The Willies thread got me thinking about Iowa's long-standing issues at the WR position. In a recent thread about player retention, Tom Kakert accurately pointed out that the only significant loss in terms of immediate impact was Derrick Willies, because of the significant drop off between him and those behind him. 73Chief recently posted that a friend of his who was at several spring practices said that after Tevaun, Jay Scheel is the only Hawkeye WR who has the potential to be a solid B1G WR.
Why is it that WR play at Iowa, specifically over the last 4-5 years, has been so poor? I don't think that anybody is expecting the likes of Odell Beckham, Amari Cooper, etc. to start signing with Iowa, but when I watch college football, almost every team I see has better WR's than Iowa most years. This includes Indiana, Illinois, and some MAC-level schools. Iowa State has a much stronger group of receivers than Iowa.
While it was (and never will be ) the position that Iowa was known for, play at this position was at least decent throughout the first part of the Ferentz era. Kevin Kasper, Kahlil Hill, Mo Brown, CJ Jones, Ed Hinkel, Clinton Solomon, Dominique Douglas, DJK, and Marvin McNutt were all much better than what Iowa has put out there the last few years(save for Tevaun Smith, who I think can play in the NFL).
I would attribute this to some of the following factors:
1. Weather/Geography: warm weather schools will generally have better WR's than schools in the north. This holds some value, but too many other mediocre Midwest programs have found a way to get better receivers.
2. Iowa's playbook is so complicated that often times slower, less athletic guys see the field over better athletes who don't know what they are doing. This is plausible.
3. Iowa is a run-first school. Certainly has some merit.
4. This one will be controversial, but I think the tight ship that Kirk runs may contribute. I would argue that the wide receiver position in football has more prima donnas than any position in sports. A lot of great receivers are showmen, who have the "give me the ball attitude." That simply is not Kirk Ferentz, and guys like this never can get on the same page with him. After the Detroit crew and the the DJK saga, it seems as though Kirk takes fewer risks on character/attitude, and nowhere does that show itself more than at WR.
Am I off my rocker? Any thoughts here? And for the record, this isn't a thread to attack Kirk. I hope that gasser and Baseballa are right, that Iowa wins 9, the renewed focus on recruiting pays off, and Kirk ends his tenure on a high note on his terms. But I want to know from people who know more than I why Iowa struggles so much at WR.
Why is it that WR play at Iowa, specifically over the last 4-5 years, has been so poor? I don't think that anybody is expecting the likes of Odell Beckham, Amari Cooper, etc. to start signing with Iowa, but when I watch college football, almost every team I see has better WR's than Iowa most years. This includes Indiana, Illinois, and some MAC-level schools. Iowa State has a much stronger group of receivers than Iowa.
While it was (and never will be ) the position that Iowa was known for, play at this position was at least decent throughout the first part of the Ferentz era. Kevin Kasper, Kahlil Hill, Mo Brown, CJ Jones, Ed Hinkel, Clinton Solomon, Dominique Douglas, DJK, and Marvin McNutt were all much better than what Iowa has put out there the last few years(save for Tevaun Smith, who I think can play in the NFL).
I would attribute this to some of the following factors:
1. Weather/Geography: warm weather schools will generally have better WR's than schools in the north. This holds some value, but too many other mediocre Midwest programs have found a way to get better receivers.
2. Iowa's playbook is so complicated that often times slower, less athletic guys see the field over better athletes who don't know what they are doing. This is plausible.
3. Iowa is a run-first school. Certainly has some merit.
4. This one will be controversial, but I think the tight ship that Kirk runs may contribute. I would argue that the wide receiver position in football has more prima donnas than any position in sports. A lot of great receivers are showmen, who have the "give me the ball attitude." That simply is not Kirk Ferentz, and guys like this never can get on the same page with him. After the Detroit crew and the the DJK saga, it seems as though Kirk takes fewer risks on character/attitude, and nowhere does that show itself more than at WR.
Am I off my rocker? Any thoughts here? And for the record, this isn't a thread to attack Kirk. I hope that gasser and Baseballa are right, that Iowa wins 9, the renewed focus on recruiting pays off, and Kirk ends his tenure on a high note on his terms. But I want to know from people who know more than I why Iowa struggles so much at WR.
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