Up until a couple of years ago, I had as good a chance of playing as any first year player at Iowa. Playing first year players wasn’t something that Kirk Ferentz wanted to do and he tried to avoid it at all costs. The last couple of years he has begun to play more and more true freshman, mostly on special teams. Below is a list of five that could make an immediate impact this season.
5. Darian Cooper – DL - #97 Cooper arrives to the Iowa campus at the right time as Iowa graduated three defensive lineman from last years team. Cooper has the size, 6-2, 280 to not get pushed around against most collegiate lineman. Since Iowa doesn’t run a complicated defensive scheme, he should be able to step right in and contribute. He had a chance to be ranked higher than 5, but a transcript issue kept him from camp for the first week and Coach Ferentz announced today that he has been battling injury.
4. Jordan Canzeri – RB - #33 Canzeri didn’t have much fanfare when he committed to Iowa, who beat out the powerhouses of Villanova and UCONN for his services. He put up huge numbers in high school, toting the ball 222 times for 2048 yards and 34 touchdowns as a senior. Jordan has incredible speed, but his lateral quickness might be his biggest asset. Canzeri is small in stature, only 185 pounds, but he should be a great change of pace back to Marcus Coker’s bruising style.
3. Ray Hamilton – TE - #82 Iowa has always used multiple tight ends under Ferentz and their depth at the position would lead one to believe they will do that again this year. Although Hamilton would probably be listed as #4 on the depth chart, I think that he has shown enough in fall camp to garner some reps as well as some time on special teams. If there is an injury to one of the three ahead of him, he could easily move up and contribute right away.
2. Torrey Campbell – CB - #22 There are a couple of defensive backs that could play as true freshman, from the limited pictures and exposure Campbell has seen significant reps. B.J. Lowery’s injury means that Campbell moves up the depth chart. He will most certainly get some reps on special teams and that is a position where a young player can make a name for himself, see Sean Consodine.
1. Mika’ll McCall – RB - #25 A lack of depth makes it almost a necessity that Iowa uses a freshman to spell Coker. Previously I talked about Canzeri being a change of pace back, McCall is more of a clone of Coker, at 6-0 215 pounds he has the size and skill set to get 10-12 carries a game and allow Coker to keep fresh legs for later in the season. McCall showed in the kids day scrimmage the ability to make one cut and go, which is a necessity in the zone blocking scheme that Iowa runs.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Special Teams Outlook
Something that has become a staple at Iowa underneath Kirk Ferentz is good special teams. While they don’t make the flashy plays that get them on Sportscenter, they play solid and really become a weapon field position wise.
Punter-
Gone is one of Iowa’s all-time best, Ryan Donahue, who had been the starting punter for the last four years. While his average wasn’t the best, his ability to pin the opposing team inside their own twenty helped the Iowa defense become what they are. Attempting to replace Donahue will be Eric Guthrie, a senior who has been in Ryans shadow waiting for his turn to kick for the Hawkeyes. Guthrie is a guy who is solid, but won’t get mistaken for Donahue. Behind Donahue was thought to be Johnny Mullings, who came to Iowa as a You Tube star; however it was recently revealed that Mullings won’t join the team until school has started. One could assume that that means Mullings won’t see the field, but this could also serve as motivation to hone his craft. If Mullings isn’t the backup look for backup quarterback John Weinke to serve as the backup punter. Don’t get too concerned however, as Weinke averaged more than 40 yards per punt in high school.
Kicker-
Some college teams don’t have a kicker with any collegiate experience; Iowa on the other hand has two. Trent Mossbrucker was the incumbant last year, but his inconsistancy lead to Mike Meyer getting a shot, once Meyer won the job, he didn’t let it go. This season Meyer is the incumbant, but don’t rule out Mossbrucker yet, if he can get right between the ears, he still has the talent to be a Big Ten kicker. Add to the mix, a walk-on freshman, Marshall Koehn, who has a big leg and could be the kickoff specialist.
