Reasons for apparent lack of portal success so far?
- Thread starter RagnarLothbrok
- Start date
This has always been my take as well. Throwing a deep ball results in four outcomes: an incompletion, a momentum boosting catch, a PI, or an interception (which could serve the purpose of a punt).
As many times as we see a first down run get stuffed for a loss, why not throw it deep off play action once in a while? Seems to me there is more of an “upside” than some might think.
Iowa is a first and foremost a developmental program,.. Kirk will never rely on NIL for the main course, it will only be used as a seasoning.
In a while? How about we start with once.
There's a couple of reasons and it starts by listening to Kirk's pressers:
First the new roster limit is 105 and Iowa is way over that. Kirk got somewhat emotional when discussing who would be trimmed from the roster. He is upset that there wasn't a step down from 120 to 105 over the course of a couple of years. He loves his players and does not want to get rid of kids who are trying to develop and who are loyal to the program.
Second, Kirk said this is a developmental program and will remain that way. The focus is on player retention and not roster turn over. NIL funds are spent keeping players around which what you saw with the returns on both OL and DL. Any additions would be in the Nic Jackson mold which are older guys who are ready to play and fill an immediate need.
Third, with the new profit sharing arraignment coming into play I think Kirk is happy to wait until that kicks in. He said in his last presser that he thinks teams like Oregon and OSU (he didn't call them out by name but was referring to the OTs both beat Iowa on) are massively overpaying for what they are getting. Iowa can't afford to do that so it has to play moneyball.
First the new roster limit is 105 and Iowa is way over that. Kirk got somewhat emotional when discussing who would be trimmed from the roster. He is upset that there wasn't a step down from 120 to 105 over the course of a couple of years. He loves his players and does not want to get rid of kids who are trying to develop and who are loyal to the program.
Second, Kirk said this is a developmental program and will remain that way. The focus is on player retention and not roster turn over. NIL funds are spent keeping players around which what you saw with the returns on both OL and DL. Any additions would be in the Nic Jackson mold which are older guys who are ready to play and fill an immediate need.
Third, with the new profit sharing arraignment coming into play I think Kirk is happy to wait until that kicks in. He said in his last presser that he thinks teams like Oregon and OSU (he didn't call them out by name but was referring to the OTs both beat Iowa on) are massively overpaying for what they are getting. Iowa can't afford to do that so it has to play moneyball.
Iowa doesn’t have a massive alumni base, mega-rich donors, or the kind of cut-throat mentality where we’re completely obsessed with winning.
I think there are two things that would ruffle Iowa fans’ feathers and get them to donate to SWARM:
- A new FB coach that really excited the fanbase who calls on the fans to step up
- ISU beating us regularly
In my opinion.
Are you really naïve enough to think that everyday people donating money is going to make any difference?!? It’s the big money people giving tens of millions that move the needle.
We are in for a world of trouble next year. And Kaleb Johnson won’t be here to play Superman either.
BirdistheWord
HB Legend
And within the umbrella of “not offensive minded”
We don’t generally score a lot of points (this year was a nice improvement) or ring up lotso stats
BirdistheWord
HB Legend
Yes, I have complained about this for years. We had recruited mostly pro style QB’s but mostly threw Iowa pass plays (safe, short to occasional mid range). We don’t throw trying to get TD’s. We had horrid QB play combined with poor pass blocking and very few receivers that could consistently gain separation. Recipe for a shit sandwich. Not easy to turn that around d overnight.
How many players in the 105-125 range have EVER become solid starters at Iowa? I venture no more than 3 or 4 if that many!
I don't think Chishawk will be too happy about you posting pictures of him on here.
I think it’s 2 things. First, we’re putting a premium on roster retention. Bird in the hand. Which then leads, I think, to the 2nd issue which is there’s not enough left to land guys at impactful positions (LT, QB, and WR).
The other issue, which I don’t think is a huge deal, is our past history on offense. But guys want to play, so I ultimately don’t think that’s a huge hindrance. If we had $, guys would come regardless of how bad we were previously.
I tend to mess up time in here. Just making sure.
Jackson is the perfect example of the guy we’re looking for. Incredibly high character and also been a stud on the field. Don’t have any idea what he’s been paid at Iowa but we could use 2-3 of him on both sides of the ball. Guy came in and just played his ass off. But at this point I’d say trying to get an actual productive receiver is almost going to be impossible. The last 4-5 years have really hurt us. Not sure how it turns around.
UIowa’s problem the past 5 years is the lack of an effective QB. That is on Kirk. No one else. In ‘22 abd ‘23 the o-lines were suspect…coupled with a severe QB problem. This season, the o-line play improved considerably. UIowa still has a QB issue but with the portal, that problem is in the process of being fixed. I would like to see the Hawks bring in a receiver who can 1) catch the ball and 2) stay healthy!
