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*****Offical 2023 Recruiting Thread*****

Given that there is every reason to suppose that the recruiting class should be quite full (around 25ish) ... and given that the class is currently at 17 ... I'm curious at how the class will get "finished off."

  • Given our OL-recruiting, it would appear that they maybe want 1 more OT (if they can find the right guy).
  • It still appears like we're wanting another "take" for the DL
  • Probably another TE if we can find a "fit"
  • I surmise 1 to 2 more WRs
  • Maybe 1 more LB (since they clearly like Newsom)
  • Maybe 1 or 2 more DBs (particularly guys who Phil projects at CB)
 
Bruce and Johnson were VERY good gets. Remember Brody Brecht? He's still on board and looking to make an impact this year. Bostick was a decent get. Vines might finally have a chance to shine this year.

I think that last year was an aberration because Tracy just didn't show up like he should have and there just wasn't the senior leadership that Iowa had the years before. The 2 years before (2019 and 2020) Iowa had Smith and Smith-Marsette. That was a great receiving tandem, developed at Iowa. I expect the current receivers group to show a lot more this fall and to be leaders this year and next.
I wouldn't go to blaming Tracy for the issues last year. As a sophomore, he had nearly 600 yards receiving and nearly 16 yards a catch. Nothing would indicate he stopped working hard or just forgot how to play. The entire production for all the WR's has fallen off a cliff the last 2 years. The common denominator is the QB. I would agree that Smith and Smith-Marsette were excellent. But for whatever reason our current QB just does not target WR's. Many times the first and only look is to the TE. Only times the WR gets the ball is on a schemed play. Very rarely does the WR end up with the ball when a QB is going through progressions (i.e 3rd and medium or long). Ragaini also had by far his best year in 2019. Did he also forget how to play WR? Went from 46 catches to 18 to 26.

I don't know enough as to why this happened, but the offense is not going to be markedly better until they find a way to get the ball to wideouts in the passing game. TE throws are fine, but the passing game will not be good if Laporta has twice as many catches as any WR this year.
 
I wouldn't go to blaming Tracy for the issues last year. As a sophomore, he had nearly 600 yards receiving and nearly 16 yards a catch. Nothing would indicate he stopped working hard or just forgot how to play. The entire production for all the WR's has fallen off a cliff the last 2 years. The common denominator is the QB. I would agree that Smith and Smith-Marsette were excellent. But for whatever reason our current QB just does not target WR's. Many times the first and only look is to the TE. Only times the WR gets the ball is on a schemed play. Very rarely does the WR end up with the ball when a QB is going through progressions (i.e 3rd and medium or long). Ragaini also had by far his best year in 2019. Did he also forget how to play WR? Went from 46 catches to 18 to 26.

I don't know enough as to why this happened, but the offense is not going to be markedly better until they find a way to get the ball to wideouts in the passing game. TE throws are fine, but the passing game will not be good if Laporta has twice as many catches as any WR this year.
And Nico himself is recently quoted as saying he wasn't giving 100% all the time when he wasn't getting the ball or being a good leader. I'll try and find that article...was a nice overview of the WR position, Keegan's current health and the needed emergence of a WR3.
 
I wouldn't go to blaming Tracy for the issues last year. As a sophomore, he had nearly 600 yards receiving and nearly 16 yards a catch. Nothing would indicate he stopped working hard or just forgot how to play. The entire production for all the WR's has fallen off a cliff the last 2 years. The common denominator is the QB. I would agree that Smith and Smith-Marsette were excellent. But for whatever reason our current QB just does not target WR's. Many times the first and only look is to the TE. Only times the WR gets the ball is on a schemed play. Very rarely does the WR end up with the ball when a QB is going through progressions (i.e 3rd and medium or long). Ragaini also had by far his best year in 2019. Did he also forget how to play WR? Went from 46 catches to 18 to 26.

I don't know enough as to why this happened, but the offense is not going to be markedly better until they find a way to get the ball to wideouts in the passing game. TE throws are fine, but the passing game will not be good if Laporta has twice as many catches as any WR this year.
Tracy went from the 3rd or 4th option as a sophomore to being #1 as a jr and sr. Less pressure whe you're not numero uno. He then clearly dropped the ball the last 2 years, figuratively and literally, because if you remember like I do, the staff was hailing him as the heir apparent after the Smiths left. Others stepped up more while he became inconsistent at best. Watch some of the games from the last 2 years. He often didn't finish routes, gave up easily on blocks, and just seemed less interested until the ball came his way, usually when he was well-covered because of not running crisp routes. He had his chances.