Long Snapper-
A name that most Hawkeye fans won’t remember is Andrew Schultz, the fact that you may not know who he is means that he did his job as the long snapper. It’s a position that only gets mentioned when they do something wrong. Schultz was good enough to get invited to an NFL training camp and replacing him will be Casey Kreiter. If Casey can keep his name out of the announcer’s mouth, it will be a success.
Punter-
Gone is one of Iowa’s all-time best, Ryan Donahue, who had been the starting punter for the last four years. While his average wasn’t the best, his ability to pin the opposing team inside their own twenty helped the Iowa defense become what they are. Attempting to replace Donahue will be Eric Guthrie, a senior who has been in Ryans shadow waiting for his turn to kick for the Hawkeyes. Guthrie is a guy who is solid, but won’t get mistaken for Donahue. Behind Donahue was thought to be Johnny Mullings, who came to Iowa as a You Tube star; however it was recently revealed that Mullings won’t join the team until school has started. One could assume that that means Mullings won’t see the field, but this could also serve as motivation to hone his craft. If Mullings isn’t the backup look for backup quarterback John Weinke to serve as the backup punter. Don’t get too concerned however, as Weinke averaged more than 40 yards per punt in high school.
Kicker-
Some college teams don’t have a kicker with any collegiate experience; Iowa on the other hand has two. Trent Mossbrucker was the incumbant last year, but his inconsistancy lead to Mike Meyer getting a shot, once Meyer won the job, he didn’t let it go. This season Meyer is the incumbant, but don’t rule out Mossbrucker yet, if he can get right between the ears, he still has the talent to be a Big Ten kicker. Add to the mix, a walk-on freshman, Marshall Koehn, who has a big leg and could be the kickoff specialist.
Long Snapper-
A name that most Hawkeye fans won’t remember is Andrew Schultz, the fact that you may not know who he is means that he did his job as the long snapper. It’s a position that only gets mentioned when they do something wrong. Schultz was good enough to get invited to an NFL training camp and replacing him will be Casey Kreiter. If Casey can keep his name out of the announcer’s mouth, it will be a success.
Defensive Back Preview
Much like the defensive line, the Hawkeye defensive backfield graduated a wealth of experience. Gone are both safties, Tyler Sash and Brett Greenwood. Sash left Iowa as its all time interception return yardage leader and Greenwood left after being a four year starter.
Safety
As noted above, both safties have graduated, which is never good and I am sure that if defensive coordinator Norm Parker he would rather lose cornerbacks than safties. In the two deep cover that Iowa runs, the safties are very important in lining up the defense and being disciplined as the last line of defense. What the Iowa coaches do as good as any coaches in the country is to get their best players on the field. That is what you are seeing this year with Micah Hyde (6-1, 185) moving from cornerback to free safety. Micah showed a nose for the ball grabbing 4 interceptions last year and returning two of them for touchdowns. Opposite Hyde at strong safety will be a position that won’t be decided till game week. Senior Jordan Bernstein (5-11, 205), junior Colin Sleeper (6-2, 200), and sophomore Tanner Miller (6-2, 200) will all be competing for playing time. Bernstein arrived on campus five years ago as a highly taughted recruit, but has been plauged by injuries. Miller played last year as a true freshman and was able to hold his own. Sleeper is the wild card here, he’s a guy that is very athletic, last year he played Denard Robinson for the scout team. Whichever one of these guys wins the job will be pushed all season for playing time by the two that aren’t starting.
Cornerback
Shaun Prater (5-11, 180) decided to return to campus after toying with the idea of leaving early to the NFL. The senior is returning after a first team all-Big Ten selection last season and is an All-American candidate. There isn’t much else to say about Prater, he is one of the better cover corners that Iowa has had under Kirk Ferentz and will see his numbers fall this season as opposing teams won’t target receivers on his side as much. Opposite Prater will be Greg Castillo (5-11, 182); the junior had 11 tackles last season in spot duty and looks to become the full time starter this season. Behind the starting corners will be B.J. Lowery (5-11, 185) who has made some impressive plays in open practices the last two seasons. Behind these three will be some young guys, Jordan Lomax (5-10, 185), Gavin Smith (5-10, 175), and Torrey Campbell (5-11, 183) will all be looking to find their way onto the field through backup roles and special teams.
