Iowa spring football practice begins !! What will the first depth chart look like ? Any weight gain/loss to note ? Anyone give up their playing time and moving on ? Most noteworthy story coming this spring from practice. Discuss. 😎❤️🏈
One short week from today
- Thread starter SuperSK
- Start date
Oh great same old same old crappy football. Time to move on from these hack coaches and play a real schedule.
Cornholio from Lincoln, Nebraska.
How involved are the two michigan transfers in spring? That's probably the story line, I'm thinking they're both cleared medically, but how much work do they actually see? How quickly does Cade pick-up our complicated offense?
Here's to either an epiphany in the offensive mindset occurring, or to another year of mind blowing Def/Sp T!
Go Hawks!
Go Hawks!
Health will be an important storyline. Not to excuse all the other sins on offense, but they have been decimated by injuries that have stunted development, and had an impact on how much of the playbook was available.
Portal opens May 1-May 14; we'll see who doesn't like their chances after Spring ball.
Cade will make it work, with or w/o BF.
Except for Big Sam, and maybe even including Big Sam, we have improved every position on offense. I'm on record, the offense will double the offensive points scored last year. I'm so confident that prediction stands if McNamara and All never play a down.
To be fair, doubling the offensive points scored last year is a VERY low bar to clear...
It would do Brian and Kirk alot of good if they far exceeded the minimum goals in that renegotiated contract Barta handed Brian. Clear it easily, get the offense in the 70s for most statistical categories etc.
Hopefully the weather and team health are good enough that they can actually do a legit scrimmage this year. Kirk doesn't like it, but having an actual spring game vs an open practice would be helpful for them.
It is but that would have provided another ten win division title in the season just finished.
I agree with you that football is played as a game not always a practice. After coming out of spring practice what is the problem with having a spring game, clock running, points being totaled, penalties called. You could have a running clock even going out of bounds except on change of possessions, coaches timeouts, and incomplete passes.
I would think coaches would want to see their product after practices in a game type situation. I am sure they run a lot of scrimmages or skirmishes haha in practice plus the fans , THE FANS, would love it.
If memory serves, I believe Kirk had spring games the first few years, then he had a couple seasons in a row where guys got injured so he chose not to risk it. Resumed I believe after 2016 for a year or two - BTN even aired it one year, and then stopped again.
I know Kirk doesn’t see the value of it over a precious practice, but really wish he’d balance one practice vs throwing a bone to the fans.
HS does it, Pro does it, other colleges do it. You scrimmage against another team, controlled environment, no hitting QB, etc.
Eager to see the pages-long injury list that we'll see next week.
...it would be at the top the country..jfc. low bar?? You're a moron.
Doubling 17.7 pnts/game to 35.4 would have good for 22nd in the country last year. Personally I don't see it happening especially with the slow tempo IA usually plays with.
oh for heaven's sake - clearing the 17.7 ppg from last year - which included what, 6 defensive TDs is a very low bar to clear. the set goal of 25 ppg would put iowa at around 80th nationally based on last year. Again, not a high bar to clear, especially since that's TOTAL ppg.
Good point regarding the pace of play Iowa prefers. I don't expect a high-scoring team as a result. What's been broken the last two years imo has been the offensive efficiency, scoring on short fields, converting 3rd downs, etc. EVERYTHING has been hard, and at least from a fan's perspective, it's been difficult to see what, if any, adjustments the coaches have tried to fix things. *I'm sure they have, but it sure hasn't been easy to spot.
New updated spring roster doesn't include either OL Britt and Davidkov. Not surprised with Britt history of injury but don't know about David's story. Did he decide to be done with football ? 😎❤️🏈
17.7 was really the team scoring avg. If this coming season the defense doesnt score much then it is all on the offense and they might be hard pressed to have the offense score that much.
But I think they will
To be clear I am saying the offense will double its scoring out put. Anything from special teams and D is gravy. Iowa gets that gravy every year and I think they will next year.
Those short field possessions are going to be much more productive this season. I am confident.
Those short field possessions are going to be much more productive this season. I am confident.
Got grave doubts that our Offense will be much better with our crap scheme.
I am actually worried about the health of the transfer QB.
He had better, for his sake, have his mobility back.
I am actually worried about the health of the transfer QB.
He had better, for his sake, have his mobility back.
This.
