. First, very few Iowa recruits have been physically ready to compete from day one. They usually come in around 270 and need two years to add enough bulk to be able to compete. Some make it, others don't. When you look at the guys who played as freshmen, they were mostly 4* guys. Dace R, Bulaga, Daniels, Wirfs. The ranking means they are more likely to be ready to contribute early. Second, Iowa's offensive schemes, especially under GDGD did not threaten defenses and they stacked the LOS. The best O linemen in the world can't pick up 6-7 guys.