Johnson and Bruce passed him up because they put in the time and effort to do so.
I really wish that he'd done better at Iowa. But I am not going to blame the staff or his teammates for his failures.
 
Tracy went from the 3rd or 4th option as a sophomore to being #1 as a jr and sr. Less pressure whe you're not numero uno. He then clearly dropped the ball the last 2 years, figuratively and literally, because if you remember like I do, the staff was hailing him as the heir apparent after the Smiths left. Others stepped up more while he became inconsistent at best. Watch some of the games from the last 2 years. He often didn't finish routes, gave up easily on blocks, and just seemed less interested until the ball came his way, usually when he was well-covered because of not running crisp routes. He had his chances.

Johnson and Bruce passed him up because they put in the time and effort to do so.
I really wish that he'd done better at Iowa. But I am not going to blame the staff or his teammates for his failures.
BB the WR production dropped off a cliff since Stanley left. We are just going to blame all of this on Ragaini and Tracy? We have no idea what sort of effort Bruce and Johnson have put in compared to Tracy and Ragaini.

I agree that the body language was not great last year from Tracy. It wasn't great at all from Smith and Smith-Marsette either in 2020, because they have a QB that won't look at them and throws the ball all over when they do. Were Smith and ISM not hard workers in 2020 when they looked frustrated?
 
Iowa could certainly use some WR depth in this class, hopefully that opens up a bit as the season progresses or please grab a transfer!!! On a side note, I do find it interesting that Tracy is now primarily going to be at RB for Purdue according to many reports.
 
BB the WR production dropped off a cliff since Stanley left. We are just going to blame all of this on Ragaini and Tracy? We have no idea what sort of effort Bruce and Johnson have put in compared to Tracy and Ragaini.

I agree that the body language was not great last year from Tracy. It wasn't great at all from Smith and Smith-Marsette either in 2020, because they have a QB that won't look at them and throws the ball all over when they do. Were Smith and ISM not hard workers in 2020 when they looked frustrated?
ISM and Smith were true Z and X WRs. Tracy was a RB, masquerading as a Y, masquerading as a Z. Our only true Zs and Xs last year were true freshmen, and neither ISM nor Smith produced the same way they did as youngsters.

Tracy was best as a big-play 3rd option, not a chain-mover or a 1st/2nd option. He no longer had that role, hence the transfer (and Purdue ended up moving him to RB just like we would have).
 
BB the WR production dropped off a cliff since Stanley left. We are just going to blame all of this on Ragaini and Tracy? We have no idea what sort of effort Bruce and Johnson have put in compared to Tracy and Ragaini.

I agree that the body language was not great last year from Tracy. It wasn't great at all from Smith and Smith-Marsette either in 2020, because they have a QB that won't look at them and throws the ball all over when they do. Were Smith and ISM not hard workers in 2020 when they looked frustrated?
It's hard to say. Usually, when a QB is an inexperienced first-year starter ... there is often a "transition year." At Iowa, that usually means that the ball gets distributed to a lot of targets ... because the QB really hasn't yet developed the trust/chemistry with a WR to be his "go-to" guy. Circumstantial evidence lends credibility to this hypothesis when you look at the numbers in '13 when Rudock took over ... and in '20 when Petras took over (just to name but two examples).

So this explains what we saw in 2020 ... but how about 2021? Well, going by the numbers, there were plenty of targets going to TEs, RBs, and FBs. That paints a picture that is consistent with a few things ... we KNOW that Petras and Padilla usually didn't have a ton of time to pass the ball ... so TEs and RBs are often high-percentage targets. Given the circumstances of the season, it's also possible that Petras and Padilla were attempting to be risk averse. This is consistent with the coaches probably coaching those guys to be cautious with the football ... that the D and the special teams still have their backs.

Lastly, an element that folks aren't necessarily recognizing this - is the role that defensive preparation plays in the production of the opposing O. In 2019, not only was Nate Stanley a veteran QB ... however, Tracy was forced to take over Brandon Smith's position because of Brandon's injury. Opposing Ds simply didn't have much tape on Tracy at the time. Furthermore, Stanley was veteran enough to throw some real dimes back then ... he was willing to pass the ball into some tighter windows.