I highly doubt we will see the necessary metrics put in place but we will hear excuses and reasons why they weren’t met as the reason why BF won’t be fired. It’s all a bunch of bs.
Yup. Junior will be in place as OC as long as The Captain is here. Barta wrecked us with that last contract he gave to The Captain.
Rather than the "normal" bickering ... I'll try to dignify the OP with a stab at the depth chart ...
My first post here ... on the offensive side of the ball ...
A few remarks ...
- As I recall McNamara is still rehabbing ... so he'll be extremely limited during spring camp.
- All is maybe a little further along ... so he should be on the depth chart
- Brecht is more baseball during the spring ... so he'll be deeper down the depth chart as a result. When he returns ... he'll re-rise presuming he retains a high-level of engagement.
- Deacon Hill transferred to Iowa because we needed QBs to get work during the spring (and needed depth due to Padilla transferring)
- I'd project Feth to be a starter at C for the fall ... but he doesn't arrive until the summer (IIRC)
- Daijon Parker will likely need to get "settled" before he earns a starting spot. All the same, he immediately gives us much-needed depth at OT.
- Longer term ... I see Anderson ultimately getting starting-level snaps come the fall. How quickly he ascends the depth chart will largely be up to him ... and how well Vines continues to compete.
QB: Labas, Hill
RB: Johnson, Williams
WR: Ragaini, Anderson
WR: Vines, Bostick
TE: Lachey, Ostrenga
TE: All, Stillianos
LT: Richman, Parker
RT: DeJong, Parker
LG: Colby, Elsbury
C: Jones, Mylinski
RG: Dunker/Stephens
Fall depth chart:
QB: McNamara, Labas
RB: Johnson, Williams/Patterson
WR: Ragaini, Vines
WR: Anderson/Brecht, Bostic
TE: Lachey, Ostrenga
TE: All, Ostrenga
LT: Richman, Parker
RT: Parker, DeJong
LG: Colby, Jones
C: Feth, Jones/Mylinski
RG: DeJong/Dunker/Stephens
As for the defensive depth chart ...
In the spring ...
DE: Evans, Hurkett
DE: Craig, Reames/Llewellyn
DT: Shannon, Black
DT: Lee, Graves
MIKE: Higgins, Harrell
WILL: Fisher, Van Kekerix
LEO: Sharar, Twedt/Sullivan
CB: Harris, TJ Hall
CB: DeJean, Heinz/Deasfernandes
CASH: Castro, Entringer
FS: Schulte, Hilson
SS: Nwankpa, Entringer
Remark: In the event Castro is injured and we want to go with the CASH look ... my money would be on DeJean being the next in at CASH (depending on the match-ups).
Speculations ...
In the spring ...
DE: Evans, Hurkett
DE: Craig, Reames/Llewellyn
DT: Shannon, Black
DT: Lee, Graves
MIKE: Higgins, Harrell
WILL: Fisher, Van Kekerix
LEO: Sharar, Twedt/Sullivan
CB: Harris, TJ Hall
CB: DeJean, Heinz/Deasfernandes
CASH: Castro, Entringer
FS: Schulte, Hilson
SS: Nwankpa, Entringer
Remark: In the event Castro is injured and we want to go with the CASH look ... my money would be on DeJean being the next in at CASH (depending on the match-ups).
Speculations ...
- I'm curious as to whether Filer earns a spot in pass-rush situations. Guys seems to have good rush skills ... and has some quickness/explosiveness.
- Graves is a smart guy ... I wonder if he continues to "specialize" at DT ... or if Coach Bell starts using him like Van Ness ... deploying him on the inside or outside based upon match-up.
- Complementing the prior point ... I'll be curious as to how quickly Anterio Thompson will pick up the D. He's an intriguing addition ... giving an already strong defensive interior a little extra depth ... he's a guy who is reputed to have some really nice speed for a guy with size. If he makes some developmental movement ... that gives Bell more freedom to experiment with Graves.
- The spring will be interesting as it relates to observing how the linebacking development progresses. While we need Higgins to continue to make strides ... seeing gains by less experienced guys will be just as important.
- Corner is a position to really keep an eye on as well. As I recall, Phil mentioned that TJ Hall made some nice strides during bowl-prep. It will be really important to see gains made by guys at corner ... if a guy like Hall, Deasfernandes, Lee ... or some of the TR FR in the summer/fall (Nestor or Tate) ... then that could give Phil a lot more flexibility with how to deploy DeJean.
