Bett Alum and fmr OL here. I've been watching this guy for a while now. I've been hoping Iowa would offer him for a long time. I am impressed with his footwork and athleticism. He's really good at getting out of his stance. *Really* good. And as the highlight reel shows, he likes to finish blocks. And you can easily pack some weight on this kid. Obviously Bett has a quality program and a fine tradition of developing players, and of note there; Mark will be a 3 yr starter at Bett which you don't see too often. Bett is not keen to bring up sophomores typically. Believe it or not, even Angerer didn't played varsity as a Soph at Bett. Go back and look at the history books, when Bett brings up a Soph it's because they are a heavyweight, can't miss (HS) player. Interestingly enough, you would find both T Banks and Colin Sandeman (and a who's who of all time Bett greats) on that exclusive list. I'll have to go back and see about Hap Peterson...
Another thing I like about Mark is he's the younger brother. You see this in wrestling a lot where the youngest brother ends up being the stud. Older brother Jack was all-state and he's playing DE at Iowa Central now. Mark was a Soph when Jack was a Sr. and you know these two had it out growing up and in practice every day. That's really good for the 16 yr old. But this year coming up we'll get to see an 18yr old Mark competing against kids his own age. That plus another year in the gym w/ Frek and I fully expect him to only look better from here.
He's got the pedigree and I believe he has what it takes, whatever that's worth. The only downside as I see it for Hawk fans is I think he's a Wisco fan. Go Dogs, and Hawks too.
