Remaining Recruiting Needs

[HoustonHawkeye]

Looking at current recruits and looking at needs 2 years from now. Seniors and Juniors departed, which areas do we still need replacements.

• Defensive Tackle: 3 defensive ends, plus McKnight possible. 1 or 2 probably convert to DT, but still would like 1 big DT in this class.
• CB: Gets real thin in 2 years.
• Safety: Have walk on Brandon Snyder, but could use more.
• TE: Running 2 TE sets, we will need more depth here.
• WR: Unknown is: do we have a stud in the 2015 or 2016 class?
• FB: Assuming a LB or walk-on takes this need.
• RB: Like WR, we still need to find that stud. Again, maybe we have?

 

[nu2u]

TE and DL are priority IMO.

Iowa will have at least 7 RBs with two or more years of eligibility after this season (Wadley, Mitchell, Joly, Hilliard, Graham, Young, Akrindade) so RB is low priority IMO. That assumes Barrington Wade will play LB and Jonathon Parker will stay at WR. Of course, at Iowa it seems like you can never have enough RBs. You keep a spot open for AJ Taylor obviously. Otherwise, allocate resources to TE and DB or other areas of need (always looking for good linemen on both sides).

 

[dawgs_04]

If a stud RB/WR wants to come here, you take them. It's a clear need until somebody proves they can get it done on the field.

 

[MattFoleyHawk]

Looking at current recruits and looking at needs 2 years from now. Seniors and Juniors departed, which areas do we still need replacements.

• Defensive Tackle: 3 defensive ends, plus McKnight possible. 1 or 2 probably convert to DT, but still would like 1 big DT in this class.
• CB: Gets real thin in 2 years.
• Safety: Have walk on Brandon Snyder, but could use more.
• TE: Running 2 TE sets, we will need more depth here.
• WR: Unknown is: do we have a stud in the 2015 or 2016 class?
• FB: Assuming a LB or walk-on takes this need.
• RB: Like WR, we still need to find that stud. Again, maybe we have?

I still stand by what I said at the beginning of the week. They needed a WR (they got him), a DB (CB is more of a need than S right now) and a true OT. I think you'll see that will be their focus. They will still have a few offers to play with, so I imagine besides a DB and OT they will take anyone high on their 'draft board'.

 

[GoHawks1966]

Looking at current recruits and looking at needs 2 years from now. Seniors and Juniors departed, which areas do we still need replacements.

• Defensive Tackle: 3 defensive ends, plus McKnight possible. 1 or 2 probably convert to DT, but still would like 1 big DT in this class.
• CB: Gets real thin in 2 years.
• Safety: Have walk on Brandon Snyder, but could use more.
• TE: Running 2 TE sets, we will need more depth here.
• WR: Unknown is: do we have a stud in the 2015 or 2016 class?
• FB: Assuming a LB or walk-on takes this need.
• RB: Like WR, we still need to find that stud. Again, maybe we have?

Just thinking out load....watching the LB play last year you would think that was a HUGE need? I see we have three in this class? In the past we have always recruited LB very well...lots of average talent or walk-on's on the field right now.

 

[MattFoleyHawk]

Just thinking out load....watching the LB play last year you would think that was a HUGE need? I see we have three in this class? In the past we have always recruited LB very well...lots of average talent or walk-on's on the field right now.

You are quite incorrect. They were just light in the shorts and inexperienced. They were still a year away in development which led to not horrible play, (as some like to say) but inconsistent play. The young group they have now are very talented and just watch how they grow and perform over the next 2-3 yrs. I don't understand why some of you say some of this stuff? EVERYONE dogged Morris about how untalented he was and that he wasn't a D-1 LB his freshman year when he was forced to play due to injuries and took some lumps. Then his soph. year everyone said the same things you are saying now about Morris, Hitchens and Kirksey. You guys have such short memories. They are working very hard to keep the pipeline full so they don't run into having to play fr. and rsfr in the future. OT and LB are the 2 positions that you have to put the most physical development into. There is almost never a kid who comes out of hs physically ready to play either of those positions. Even the most physically ready Lineman coming out of HS usually plays inside until he's ready to move to tackle and a lot of LB's redshirt, play safety, etc. until the are physically ready. Pat Angerer almost quit and didn't develop into a NFL LB until his jr. yr. Same way with Kirksey. You guys just need to chill and quit emoting all over the place. Shit happens and sometimes kids have to play before they're ready and take some lumps. It's not any ones 'fault' (cuz as forrest gumps say's after stepping in a pile of shit, "It happens". thus starting a new catchphrase; Shit happens.) It's not a sign that these youngsters suck or are 'mac' talent and it's not necessarily a sign of bad recruiting. Lighten up on these kids and quit telling us (which could and I know sometimes does, include them, Their families and their friends) how untalented they are.