I don't think that anybody doubts the capability of Tracy to do something once the ball is in his hands. The thing is ... he needs to get the ball first. That is on BOTH him and the QB ... and the quality of the coverage on him. Once Tracy was a starter and played a few games ... opposing teams immediately then had tape on him. While there were certainly some occasions when Tracy managed to break open ... plenty of other occasions, the QB had pretty small windows to throw into. I think that we all know that Petras wasn't confident enough in '21 to thread some of those needles. Even when he tried, I counted many times when it resulted in drops ... despite hitting his guy in the hands.

Furthermore, in '21 ... by body language alone, I can tell you that were I the top QB, I'd have serious problems trusting Tracy. Part of the whole point of TEAM is to have each other's back.

The proof in the pudding last season was the increased prominence of Bruce and Johnson. Had the issue JUST been the QB ... then more of those snaps would have been retained by Ragaini and Tracy. Ragaini and Tracy lost snaps to the TR FR. In this case, I think that we were seeing an instance of the hunter and hunted ... wherein the young WRs were playing like they had nothing to lose ... whereas the Ragaini and Tracy were the hunted ... and in a position to try to NOT lose their positions. In such instances, it's all about how you respond. I don't think that there was necessarily a lack of effort or work by Ragaini or Tracy ... however, I bet that their execution suffered by playing too tight, too tentatively, not aggressively enough, etc. Ultimately, I've articulated this several times - but it struck me that those guys seemed to demonstrate a little bit of a crisis of confidence.

If you look at the history of Iowa's passing game ... usually Iowa's #1 and #2 WRs are the guys who get the most looks and targets. This season, without even guys being injured ... we saw WR touches get distributed between 5 different guys (Tracy, Ragaini, Jones, Bruce, and Johnson). Say what you will ... but that is usually a sign of guys not "locking things down." When a guy wins his starting gig ... he needs to "lock it down" and take full ownership.

Lastly, to answer your closing question ... when ISM and Smith were "looking frustrated" ... that's on them caring too much about individual stats/accolades rather than having the back of their QB. The QB has so much more on their shoulders than a WR - it's foolish for a WR to not cut his QB some slack (particularly when the guy is a first-year starter ... coming off of all the covid-shortened pre-season prep). It's a team game ... you cannot let the ME outweigh your priority in the WE.
 
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Frankly, I could see there being benefit in having the Hawks "contract" things down to just 2 or 3 WRs.

With more of a physical, North-South running game ... complemented by (hopefully) 3 competent TEs ... and a darn tough FB ... I think that points to fewer 3+ WR sets.

Given our RB personnel, I'm anticipating that the Hawks will probably use more 2 RB sets ... much like when they used Butler and Wadley ... and then later Sargent and Goodson. That gives us some versatility/flexibility with the O ... and takes some pressure on relying too much upon WRs.

And, of course, the Hawks have a history of using 2+ TE sets with some frequency ... and that invariably leads to a WR being off the field too.

While we certainly have to build the WR-room back up ... given the formations that the Hawks like to (and often) use ... the Hawks should be able to still play winning football with the current guys in the room.
 
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BB the WR production dropped off a cliff since Stanley left. We are just going to blame all of this on Ragaini and Tracy? We have no idea what sort of effort Bruce and Johnson have put in compared to Tracy and Ragaini.

I agree that the body language was not great last year from Tracy. It wasn't great at all from Smith and Smith-Marsette either in 2020, because they have a QB that won't look at them and throws the ball all over when they do. Were Smith and ISM not hard workers in 2020 when they looked frustrated?
As noted, 2020 was an aberration. Little to no practice time, new QB, games canceled or rescheduled. I don't blame Petras for that, in fact I am SURE it screwed up his development.
Then last year (2021) he has new receivers, the leader of which is supposed to be Tracy. Are you saying that he deserves none of the focus for what went wrong? Blame Petras all you want, but he's still at Iowa and Tracy is gone. I'm sticking with the guy who's still here. Remember Tracy publicly complaining about being the Swiss Army knife not being used? Real team player, right. That made it more about him than team. Good riddance.
 
Who are the uncommitted targets still out there that Iowa has the best shot at to complete Swarm 23?

Based off the other recruiting site...

Asa Newsome (ATH) - Waverly, IA
Bryson Vowell (WR) - Clinton, TN
Jarriett Buie (WR) - Tampa, FL
Caden Jenkins (CB) - Lewisville, TX
Cameren Jenkins (S) - Lewisville, TX
Jordan Allen (DL) - Olathe, KS)
Kendrick Gilbert (DL) - Indianapolis, IN


...and I'm sure 5-10 more under the radar types that might blow up a bit this season.
 