- Entringer was reputed to be one of the recruiting "steals" of his recruiting class. If he can surge ... it's nice to see pressure put on Castro and Nwankpa to keep the developmental pace "on high."
Remember Terry Roberts and his Dad complained about how brutal Kirk's practices were.
Imagine a QB where he sees the rusher coming from his non-blind side!!!!!
While I could be wrong, I thought that Nick Jackson wasn't coming until the summer.
The depth chart I was speculating upon was for this spring-camp.
And how the spring depth chart might evolve into the following fall depth-chart ...
(on Defense)
DE: Evans, Hurkett
DE: Craig, Llewellyn
DT: Shannon, Black/Thompson
DT: Lee, Graves
MIKE: Higgins, Harrell
WILL: Jackson, Fisher
LEO: Sharar, Kueter
CB: Harris, TJ Hall
CB: DeJean, Nestor
CASH: Castro, Entringer
FS: Schulte, Hilson
SS: Nwankpa, Entringer
NASCAR pass-rush package:
Craig, Filer, Evans, Llewellyn/Hurkett
Thoughts/questions ...
- Where does Nick Jackson land? Most of his prior experience is at MLB, while at Virginia. However, Higgins has more experience with our D. Furthermore, Jackson is looking for the sort of football growth that might help him translate his game better to the NFL ... so I'm sure that Wallace will see how he fits at ALL of our LB spots. Most likely, he ends up at an ILB spot ... however, we'll see if he remains at MIKE or moves over to WILL.
- I think that one of our TR FR corners pushes the depth chart. Phil is exacting ... but ultimately he cares about production.
- I don't know why ... but I think that Thompson is able to make a good push on the depth chart on the DL. I also think that Filer has a chance to get packaged.
- Lastly, I'm very curious about our young DEs ... will we see Llewellyn continue to make strides? How about Crawford or Allen?
Opps. Missed one.
Stephens will start at guard. Best nfl prospect we have on oline.
That's why I used the slash ... I expect that he'll be firmly in the picture as a starter. It strikes me that Dunker is maybe the better run-blocker ... whereas Stephens is better on pass-pro.
Concerning your prior comment about Feth not starting ... I would think that depends some on the development of Jones.
A "hot take" I'd have concerning Logan Jones is that he has all the requisite tools to be a great center for us ... however, I think that the game was coming at him a little too fast last season ... because he was a bit raw, he got pushed around more than was ideal. I expect that having Feth on the roster may prove to have a settling impact on the OL ... particularly for Jones. I could see Jones rotating at OG ... so he can focus on interior line fundamentals ... and using his strength and fundamentals to push around other guys. The problem with the center spot is that you have so much other responsibility too. I expect that Jones will still play plenty in '23 ... and then get the starting C back in '24.
Yeah ... I think that a strong defense and great special teams will continue to be a recipe to help the O "find its feet."
Iowa fans don't like to admit it ... but Kirk isn't wrong when he says that games are more apt to be lost than won.
The defense and special teams will continue to supply the sort of complementarity that will give McNamara short-fields to work with. With a RB like Johnson, TEs like All and Lachey, ... and a good possession WR like Ragaini .. there are already enough pieces in place for the Hawks to be able to score more. Will we be able to cash more of those opportunities into TDs? I think that we will.
I think that part of what hurt us before was that our blocking was YET there ... and we had a timid QB who was already suffering from a football version of PTSD. If the blocking has finally reached the point where it actually does its job ... then McNamara won't lose his confidence/mojo. A more confident QB who ALSO has the confidence of his teammates ... that leads to better play all around. Hell, we saw that back in 2004 after the Michigan game ... there seemed to be a "click" in the mindset of the O ... where the trust they had in Tate was palpable. Consequently, despite being limited in so many ways, that O still managed to put up enough points to win games.
I'd only disagree a little on the line. Richman Stephens Feth Colby Parker. Improved play by the C and RT will make a significant difference in the line play. Those positions gave up entirely too much pressure in the two worst places, right up the middle and rushing off the tackle. One defender pushes the QB into the other, or some other disastrous result.
If Feth and Parker can really play decently at the Big Ten level then Iowa will have upgraded every position based on last year's play, except maybe TE-and we don't know what the Lachey All TE tandem can do.
