Will the Hawks defense be tops in the nation this year?
- Thread starter Hawkeyeinsoutherncalifornia
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Seems to me the top defenses (other than Clemson) are most often SEC schools. They tend to go very deep with over 300lb DTs. So I don’t see it. I hope we are better on defense than ISU.
As usual, I expect Iowa to have a very good defense, perhaps top 10-15 in the country. But no, it will not be the top defense.
Who knows? It could go either way.. I guess we wait and see as I would like to think we will be tough on defense this year
It will be good enough to to have a very good season like almost every year. The big question will be if the offense can step up. They are usually what keeps us from 10 wins. And special teams. Not D
Top defense in the B1G would be ok with me.
Possibly top defense in the B1G if everything falls into place. I don't believe we will be the top defense in the country. I do believe our defense has the chance to be very good.
Top defense in the nation seems a bit optimistic, but I'll take it.
Agreed to most of the above. Way too many factors at play to say best in the nation right now. Good yes, great if the depth develops as hoped. On the plus side, we don't play a lot of teams that i expect to have elite offenses either. Michigan, Purdue, and Nebraska* for sure?
*I expect Nebraska to score a lot of points this year. I also expect them to give up a lot of points this year.
*I expect Nebraska to score a lot of points this year. I also expect them to give up a lot of points this year.
Three things I'm intrigued about with this defense.
Nixon. Real deal or not.
Armani Jones as a situational weapon.
Does Merriweather have an elite skill set.
Nixon. Real deal or not.
Armani Jones as a situational weapon.
Does Merriweather have an elite skill set.
Intriguing considerations as it relates to last years D ...
What might we expect in '19?
- Geno Stone was effectively an all-new starter for the Hawks last year
- Both of our starting CBs went down to injury - and we were forced to start 2 true freshmen
- Not only were we starting all-new guys at LB ... and most of those guys had precious little experience .... BUT 3 of our top 4 LBs suffered injuries that limited them through the season (Colbert was one of the few guys who seemed to enjoy relatively consistent health)
What might we expect in '19?
Replacing the playmaking ability of Amani Hooker is the big key IMO.
DE depth is a bit questionable I think. Will be looking for Fall camp reports pertaining to Zach VanValkenburg (DE grad transfer from Hillsdale College) and progress reports concerning rFr John Waggoner. Interior DL should be fine (Reiff can be a force IMO).
LB unit looks deep and solid across the board. Really look forward to seeing how the 2 deeps shake out, especially how Benson and Doyle perform.
DE depth is a bit questionable I think. Will be looking for Fall camp reports pertaining to Zach VanValkenburg (DE grad transfer from Hillsdale College) and progress reports concerning rFr John Waggoner. Interior DL should be fine (Reiff can be a force IMO).
LB unit looks deep and solid across the board. Really look forward to seeing how the 2 deeps shake out, especially how Benson and Doyle perform.
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The two new pieces in the secondary intrigue me. (Merriweather and Johnson)
When you look at the two deeps it’s tough to find any serious weaknesses with the team. Corner has 5 guys I’d be comfortable with playing. Safety has probably 4 or 5 with Castro and Belton joining the group. Linebacker has 5 or 6 for two positions. DE 3 or 4 and DT around 4 or 5.
Comparing this roster to 2011-2016 rosters is very telling. We just haven’t had this level of high talent complemented by this level of depth.
I think the starters have the potential to be a dominate force across the board with athleticism and experience virtually everywhere. Furthermore, I think Phil has improved every year since he has taken over the D coordinator position.
I think our backups might be just as talented outside of D-end, and that’s because we have a Top 5 draft pick there. With a front loaded schedule, our defense could carry us through those games as teams figure out what works for them on offense.
When you look at the two deeps it’s tough to find any serious weaknesses with the team. Corner has 5 guys I’d be comfortable with playing. Safety has probably 4 or 5 with Castro and Belton joining the group. Linebacker has 5 or 6 for two positions. DE 3 or 4 and DT around 4 or 5.
Comparing this roster to 2011-2016 rosters is very telling. We just haven’t had this level of high talent complemented by this level of depth.
I think the starters have the potential to be a dominate force across the board with athleticism and experience virtually everywhere. Furthermore, I think Phil has improved every year since he has taken over the D coordinator position.
I think our backups might be just as talented outside of D-end, and that’s because we have a Top 5 draft pick there. With a front loaded schedule, our defense could carry us through those games as teams figure out what works for them on offense.
Many folks have been talking about depth at DE ... and even I've done that earlier (months ago) ... but here are points to consider there:
- We know what we have in our starters ... and it is smile-inducing!
- Waggoner was reported to have made good progress during the spring.
- The coaches seem willing to scheme things to "artificially" add depth by using an edge-defender. Given the change over in our base scheme (that will now only feature 2 true LBs) ... the edge-defender look is good for our LBs ... and it is good for bolstering our DE depth.
- VanValkenberg will hit campus in the summer - and he's an experienced guy ... and a guy who merited attention from both Iowa and Michigan State.
- Guys like Lee and Hunt are pretty physically mature as true-freshmen go ... so they could help bolster depth at DE in a pinch.
- Production-wise ... we haven't seen a player like Epenesa since 2004. It's exciting to think what he's capable of doing as he continues to improve!
- It's very possible that we could see an uptick in our DT play in '19 ... and the position has pretty good depth in Lattimore, Reiff, Nixon, Shannon, and Schulte.
- We return 8 guys who have starting experience in the back 7. Competition will push development forward ... and the implication is great as it relates to depth.
- If you're only returning one safety with starting experience .... you hope the guy is a smart dude. Not only is Geno Stone a guy who has some of the sort of skills that you just cannot teach ... he was also recruited by the likes of Columbia, Cornell, and Harvard! And, perhaps most importantly ... one of the "types" who seem to have the most success at safety under Phil Parker are the guys who are former QBs who have high football IQs and nice athleticism.
- Safety and Cash are the spots that appear most "suspect" in terms of depth. However, Phil has anticipated that and has rotated a ton of guys in to find "fits" at the CASH spot ... and the Hawks seem to have a nice complement of talented walk-ons who will do their best to wrest the starting FS spot away from Merriweather (the point being that I bet our walk-ons at safety are nothing to sneeze at).
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I would hope to think Nixon is the real deal as long as he follows Doyle’s program he should be in good hands .. and of course keep his grades up
Here's a specific contrast in the disparity in experience-level:
Entering the 2018 season
Safety - returned 16 career starts (Hooker 6, Gervase 10)
Cash - returned 0 career starts (although Hooker had prior experience as a nickel db and a starting safety)
Corner - returned 6 career starts (Hankins 2, Ojemudia 4)
Linebacker - returned 0 career starts (Hockaday saw a good bit of action against a MAC team as a SO after Jewell had gotten ejected)
Entering the 2019 season
Safety - return 8 career starts (Stone 8)
Cash - return 0 career starts (some candidates like OJ and Hankins return starts at CB)
Corner - return 31 career starts (Brents 5, Hankins 10, Moss 6, Ojemudia 10)
Linebacker - return 22 career starts (Colbert 10, Welch 6, Niemann 5, Jones 1)
No. Don't ever have the horses the southern schools do. But I am rarely disappointed with the performance Iowa gets out of their players.
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