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Pistachio, my son plays football at Ankeny. I was going to school at ISU when Jamie was kicking there. I think it’s common knowledge he was never going to Iowa. I was being sarcastic in my earlier post.
If that’s true, I kind of feel sorry for such fans. And players

ISU is a second tier research university, booted from the AAU, and the b12 is a conference of leftouts.

Iowa is among the big boys academically and athletically. But sometimes players go to lower to your program so they can get more playing time and face lower level competition, which I can understand.
 
If that’s true, I kind of feel sorry for such fans. And players

ISU is a second tier research university, booted from the AAU, and the b12 is a conference of leftouts.

Iowa is among the big boys academically and athletically. But sometimes players go to lower to your program so they can get more playing time and face lower level competition, which I can understand.
They weren’t booted from the AAU, they left it because they didn’t like how the AAU focuses and ranks it’s members more on medical research (which they don’t have) before agricultural research.
 
They weren’t booted from the AAU, they left it because they didn’t like how the AAU focuses and ranks it’s members more on medical research (which they don’t have) before agricultural research.
You sure you're not a closet Clone fan?

Dat der is some funny shit.
 
I am definitely not, but am I wrong? Their membership was going to reviewed, but they did leave on their own.
Yes, they did indeed leave before they were kicked out.

Reading articles about it, they were definitely getting booted. They didn’t get booted just like Hitler didn’t get killed by the Russians.
 
See posts #1496 and 1497.

Kind of like quitting your job knowing your employer is about to terminate you.
Yet they still left in their own despite the circumstances. It’s a fact. Were they going to be removed, maybe ( a la Nebraska), but they didn’t let it get that far. Not sure why it’s a big deal they left on their own versus being voted out, I’m just stating a fact. Some just like to try to belittle posters and ISU when they can despite facts.
 
Yet they still left in their own despite the circumstances. It’s a fact. Were they going to be removed, maybe ( a la Nebraska), but they didn’t let it get that far. Not sure why it’s a big deal they left on their own versus being voted out, I’m just stating a fact. Some just like to try to belittle posters and ISU when they can despite facts.
You said “They weren’t getting booted” in your first post.
 
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Yet they still left in their own despite the circumstances. It’s a fact. Were they going to be removed, maybe ( a la Nebraska), but they didn’t let it get that far. Not sure why it’s a big deal they left on their own versus being voted out, I’m just stating a fact. Some just like to try to belittle posters and ISU when they can despite facts.
The thing is many ISU fans (more than a vocal minority) love to point out Doyle wasn’t fired by Iowa, he resigned, as if he had a choice. So I have no problem pointing out ISU was going to be booted from the AAU and only left to save face.
 
You're picking nits.
images
 
You may want to read it again.
My apologies. “Getting” is an important word that my brain made up. You did not say “they weren’t ‘getting’ booted.”

You did however say the reason for leaving was they didn’t like what the AAU was doing. Unless you interpret the articles differently, it appears that was the spin coming out of Ames before they were booted. Including quotes from they’re own faculty.

This isn’t a courtroom. We don’t have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that they were getting booted. It’s pretty obvious they were getting kicked out, even if there was a 1% chance they weren’t.
 
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I am just going to be ignorant to everything going on around me and continue to tell myself they will be reaching into the portal this year to fill out their needs.
 
Been a quiet front on the 2023 class lately. I'm holding out hope on Newsome. Bender could be another name at WR, he does not currently hold an offer. It will be interesting if Vowell gets an offer from Vandy. Buie visiting late October could be a great get for this class as well.

 
Been a quiet front on the 2023 class lately. I'm holding out hope on Newsome. Bender could be another name at WR, he does not currently hold an offer. It will be interesting if Vowell gets an offer from Vandy. Buie visiting late October could be a great get for this class as well.

Kansas May be a player for offensive recruits from here on out, especially skill positions
 
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I'll be curious if they look at add transfers. It looks like there are 17 spots from seniors alone (not counting potential covid years, or Nick Phelps if he's on scholarship, I couldn't find it.).

Others possibly leaving:
Davidkov (injury)
Britt (injury), just purely on history of injuries.

Padilla or Labas (I'm assuming one if not both will leave)
 
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