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WR Depth Chart and PT:

BigOHawk

BigOHawk

HR Heisman
Oct 27, 2001
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Most of the time, it seems we play at most 4 WR's per game with the opportunity for a 5th to see some limited PT depending on teams and matchups, thus here's the current WR room and projects depth chart from what I can gather:

Starters - Bruce, Kegan Johnson & Nico
Next men in (no particular order): Brecht, Vines, Ritter, Wick
Outside looking in unless a great fall camp: Bostick, Wetjen, Jack Johnson, Osgood, Eichmann, Kummm, Friedrichson

So we have plenty of WRs on roster (maybe 6 on scholarship?) however curious which of the walkons might surprise this fall and there is probably some room on special teams too. I'd say Wetjen since he came from IWCC and maybe down the road Osgood as he had a solid senior season in Wisky w/some good stats.

Discuss..
 
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BigOHawk said:
Most of the time, it seems we play at most 4 WR's per game with the opportunity for a 5th to see some limited PT depending on teams and matchups, thus here's the current WR room and projects depth chart from what I can gather:

Starters - Bruce, Kegan Johnson & Nico
Next men in (no particular order): Brecht, Vines, Ritter, Wick
Outside looking in unless a great fall camp: Bostick, Wetjen, Jack Johnson, Osgood, Eichmann, Kummm, Friedrichson

So we have plenty of WRs on roster (maybe 6 on scholarship?) however curious which of the walkons might surprise this fall and there is probably some room on special teams too. I'd say Wetjen since he came from IWCC and maybe down the road Osgood as he had a solid senior season in Wisky w/some good stats.

Discuss..
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I would say the only walk on that could surprise is Wick but don't expect any of them to do much if the main WRs stay healthy.
 
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Ritter was a surprise story from last year. If he can build on that ... I wouldn't necessarily count him out.

Wick has garnered the most recent "surprise" buzz.

While Wetjen might most likely earn his stripes on special teams first ... he could potentially earn position action (should he earn enough trust).
 
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Diante Vines in good position to see more playing time. Maybe this is his breakout year,

I totally forgot that Jackson Ritter got the start for the Hawks against Iowa State last year. He played in 7 games - that tells me the coaches have confidence and that he will continue to see more action.

Brecht is the wildcard. I hope he has a good Fall camp because we all know that he presents a threat as a big target with decent speed.

Those 3 WRs - Riiter, Vines, and Brecht - are the two deeps? Should be interesting to see which players emerge this season.
 
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Also, I'd add that our proven depth kinda sucks. So that is a negative. As we saw this past spring ... we were essentially down almost all of our top WRs. So depth is a legit concern there.

However ... if there is any saving grace ... with the experience gained by Lachey and the addition of Stilianos ... our TE group is better than last year. If you combine TE-improvement, a darn fine fullback in Pottebaum, improvement along the OL, and a more "downhill" style of our rushing game ... then that is going to lead us to be using more 1 and 2 WR sets. Thus, poor WR depth could potentially get SOMEWHAT masked ... at least if our bruising rushing game can gain some traction.
 
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ghostOfHomer777 said:
Also, I'd add that our proven depth kinda sucks. So that is a negative. As we saw this past spring ... we were essentially down almost all of our top WRs. So depth is a legit concern there.

However ... if there is any saving grace ... with the experience gained by Lachey and the addition of Stilianos ... our TE group is better than last year. If you combine TE-improvement, a darn fine fullback in Pottebaum, improvement along the OL, and a more "downhill" style of our rushing game ... then that is going to lead us to be using more 1 and 2 WR sets. Thus, poor WR depth could potentially get SOMEWHAT masked ... at least if our bruising rushing game can gain some traction.
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Exactly Homer! If we don't have a full complement of WR weapons what does one do? Well, you have an All American TE and some good depth there with Lachey and hopefully TE#3 emerging. You have an improved OL and backs who will shed tacklers better than Goodson, however maybe we give up a bit of HR threat and passing game expertise.

I'll go back to a Miller pod from last year, all we need is Craig Krenzel at QB which would be a 'C' type grade and this team will be right up there contending for the West again. Seems it's a big ask but maybe as alluded to more TE production, an uptick in the OL, better run game and another year of experience for WRs helps SP out even if he doesn't show marked improvement.
 
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Anyone who can consistently catch the ball will be an upgrade. I don’t have stats, but we have to be near the bottom in dripped passes.
 
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BigOHawk said:
Maybe need to consider Bostick for PT this fall (at least 4 game TR FR rule?). I would guess ISM came into Iowa at 160 lbs 'ish', however the WR room was probably leaner at that time..

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Wow!!! We don’t ordinarily get tidbits like that… Although that poor kid & the hype train now..but that’s still cool to hear!
 