Nickel package –
When Iowa goes to the Nickel package this season look for them to bring in an extra safety and move Micah Hyde down to play over the slot receiver, having three quality cover guys in this package should be a huge benefit for the Iowa defense.
Safety
As noted above, both safties have graduated, which is never good and I am sure that if defensive coordinator Norm Parker he would rather lose cornerbacks than safties. In the two deep cover that Iowa runs, the safties are very important in lining up the defense and being disciplined as the last line of defense. What the Iowa coaches do as good as any coaches in the country is to get their best players on the field. That is what you are seeing this year with Micah Hyde (6-1, 185) moving from cornerback to free safety. Micah showed a nose for the ball grabbing 4 interceptions last year and returning two of them for touchdowns. Opposite Hyde at strong safety will be a position that won’t be decided till game week. Senior Jordan Bernstein (5-11, 205), junior Colin Sleeper (6-2, 200), and sophomore Tanner Miller (6-2, 200) will all be competing for playing time. Bernstein arrived on campus five years ago as a highly taughted recruit, but has been plauged by injuries. Miller played last year as a true freshman and was able to hold his own. Sleeper is the wild card here, he’s a guy that is very athletic, last year he played Denard Robinson for the scout team. Whichever one of these guys wins the job will be pushed all season for playing time by the two that aren’t starting.
Cornerback
Shaun Prater (5-11, 180) decided to return to campus after toying with the idea of leaving early to the NFL. The senior is returning after a first team all-Big Ten selection last season and is an All-American candidate. There isn’t much else to say about Prater, he is one of the better cover corners that Iowa has had under Kirk Ferentz and will see his numbers fall this season as opposing teams won’t target receivers on his side as much. Opposite Prater will be Greg Castillo (5-11, 182); the junior had 11 tackles last season in spot duty and looks to become the full time starter this season. Behind the starting corners will be B.J. Lowery (5-11, 185) who has made some impressive plays in open practices the last two seasons. Behind these three will be some young guys, Jordan Lomax (5-10, 185), Gavin Smith (5-10, 175), and Torrey Campbell (5-11, 183) will all be looking to find their way onto the field through backup roles and special teams.
Nickel package –
When Iowa goes to the Nickel package this season look for them to bring in an extra safety and move Micah Hyde down to play over the slot receiver, having three quality cover guys in this package should be a huge benefit for the Iowa defense.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
View from the Water tower: An aerial view of the Hawkeyes and Big Ten Football
Get to know the newest Hawkeyes:
1 PK Marshall Koehn
5 QB Kyle Anderson
7 DB Brandon Boerm
15 QB Jake Rudock
21 DB Nico Law
22 DB Torrey Campbell
25 RB Mika'il McCall
27 DB Jordan Lomax
32 RB Damon Bullock
33 RB Jordan Canzeri
33 FB Adam Cox
36 LB Macon Plewa
39 DB Travis Perry
42 DB Cole Fisher
48 DB John Lowdermilk
49 LB Melvin Spears
52 LB Quinton Alston
55 LB Marcus Collins
63 OL Austin Blythe
65 OL Jordan Walsh
73 OL Jared Kracke
75 DL Dean Tsopanides
80 TE Henry Krieger-Coble
82 TE Ray Hamilton
84 WR Jacob Hillyer
87 TE Jake Duzey
89 WR Marcus Grant
94 DE Riley McMinn
95 DE John Raymon
97 DL Darian Cooper
1 PK Marshall Koehn
5 QB Kyle Anderson
7 DB Brandon Boerm
15 QB Jake Rudock
21 DB Nico Law
22 DB Torrey Campbell
25 RB Mika'il McCall
27 DB Jordan Lomax
32 RB Damon Bullock
33 RB Jordan Canzeri
33 FB Adam Cox
36 LB Macon Plewa
39 DB Travis Perry
42 DB Cole Fisher
48 DB John Lowdermilk
49 LB Melvin Spears
52 LB Quinton Alston
55 LB Marcus Collins
63 OL Austin Blythe
65 OL Jordan Walsh
73 OL Jared Kracke
75 DL Dean Tsopanides
80 TE Henry Krieger-Coble
82 TE Ray Hamilton
84 WR Jacob Hillyer
87 TE Jake Duzey
89 WR Marcus Grant
94 DE Riley McMinn
95 DE John Raymon
97 DL Darian Cooper
View from the Water tower: An aerial view of the Hawkeyes and Big Ten Football
Quick Slants
Since Big Ten media days, there have been several items of note to come from the Iowa football program. Here are a few of them:
Dan Heir will be red-shirting. Heir figured to be in the two deeps until he was involved in a one car accident. The injuries we suffered were enough to sideline him for the entire season to give him time to recover. Once he is back next year he will be punished for receiving an OWI as a result of the accident. With Iowa losing at least two offensive lineman and possibly three, he will add some much needed depth.