 

[GoHawks1966]

You are quite incorrect. They were just light in the shorts and inexperienced. They were still a year away in development which led to not horrible play, (as some like to say) but inconsistent play. The young group they have now are very talented and just watch how they grow and perform over the next 2-3 yrs. I don't understand why some of you say some of this stuff? EVERYONE dogged Morris about how untalented he was and that he wasn't a D-1 LB his freshman year when he was forced to play due to injuries and took some lumps. Then his soph. year everyone said the same things you are saying now about Morris, Hitchens and Kirksey. You guys have such short memories. They are working very hard to keep the pipeline full so they don't run into having to play fr. and rsfr in the future. OT and LB are the 2 positions that you have to put the most physical development into. There is almost never a kid who comes out of hs physically ready to play either of those positions. Even the most physically ready Lineman coming out of HS usually plays inside until he's ready to move to tackle and a lot of LB's redshirt, play safety, etc. until the are physically ready. Pat Angerer almost quit and didn't develop into a NFL LB until his jr. yr. Same way with Kirksey. You guys just need to chill and quit emoting all over the place. Shit happens and sometimes kids have to play before they're ready and take some lumps. It's not any ones 'fault' (cuz as forrest gumps say's after stepping in a pile of shit, "It happens". thus starting a new catchphrase; Shit happens.) It's not a sign that these youngsters suck or are 'mac' talent and it's not necessarily a sign of bad recruiting. Lighten up on these kids and quit telling us (which could and I know sometimes does, include them, Their families and their friends) how untalented they are.

Matt, I appreciate your arrogance and know it all attitude. I just call it how I see it, and last year they were out of position and SLOW. You cannot fix slow with extra weight. Of course, you already know that....you know it all! What other excuses you got for these coaches, are you a Ferentz? They pay you well to defend whatever you want to call the product we have to endure on Saturdays?

 

[millhawk]

Matt, I appreciate your arrogance and know it all attitude. I just call it how I see it, and last year they were out of position and SLOW. You cannot fix slow with extra weight. Of course, you already know that....you know it all! What other excuses you got for these coaches, are you a Ferentz? They pay you well to defend whatever you want to call the product we have to endure on Saturdays?

Not slow. Out of position, difficulty in fighting off blocks, poor leverage, bad angles, especially Bower. All correctable with coaching and added experienced. Not slow, all good athletes that can run for backers. Niemann starting will add to the overall athleticism.

 

[cidhawkeye]

You are quite incorrect. They were just light in the shorts and inexperienced. They were still a year away in development which led to not horrible play, (as some like to say) but inconsistent play. The young group they have now are very talented and just watch how they grow and perform over the next 2-3 yrs. I don't understand why some of you say some of this stuff? EVERYONE dogged Morris about how untalented he was and that he wasn't a D-1 LB his freshman year when he was forced to play due to injuries and took some lumps. Then his soph. year everyone said the same things you are saying now about Morris, Hitchens and Kirksey. You guys have such short memories. They are working very hard to keep the pipeline full so they don't run into having to play fr. and rsfr in the future. OT and LB are the 2 positions that you have to put the most physical development into. There is almost never a kid who comes out of hs physically ready to play either of those positions. Even the most physically ready Lineman coming out of HS usually plays inside until he's ready to move to tackle and a lot of LB's redshirt, play safety, etc. until the are physically ready. Pat Angerer almost quit and didn't develop into a NFL LB until his jr. yr. Same way with Kirksey. You guys just need to chill and quit emoting all over the place. Shit happens and sometimes kids have to play before they're ready and take some lumps. It's not any ones 'fault' (cuz as forrest gumps say's after stepping in a pile of shit, "It happens". thus starting a new catchphrase; Shit happens.) It's not a sign that these youngsters suck or are 'mac' talent and it's not necessarily a sign of bad recruiting. Lighten up on these kids and quit telling us (which could and I know sometimes does, include them, Their families and their friends) how untalented they are.

So we should see some conference recognition this year from this group, both pre season and post season since the group you are comparing them to had those accolades going into the comparable season. While I hope they keep up I do see that beginning base is a little different, first group had one of the better HS players Iowa has ever produced, first team all state in Missouri and first team all state in Ohio. So their accomplishments were a little more advanced coming in and through their first seasons of playing time.

 

[Bearhawk0505]

Looking at current recruits and looking at needs 2 years from now. Seniors and Juniors departed, which areas do we still need replacements.