I see Bostick, Brecht, Vines, Ritter & Wetjen all having a chance to contribute. I sure hope our top 3 can stay healthy so we don’t have to rely too much on them.
 
wcbtee said:
I see Bostick, Brecht, Vines, Ritter & Wetjen all having a chance to contribute. I sure hope our top 3 can stay healthy so we don’t have to rely too much on them.
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You didn't mention Wick who Copeland called out specifically as someone to watch out for. I would look for him over Vines and Wetjen.
 
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BigOHawk said:
Maybe need to consider Bostick for PT this fall (at least 4 game TR FR rule?). I would guess ISM came into Iowa at 160 lbs 'ish', however the WR room was probably leaner at that time..

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Kid is going to be really good. Scout compared him to Tyler Boyd after watching him during the Summer between Junior and Senior year. IF he wouldn't have gotten injured he might have been a 4 star.
 
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David1979 said:
Kid is going to be really good. Scout compared him to Tyler Boyd after watching him during the Summer between Junior and Senior year. IF he wouldn't have gotten injured he might have been a 4 star.
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Tyler Boyd? Sign me up...I thought he torched us in the Pitt game at Pitt the year before the Marshall Koeghn walkoff FG. Pretty sure he was in the EZ watching that ball go through..now I want to watch that play again!

"It's hooking...it's twisting..it's GOOOOD!""
 
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ghostOfHomer777 said:
WRs are supposed to block ... so why would that be an issue? Just watch Ohio State or 'Bama WRs. Why would Iowa WRs have to be different?
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As I suspect you already, he throws shade pretty consistently towards the staff. Just more of the same.
 
ghostOfHomer777 said:
WRs are supposed to block ... so why would that be an issue? Just watch Ohio State or 'Bama WRs. Why would Iowa WRs have to be different?
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cmhawks99 said:
As I suspect you already, he throws shade pretty consistently towards the staff. Just more of the same.
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I could certainly be wrong but I figured he was using the "can he block/can he punt" joke that is commonly used. When our punting was trash and we signed any position, one of the first comments was always "can he punt?"

That's how I took it; could be wrong.
 
David1979 said:
You didn't mention Wick who Copeland called out specifically as someone to watch out for. I would look for him over Vines and Wetjen.
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Sure.

I like those guys for depth and the future two deep.
 
BurgHawk87 said:
That kick was good from 65 based on that angle. Man he juiced that. (Also the shot immediately following this with Boyd standing with his hands on his hips is perfect)
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Thought it was cool that when they changed turf they gave him the spot where he kicked that from. My Dad and I only got end zone sections. To go way back a section of my garage has some of the original turf in it.
 
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BigOHawk said:
Most of the time, it seems we play at most 4 WR's per game with the opportunity for a 5th to see some limited PT depending on teams and matchups, thus here's the current WR room and projects depth chart from what I can gather:

Starters - Bruce, Kegan Johnson & Nico
Next men in (no particular order): Brecht, Vines, Ritter, Wick
Outside looking in unless a great fall camp: Bostick, Wetjen, Jack Johnson, Osgood, Eichmann, Kummm, Friedrichson

So we have plenty of WRs on roster (maybe 6 on scholarship?) however curious which of the walkons might surprise this fall and there is probably some room on special teams too. I'd say Wetjen since he came from IWCC and maybe down the road Osgood as he had a solid senior season in Wisky w/some good stats.

Discuss..
Click to expand...
Playing time for most 2 and definitely 3 deeps at Iowa depends on 2 things.

1. Running the score up (which happens about 1 time a year).
Our offense hasn't proven to be a point scoring machine more than 1 time a year and KF\BF leave their foot on the gas the same amount of times per year.
2. Injuries (unfortunately, best shot at the field).
 
obfuscating said:
Playing time for most 2 and definitely 3 deeps at Iowa depends on 2 things.

1. Running the score up (which happens about 1 time a year).
Our offense hasn't proven to be a point scoring machine more than 1 time a year and KF\BF leave their foot on the gas the same amount of times per year.
2. Injuries (unfortunately, best shot at the field).
Click to expand...

Are you sure you’re watching the same Iowa team that I do… ? We literally played 10 defensive lineman last year and I’d wager we played bare minimum 8- Dbacks maybe more.

Higgins and Fisher both definitely got time at linebacker… We played 8-10 OLs, 3-TEs.
But whatever, believe what you want.
 
pink shizzle said:
I could certainly be wrong but I figured he was using the "can he block/can he punt" joke that is commonly used. When our punting was trash and we signed any position, one of the first comments was always "can he punt?"

That's how I took it; could be wrong.
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You're right. No clue what cm said but I'm sure it was as idiotic as most his posts ;).

Some folks here aren't that bright unfortunately ..
 
cmhawks99 said:
Are you sure you’re watching the same Iowa team that I do… ? We literally played 10 defensive lineman last year and I’d wager we played bare minimum 8- Dbacks maybe more.

