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Hawkeyes land Texas QB Peyton Mansell

Blair Sanderson

Blair Sanderson

Editor
Apr 8, 2003
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Hawkeyes land Texas QB
Blair Sanderson | Editor

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QB Peyton Mansell committed to the Iowa Hawkeyes today.

The Iowa Hawkeyes have landed their quarterback in the Class of 2017. Texas native Peyton Mansell announced his verbal commitment to Iowa today after returning home from his visit to Iowa City over the weekend.



Iowa’s focus at quarterback turned to Mansell last month shortly after offensive coordinator Greg Davis traveled down to Belton, TX to watch him throw in person during the May evaluation period. The Hawkeyes quickly offered and moved him to the top of their board.

"They said I'm their No. 1 2017 guy," Mansell told us after his visit to Iowa on Friday. "They said I'd redshirt and then after that, the spot would go to whoever earned it, no matter who he is."

Along with Iowa, Mansell held scholarship offers from San Diego State, Southern Miss, New Mexico, Rice, Florida Atlantic, New Mexico State, North Texas, Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Coastal Carolina, North Dakota State, Abilene Christian, and Houston Baptist.

The Texas native is commitment No. 10 for the Hawkeyes in the Class of 2017, joining Eno Benjamin, A.J. Epenesa, Coy Kirkpatrick, Jacob Coons,Tristan Wirfs, Levi Duwa, Djimon Colbert, Ivory Kelly-Martin, and Mark Kallenberger.

As a junior, Mansell completed 140 of 241 pass attempts (58.1%) for 1,712 yards and 20 touchdowns with only three interceptions. A dual-threat quarterback in high school, he finished with 113 carries for 789 yards rushing and 10 scores on the ground as well.

See highlights from Mansell's junior year at Belton High School in the video below.

 
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What kind of quarterback are the Iowa Hawkeyes getting in Peyton Mansell? We caught up with Belton (TX) High School coach Bob Shipley, who has known Iowa offensive coordinator Greg Davis for years, to talk about Mansell’s game, how he projects to college, and much more. See what he had to say right here.

Q: What are Peyton's strengths as a QB right now?

SHIPLEY: He's a tremendous competitor first and foremost. He goes into great detail when preparing for an opponent. He can make plays with his feet and extend plays. He's not robotic with his thinking during a play. He has that uncoachable ability to make a play when things around him begin to deteriorate.

Q: Why do you think more Power 5 schools haven't offered?

SHIPLEY: I've always said he's the best QB you've never heard of. We had a returning starter his sophomore year, so I played him on JV to gain experience but he was beside me on the sidelines on Friday nights and in the playoffs. We had a tremendous running game this past season so he didn't have eye-popping stats. I think almost every school that came through this past spring and saw him practice in person left practice afterwards telling me they were going to offer him. Recruiting in Texas is a lot of times based on your sophomore year. There are a lot of Big 5 schools that loved him, but they had already offered their QB's.

Q: You've known Greg Davis for quite some time. Can you kind of tell us about how Iowa got involved, their recruiting of him and what they liked?

SHIPLEY: Coach Davis and I have known each other for a long time. He coached my oldest son, Jordan, and recruited my other son, Jaxon. He's the best in the business in my mind, so I'm thankful Peyton will be able to develop under him. We visited with him on the phone about him and Coach Davis liked what he saw on film. He and Coach Bobby Kennedy made the trip down to Texas and watched him practice. I've known Colt McCoy since he was a little boy. I see a lot of the same intangibles in Peyton. Coach Davis saw something in Colt that most big-time coaches didn't see. I think after being a Heisman finalist two years in a row, many coaches were amazed at his development. Like Colt, Peyton has a strong arm but also has a quick release. He's smart and is a gym rat of a QB.

Q: How do you see Peyton projecting to college? Where do you see him 2-3 years from now?

SHIPLEY: I don't know what the QB situation is at Iowa, but I know Peyton will not be outworked. He'll drive Coach Davis nuts wanting to watch film and learn the offense inside and out. I've always believed that a guy like that will always rise to the top.
 
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He must be a very bright guy as I see many IVY teams wanted him. It would be hard to turn down Harvard. It also seems like football comes first for him unlike a recent QB who Iowa had to schedule practice around his classes.
 
Looks like Iowa's 2017 class will have a distinct Texas flavor, especially if we land one of the 3 TX WRs still on the offer list. Also, TX DT Damien Daniels would be a nice addition on the other side of the ball.

Best of luck Mr. Mansell. You have a bright future but first you have to meet the academic admission standards :D
 
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EZ2BJZ said:
Welcome aboard! And when it comes to quarterbacks I'm going to trust Greg Davis's judgment. I think I might have heard he had a couple decent ones at Texas.
Click to expand...

I'm kind of surprised Iowa is shutting down QB recruiting after this, I figured they would shoot a little higher coming off such a successful season.

Mansell's only in state offers are Abilene Christian, North Texas & Houston Baptist :confused:
 
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EZ2BJZ said:
Welcome aboard! And when it comes to quarterbacks I'm going to trust Greg Davis's judgment. I think I might have heard he had a couple decent ones at Texas.
Click to expand...