• Defensive Tackle: 3 defensive ends, plus McKnight possible. 1 or 2 probably convert to DT, but still would like 1 big DT in this class.
• CB: Gets real thin in 2 years.
• Safety: Have walk on Brandon Snyder, but could use more.
• TE: Running 2 TE sets, we will need more depth here.
• WR: Unknown is: do we have a stud in the 2015 or 2016 class?
• FB: Assuming a LB or walk-on takes this need.
• RB: Like WR, we still need to find that stud. Again, maybe we have?

Many seem to forget, many of the great LBs we have had did not play early. Two that come to mind are Angerer(4th year-rs jr), I believe Greenway was year 3-rs so. Not sure what level the current group will get to, but it is a certainty they will improve. We have added some nice prospects in this years and next years class. We will be deep at lb. I agree with Foley, that we will bring in a OT.

 

[GoHawks1966]

Not slow. Out of position, difficulty in fighting off blocks, poor leverage, bad angles, especially Bower. All correctable with coaching and added experienced. Not slow, all good athletes that can run for backers. Niemann starting will add to the overall athleticism.

Thanks Millhawk for a sincere answer! People do not have to be asses to make a point. Poor angles would make it look like a speed issue...they really did ok against some teams. Tennessee was just very fast!

 

[MattFoleyHawk]

So we should see some conference recognition this year from this group, both pre season and post season since the group you are comparing them to had those accolades going into the comparable season. While I hope they keep up I do see that beginning base is a little different, first group had one of the better HS players Iowa has ever produced, first team all state in Missouri and first team all state in Ohio. So their accomplishments were a little more advanced coming in and through their first seasons of playing time.

Not comparable season. 'That group' did not start receiving accolades until their jr. yrs. These guys are only sophs. They will be MUCH improved and should start seeing some attention AFTER this year.

 

[MattFoleyHawk]

Not slow. Out of position, difficulty in fighting off blocks, poor leverage, bad angles, especially Bower. All correctable with coaching and added experienced. Not slow, all good athletes that can run for backers. Niemann starting will add to the overall athleticism.

As coach Reid (and anyone else with knowledge of the game) will tell you, these guys are fast! I don't know where you saw people running away from these guys? They had a lot of missed tackles against some huge backs but not as many as the safetys. They only thing they were 'slow' about, was their reads (read coach Reids interview), and that is a matter of EXPERIENCE. They looked bad on 'jet' plays, but that was a scheme and alignment problem (which along with slow reads made it appear they were taking bad angles e.g. Bowers). Sorry if anyone is offended by knowledge, but the only thing 'ass'inine is people coming on here and insulting kids (maybe not you, but some go beyond simple criticism) without having a clue what they are talking about.

 

[cidhawkeye]

M

Not comparable season. 'That group' did not start receiving accolades until their jr. yrs. These guys are only sophs. They will be MUCH improved and should start seeing some attention AFTER this year.[/QUOTE
Morris was pre season 2nd team all big ten, that would be an accolade. That group was also more accomplished prior to arriving at Iowa. I hope this group matches that group, coaching and angles will help, the extra experience will help as well.

 

[cidhawkeye]

M

Morris was pre season 2nd team all big ten going into his soph year. That would be an accolade. Nice work glossing over the fact that the previous group was far more accomplished prior to their time at Iowa. Coaching and playing time will help this group and it will be interesting to see if they continue to follow a parallel path like it is being alluded to.

 

[MattFoleyHawk]

Morris was pre season 2nd team all big ten going into his soph year. That would be an accolade. Nice work glossing over the fact that the previous group was far more accomplished prior to their time at Iowa. Coaching and playing time will help this group and it will be interesting to see if they continue to follow a parallel path like it is being alluded to.

I didn't look at pre-season awards, so you got me there.
Not really that interested in what they did prior to their time at Iowa since it isn't really pertinent to my topic, so not sure how I 'glossed' anything over. Hitchens and Kirksey never played LB in HS so how were they far more accomplished? I don't know that they are all going to get a shot at the NFL, but I think they are athletic enough to develop into pretty dang good LB's. We'll have to wait and see.

 

[GoHawks1966]

Morris was pre season 2nd team all big ten going into his soph year. That would be an accolade. Nice work glossing over the fact that the previous group was far more accomplished prior to their time at Iowa. Coaching and playing time will help this group and it will be interesting to see if they continue to follow a parallel path like it is being alluded to.

Kirksey and Morris had great sophmore years...both over 100 tackles. No where to go but up for the current group, hopefully the OJT last year will pay off this year!