Higgins and Fisher both definitely got time at linebacker… We played 8-10 OLs, 3-TEs.
But whatever, believe what you want.
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OL was because we couldn't block so they were rotating like a roulette wheel. We played 3TE's because we couldn't get the WR's open, so there's that.

DL - we always have rotated well there.

DB's due to injury...

So that leaves 2 LB's that got some time in the Maryland game.
 
obfuscating said:
OL was because we couldn't block so they were rotating like a roulette wheel. We played 3TE's because we couldn't get the WR's open, so there's that.

DL - we always have rotated well there.

DB's due to injury...

So that leaves 2 LB's that got some time in the Maryland game.
Click to expand...

So then we agree, we played a lot of people…
 
Blair Sanderson said:
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I remember the plays right before this from Beathard to get us in position to kick this. CJ was just clutch that entire year. I mean every week, he would make the right play, the big play to get points. Man...I think people don't give him the credit for how well he played in 2015.

Who's the other guy that has won 12 games in a row for Iowa Football? Spencer Petras.

I'll also make the point that CJ struggled in 2016...why? Our offensive line struggled...that's why. It's the point I've been making about Petras last year...he's shown he can make enough plays to win games...but you have to protect him. Last year we had the worst OL in the B10 for tackles for loss and 3rd worst in giving up sacks...just saying.
 
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A large number of those tackles for a loss were poor Tyler Goodson facing god knows how many guys in the box completely disrespecting Iowas passing game. Petras was terrible last year.
 
obfuscating said:
OL was because we couldn't block so they were rotating like a roulette wheel. We played 3TE's because we couldn't get the WR's open, so there's that.

DL - we always have rotated well there.

DB's due to injury...

So that leaves 2 LB's that got some time in the Maryland game.
Click to expand...
We rotated guys on the OL more early in the year. Then some of it also occurred because guys got dinged ... like Richman and DeJong (among others). However, as the season progressed - I think that they were trying to settle more on guys ... because I think that they figured that all the rotating/juggling was impeding the OL from gelling. Toward the end of the season, the blocking by the OL seemed to really start to gain some traction. I've just been rewatching a bunch of games ... and it seems like the progress started to be made more from the Illini game on. Of course, the Michigan pass-rushers caused the group to struggle ... but then the level of play improved again against Kentucky.

On the DL, the Hawks used to only rotate guys on the DL if they didn't perceive that there was a big drop-off from the starters to the lower-strings. However, during the off-season, prior to the 2018 season ... the Iowa defensive coaches were hosted by Georgia's defensive staff ... and one of the lessons learned was to have a more active rotation in order to keep guys more fresh. The rotation in '17 was decent ... but it really stepped up more from the '18 season and after.

Phil has been known to package guys if they impress him - however, in terms of our base D, I would agree that we usually see rotation with our DBs due to injury. However, Phil has been known to use his packages more often when we have the personnel to allow it. He really liked guys like Hooker and Stone ... so, consequently, he founds ways to get those guys on the field when he could.

Wallace seemed to mirror Phil in many regards - when he has the personnel that he trusts - he'll try to package them in order to give them an opportunity to see the field. On goal-line or short-distance D ... we've been known to bring in extra LBers. While our base D is a CASH-based 4-2 ... when we face offenses that go "jumbo" like Wisconsin ... we revert more to our prior 4-3 with a LEO. Given the skill-set demonstrated by Jestin Jacobs - that gives Phil a little extra flexibility. Jacobs doesn't quite run and cover like Kirksey ... but he's pretty good. Anyhow, I remember a few years back when Wallace was giving snaps to 4 or 5 different LBers (via packaged action and/or rotating guys).
 
obfuscating said:
We played 3TE's because we couldn't get the WR's open, so there's that.
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Last season we mostly played with 1 or 2 TE looks. We mainly only used a 3rd TE because I believe that Lachey was dinged a little bit. We didn't seem to have a whole lot of trust beyond our top 2 TEs in '21.

In the past, we've had years where the twin-set (2 TEs) was our most-used formation. We've also had years when we oft-used 3-TE looks ... and we wouldn't even use it ONLY for running. If you look at Wisconsin and Minnesota - they use 3 TE looks with some frequency ... but some of the extra TEs are essentially just extra OTs.

Since '17, if our FB-play was deficient, we started also using our TE more like an H-back too. Pottebaum has been pretty decent - so I don't recall seeing that as much over the past few years. However, with Stilianos in the fold - if he integrates well into the O ... I could see Brian trying to play more personnel games with our TEs.

Anyhow, one of the BIGGEST reasons why we like to use our TEs is because it often helps us to DICTATE things more to the opposing D. Usually it forces them to match our personnel ... thereby having fewer DBs and more LBs. When their D goes big ... then we're apt to fold in the TE-passing game to exploit the LBs in coverage. If the opposing D goes small ... we'll see if we can exploit the run against those looks. Of course, our usage of the passing game remains in play if our TEs can use their size advantage over the DBs.
 
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