But until the QB situation becomes more stable, the Hawks will struggle on occasion.
But until the QB situation becomes more stable, the Hawks will struggle on occasion.
Offensive recruiting almost has to improve when Capt Fossil is gone.
It’s a combo problem — 1) Iowa is only looking to ‘fix’ problems in the portal 2) Iowa is only spending on NIL when the rules are regulated 3) Personally, I don’t have enough control over the collective to persuade me to contribute more than a few beers here and there.
"Iowa athletics needs more NIL money. A lot more! Hurry up and donate people! I'll just sit and bitch."
-Numerous kid posters in this forum
-Numerous kid posters in this forum
Yet, Iowa football has hovered between 40-55K season ticket holders for years. The money is there. People need to realize that donating to the school isn't the same as donating to SWARM. If you hate the condition of Iowa football, cancel your season tickets and donate an equal amount to the collective. And this doesn't even mention becoming a Champion level donation member through SWARM, which even a high school kid with a part-time job could afford.
To me, the crazy thing is is that our offensive philosophy is completely in line with our defensive philosophy. Our defensive philosophy is that we will allow teams to throw underneath knowing that over the course of a drive many things have to go right for a team to sustain a drive. This has worked great for our defense. Our offensive philosophy is exactly what our defense wants! We throw tons of passes underneath and towards the sidelines allowing for few YAC and the need to complete many passes or have a hell of a running game in order to score. That is also why we struggle, IMO.
few years ago we got a JC from Snow JC or somewhere that was fast, but I recall he didn't play much because he didn't or couldn't master the playbook. My thought was here son, when we snap the ball, just run as fast as you can towards the goal line and maybe we might get lucky a time or two and get the ball to you.
Eikholt (sp?) stated money isn't our problem on the radio today. I'm inclined to agree with him. We were capable of matching the 1.5 million or going over the necessary amount to get Pribula. The problem is that we aren't currently an enticing option for QBs or WRs at the moment. Again, this is according to Eikholt. I'd agree with that.
We aren't the richest by any means but we aren't incapable either. I think KF believes he has the foundation in place already and that Lester is looking to improve it if possible. I doubt that KF is really concerned going into next year with question marks as we always have many of those on offense. Gill, Sullivan, and our RBs are serviceable but we could definitely use a good WR to begin helping us recruit the position better. It's been glaringly obvious over the last decade that we aren't a go to destination for this position.
Also, did anyone realize we haven't had an all conference WR since 2011? Gotta love McNutt. I knew it had been a while but damn, 13-14 years!
We aren't the richest by any means but we aren't incapable either. I think KF believes he has the foundation in place already and that Lester is looking to improve it if possible. I doubt that KF is really concerned going into next year with question marks as we always have many of those on offense. Gill, Sullivan, and our RBs are serviceable but we could definitely use a good WR to begin helping us recruit the position better. It's been glaringly obvious over the last decade that we aren't a go to destination for this position.
Also, did anyone realize we haven't had an all conference WR since 2011? Gotta love McNutt. I knew it had been a while but damn, 13-14 years!
This kind of catches the essence of it. Lester wants to improve the passing game but he also came in here with the intention to run a physical offense built around running the ball to set up the pass. We did lead the Big Ten in rushing adding some new innovative wrinkles to the run game.
The passing game numbers reflect an ineffective and not fully healthy QB running the offense for the first eight games or so along with not throwing much with an elite back and overall solid running game. The passing game seems a work in progress and may not fit what many skill players in the portal look for. Lester I think can coach and I think we will really progress in the passing game regardless of how much help we get in the portal.
Well, I can say with certainly that Iowa has missed some portal targets very closely. And it's purely about money. The "big people" giving "tens of millions" support schools with rosters that are already elite. The NIL game begins when the backups and buried prospects at those elite programs enter the portal. Iowa is in a fight, NIL wise, to pick up the best scraps. And that's where everyday donations make a big difference.
Damond Powell. Could've put the 2014 Nebraska game away if Rudock hadn't overthrown him.
This whole NIL thing is a double-edged sword for sure and I think Kirk is just waiting out the storm. Every time you pay a kid you set a new precedent that you have to keep up with. Also, if you are paying a kid starter money does that mean you are giving him the job without having to compete for it? That is tough and these types of things can be the poison for a cohesive team. With this approach Iowa is probably going to lose a couple of guys that are looking for money and are really good and can get it elsewhere. Just the way it is. If Kaleb Johnson was not going pro next year and a team like Oregon offered him 4 mil a year I would tell him to take it. They are definitely going to miss out on guys that are looking for a big payday as well as Iowa is probably offering what they can offer with respect to the budget they have as well as within the structure of the players they already have. But for the right guys that want to work, want to be treated professionally and honestly and work toward an NFL future then this is the right program.