Really?
Trust GDGD?
Guy played Ruddock over CJ.
Had to have a guy challenge him vs Wisky before throwing anything over 10 yards.
I know we had a good/great year but I'm still not sold on GDGD.
 
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DogBoyRy said:
Really?
Trust GDGD?
Guy played Ruddock over CJ.
Had to have a guy challenge him vs Wisky before throwing anything over 10 yards.
I know we had a good/great year but I'm still not sold on GDGD.
Click to expand...
I trust KF'S opinion about his OC about 100% more than yours! In this knee-jerk world of overreacting it looks like GD haters may be getting egg on their face!
 
Before the love fest, remember the name Nic Shimonek? Let's hope this under-the-radar, no offers QB out of Texas has a better career
 
HerkyHopeful said:
Before the love fest, remember the name Nic Shimonek? Let's hope this under-the-radar, no offers QB out of Texas has a better career
Click to expand...

I think one big and helpful difference is the Shipleys are a first class family and Coach Shipley is very well regarded. He coached highly successful programs at Burnet and Brownwood and also worked at UT.
Jordan was a great player.
 
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HerkyHopeful said:
Before the love fest, remember the name Nic Shimonek? Let's hope this under-the-radar, no offers QB out of Texas has a better career
Click to expand...
Shimonek's only other option was Lamar..Mansell may not have other P5 options, but he had a few better options than Lamar...Davis took a chance on Shimonek...Shimonek took a chance going to Iowa..it didn't work out for both parties involved...it happens in recruiting at every campus in America.
Fwiw, as of a month ago,Shimonek was expected to be 2nd string for the Red Raiders..
 
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Gopher Dano said:
I'm kind of surprised Iowa is shutting down QB recruiting after this, I figured they would shoot a little higher coming off such a successful season.

Mansell's only in state offers are Abilene Christian, North Texas & Houston Baptist :confused:
Click to expand...

Since I'm not an insider I could only speculate. One, I think they are really high on Nathan Stanley. Two, of the quarterbacks they may have had a shot in landing they obviously felt Mansell was their best bet. Who knows who they are targeting in 2018. Again, I'm not an insider, just speculating.

Also, there were bigger schools showing interest who may have offered down the road. Who knows. I'm guessing since there is so much talent in Texas a lot of kids get overlooked who end up being pretty decent in college.

This is going to be a small class so it doesn't surprise me they are only taking one quarterback.
 
DogBoyRy said:
Really?
Trust GDGD?
Guy played Ruddock over CJ.
Had to have a guy challenge him vs Wisky before throwing anything over 10 yards.
I know we had a good/great year but I'm still not sold on GDGD.
Click to expand...

When it comes to evaluating quarterback talent, yes. They had some pretty successful quarterbacks at Texas when he was there. I don't know who is responsible for starting Jake over CJ. Do you? At the end of the day, the head coach is the one who has the final say, and KF had a history of questionable quarterback decisions well before Davis got there (McCann/Banks 2001 and Jake Christensen/Stanzi). So who knows.

Iowa has a traditional, old school style of offense. I'm not a huge fan of it but I support the Hawkeyes regardless.
 
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I really hope the completion percentage will increase this year. I know there are a number of factors that go into that, but I would hope a D1 QB would be able to complete more than 58% of his passes at the high school level. Same goes for Stanley, who had an even worse completion % against worse competition. That said, I like Mansell quite a bit more as a passer than Fields. Fields has a strong arm and that's about it. He has a long way to go. I didn't see a single pass with any type of touch on his tape, just bullet after bullet, which isn't going to translate to the college level.
 
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That said, I like Mansell quite a bit more as a passer than Fields. Fields has a strong arm and that's about it. He has a long way to go. I didn't see a single pass with any type of touch on his tape, just bullet after bullet, which isn't going to translate to the college level.[/QUOTE]

I thought the same thing. I can envision Fields throwing lots of INT's with those mechanics and lack of touch. Hoping he goes to Minny.
 
He's not running a Pro-style offense so we'll findout more when he gets on campus. Looks like a decent athlete.
 
I don't typically watch the little promo videos, but can we offer the kid he throws to who then proceeds to completely leave the defenders in his wake? Kid be fast!:D
 
EZ2BJZ said:
When it comes to evaluating quarterback talent, yes. They had some pretty successful quarterbacks at Texas when he was there. I don't know who is responsible for starting Jake over CJ. Do you? At the end of the day, the head coach is the one who has the final say, and KF had a history of questionable quarterback decisions well before Davis got there (McCann/Banks 2001 and Jake Christensen/Stanzi). So who knows.

Iowa has a traditional, old school style of offense. I'm not a huge fan of it but I support the Hawkeyes regardless.
Click to expand...

Yeah
GDGD had to be a real genius to see Vince Young and Colt McCoy had talent.
 