 

[cidhawkeye]

I didn't look at pre-season awards, so you got me there.
Not really that interested in what they did prior to their time at Iowa since it isn't really pertinent to my topic, so not sure how I 'glossed' anything over. Hitchens and Kirksey never played LB in HS so how were they far more accomplished? I don't know that they are all going to get a shot at the NFL, but I think they are athletic enough to develop into pretty dang good LB's. We'll have to wait and see.

You have been comparing the current lb group to the previous group and projecting the results to be similar. Their time prior to being at Iowa indicates that the previous group may have had a higher ceiling based on their accomplishments, the current group is athletic and will get better but other than getting playing time based on need I don't see them achieving at a similar level. Their tackle numbers may compare but that is more of a result from the design of the system.

 

[MattFoleyHawk]

You have been comparing the current lb group to the previous group and projecting the results to be similar. Their time prior to being at Iowa indicates that the previous group may have had a higher ceiling based on their accomplishments, the current group is athletic and will get better but other than getting playing time based on need I don't see them achieving at a similar level. Their tackle numbers may compare but that is more of a result from the design of the system.

I have not been projecting similar results. I said I don't expect them all to neccesarily get looks from the NFL like the previous group. I was saying that like this other group, they will get a lot better so don't sell them out and enjoy watching them develop. It would be great if they got that good (and I believe Jewell will as good as Morris), but they don't need to quite reach that bar for this defense to be really good over the next couple years.
And I'm still waiting on what the previous group 'accomplished' at LB prior to getting to Iowa. Someone being a good RB or safety in HS doesn't make the ceiling higher for how they will perform as a college LB, does it? Almost all colleges recruit 'LBs', they don't recruit athletes (QBs, recievers, rb's, etc.) and make them LBs. Iowa does an amazing job of doing this, but it takes a couple years for them to physically develop them and teach them the 'reads' (which is the hardest part). When the reads become second nature, they start playing really 'fast'!
According to people on this site, Hitchens wasn't even a D1 athlete when he got here but they might be able to make him a safety. People have such short memories.

 

[Birky]

Morris, Kirksey, and Hitchens were getting BLASTED on this board even after their Sophomore season. The current group may not end up on the same level, but I would guess that in three years, we are going to be wondering how on earth we can possibly replace them. I will be shocked if two or three of them don't end up with some "accolades" when their time at Iowa is through. They shouldn't have been on the field yet last year.

 

[cidhawkeye]

We can always find examples on this board of people either excessively blasting or praising players. As far as establishing a potential ceiling for players tell me which players you would pick.

1st team all state in Missouri playing linebacker and running back

1st team all state in Ohio playing linebacker and running back

2 time elite all state in Iowa, linebacker, running back.

2nd team all state Iowa linebacker

1 time elite all state linebacker Iowa

There are going to be exceptions to all things, the current group will play faster as the reads come to them. Reacting rather then thinking and moving makes a big difference. The previous group just started with a higher ceiling then the current group.

 

[Hawk80]

 

[MattFoleyHawk]

Anyone that thinks Bo Bower is a talented player has never actually watched football before.

And your credentials in football please that qualifies you to evaluate talent? I can't wait!
Iowa coaches do not recruit untalented kids or even let them walk on. They ARE qualified to evaluate talent.
You, on the other hand, are not qualified to pass out jerseys (let alone determine who is talented) and probably couldn't handle that. You wouldn't even know what you were looking for.
But, we really appreciate your wonderfully insightful and constructive comments.....my bad, all you did was bash a 19 yr. young man by telling him that he has no talent. Good job. You're a real man and great fan.

 

[Khawk88]

to bad he doesn't even know who the starting LB'rs in 2014 were and here he is trashing a RSFR who is now a RSSO.

 

[MattFoleyHawk]

We can always find examples on this board of people either excessively blasting or praising players. As far as establishing a potential ceiling for players tell me which players you would pick.

1st team all state in Missouri playing linebacker and running back

1st team all state in Ohio playing linebacker and running back

2 time elite all state in Iowa, linebacker, running back.

2nd team all state Iowa linebacker

1 time elite all state linebacker Iowa

There are going to be exceptions to all things, the current group will play faster as the reads come to them. Reacting rather then thinking and moving makes a big difference. The previous group just started with a higher ceiling then the current group.

Although my point was that I believe HS success doesn't always determine success in college (or beyond), I will concede to that those 3 certainly had much 'higher' accolades in HS. Whether that makes their 'ceiling' higher, we'll have to agree to disagree as I believe the biggest determinate of a players ceiling is his work ethic.
And people say I can't have a constructive conversation with people