Blair Sanderson said:
What kind of quarterback are the Iowa Hawkeyes getting in Peyton Mansell? We caught up with Belton (TX) High School coach Bob Shipley, who has known Iowa offensive coordinator Greg Davis for years, to talk about Mansell’s game, how he projects to college, and much more. See what he had to say right here.

Q: What are Peyton's strengths as a QB right now?

SHIPLEY: He's a tremendous competitor first and foremost. He goes into great detail when preparing for an opponent. He can make plays with his feet and extend plays. He's not robotic with his thinking during a play. He has that uncoachable ability to make a play when things around him begin to deteriorate.

Q: Why do you think more Power 5 schools haven't offered?

SHIPLEY: I've always said he's the best QB you've never heard of. We had a returning starter his sophomore year, so I played him on JV to gain experience but he was beside me on the sidelines on Friday nights and in the playoffs. We had a tremendous running game this past season so he didn't have eye-popping stats. I think almost every school that came through this past spring and saw him practice in person left practice afterwards telling me they were going to offer him. Recruiting in Texas is a lot of times based on your sophomore year. There are a lot of Big 5 schools that loved him, but they had already offered their QB's.

Q: You've known Greg Davis for quite some time. Can you kind of tell us about how Iowa got involved, their recruiting of him and what they liked?

SHIPLEY: Coach Davis and I have known each other for a long time. He coached my oldest son, Jordan, and recruited my other son, Jaxon. He's the best in the business in my mind, so I'm thankful Peyton will be able to develop under him. We visited with him on the phone about him and Coach Davis liked what he saw on film. He and Coach Bobby Kennedy made the trip down to Texas and watched him practice. I've known Colt McCoy since he was a little boy. I see a lot of the same intangibles in Peyton. Coach Davis saw something in Colt that most big-time coaches didn't see. I think after being a Heisman finalist two years in a row, many coaches were amazed at his development. Like Colt, Peyton has a strong arm but also has a quick release. He's smart and is a gym rat of a QB.

Q: How do you see Peyton projecting to college? Where do you see him 2-3 years from now?

SHIPLEY: I don't know what the QB situation is at Iowa, but I know Peyton will not be outworked. He'll drive Coach Davis nuts wanting to watch film and learn the offense inside and out. I've always believed that a guy like that will always rise to the top.
Click to expand...

So, to summarize what we've learned - a tremendous competitor, prepares very well, makes plays when things break down, very hardworking, received IVY league offers, compared to Colt McCoy, gym rat, strong arm, quick feet.

I'm in.

What a kid does to earn his star rating is nothing compared to what he will need to do to earn a spot on the field. It sounds like this kid has great intangibles and is going to work very hard to get better and better.
 
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He won't be a two star for very long. Hope he gets to some camps so he can help his profile and that of Iowa's.
 
A key ingredient in all of Iowa's most successful QB's under KF has been the ability to move their feet and make some plays on the run as protection breaks down. They do not have to be a prototypical 'runner' but mobile enough to make some back breaking plays that keep drives alive.

I noticed coach Shipley made some mention of his 'uncoachable ability to make plays when things begin to deteriorate around him' so that's a positive if true at the next level. It sounds like Stanley can move also so that's good for both.
 
Hawk68 said:
He must be a very bright guy as I see many IVY teams wanted him. It would be hard to turn down Harvard. It also seems like football comes first for him unlike a recent QB who Iowa had to schedule practice around his classes.
Click to expand...
Yes, indeed. Let's not make those accommodations for classes, after all it's not for knowledge that they're going to college. Idiot. Do you think that recent QB was the only one who was given accommodations?
 
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Mansell is the classic demonstration of how a player could be underrated by the recruiting services going into his senior year.

1. He was second string as a sophomore, so last year was his first season as a starter. That means he wasn't on anyone's radar screen going into the season.

2. He doesn't have prototype size.

3. While the offense was good, they lost some shootouts and were 5 and 6 on the season. So they didn't go deep in the playoffs and he didn't get media exposure there either.

I think that Greg Davis believes he has found the next Colt McCoy or Major Applewhite. Only time will tell.
 
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That name alone should put butts in the seats and draw national attention if he is at least as adequate of Rudock or Vandenburg.
 
jdv77 said:
Mansell is the classic demonstration of how a player could be underrated by the recruiting services going into his senior year.

1. He was second string as a sophomore, so last year was his first season as a starter. That means he wasn't on anyone's radar screen going into the season.

2. He doesn't have prototype size.

3. While the offense was good, they lost some shootouts and were 5 and 6 on the season. So they didn't go deep in the playoffs and he didn't get media exposure there either.

I think that Greg Davis believes he has found the next Colt McCoy or Major Applewhite. Only time will tell.
Click to expand...
I would add that they were pretty run heavy as well.
 
Razorhawk2 said:
With the name Peyton I'd say he was groomed to be a Quarterback from the day he was born. Welcome to the Hawkeye state!
Click to expand...
I live about 20 miles South of Belton and will get a chance to see him play on several Friday nights this fall. Hope to get a chance to welcome him to the Hawks.
 
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