Donovan Johnson will be attending a junior college. This is something that had been rumored since the end of last season, but Donovan has said that his intention is to return to Iowa after he gets his academics in order.
A lack of star power will cause the defensive line to rotate and get an advantage from being more fresh than the offensive line.
Notes from practice photos:
Brandon Sherff has been starting at guard
Christian Kirksey and Anthony Hitchens have been splitting time at OLB
Jordan Walsh and Austin Blythe have Big Ten ready bodies
Nico Law will contribute in some capacity this season
Carl Davis has been running with the 1st team defense
No sign of LeBron Daniel in the photo galleries
View practice galleries at www.hawkeyesports.com
Former Hawkeye news:
Brandon Wegher will be playing at Iowa Western Community College
http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/sports/football/college/article_cf2e454f-1101-54f0-b94b-e1bdb00dc99a.html
Jeff Brinson sees his career cut short
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/os-ucf-football-practice-begins-0804-20110803,0,2143070.story
Monday, August 8, 2011
Pre Fall Linebacker Outlook
Much like the defensive line, the linebacker corps at Iowa will consist of a lot of new names and faces this fall. Last season saw the linebackers decimated by injury, the plus side with so many injuries to upper classmen was that a lot of young players saw significant playing time. Much like the other units on the defensive side of the ball, linebacker has been a position that Iowa has been able to replenish year after year without losing too much, production wise.
Middle Linebacker-
James Morris (6-2, 215) returns for his sophomore season after producing more as a freshman than anyone not names Morris thought he would. Morris stepped in to the starting role after injuries left the Iowa coaches with little option but to burn his redshirt. To say that he made the best of his opportunity is an understatement. In the short time as the starter, Morris proved to have a knack for finding the ball and making plays when he got there. Behind Morris will be Senior Bruce Davis (6-0, 232), a player that has been in the Iowa system for four years and hasn’t seemed to be able to avoid the injury bug in his time on campus.
Weakside linebacker-
Gone will be three year starter Jeremiah Hunter and in his place will be a trio of sophomores vying for the starting role. Christian Kirksey (6-2, 215), Anthony Hitchens (6-1, 215), and Shane DiBona (6-2, 230) look to be the front runners to replace Hunter. Kirksey is a player who learned the ropes as a special teams player last year, Hitchens is a converted defensive back and DiBona saw action last year at linebacker when Hunter was injured. Whoever comes out of this pre-season battle will have to be on their game as the two that don’t start will be looking to earn playing time all season. This could be a position that sees a rotation based on what type of offense they are playing, DiBona seems to be a little stronger against the run while the other two seem to be better in pass coverage.
Strongside linebacker-
Returning from a broken neck will be senior Tyler Nielsen (6-4, 235), who is looking to turn in a solid senior season. While the starting job is essentially his to lose, sophomore Dakota Getz (6-4, 235) will be nipping at his heels to find his way to the field.
The best thing about this unit is their versatility, both weakside and strongside linebackers can be interchanged. With the young depth that this unit has, don’t be surprised if you see more 3-4 defense this season.
Middle Linebacker-
James Morris (6-2, 215) returns for his sophomore season after producing more as a freshman than anyone not names Morris thought he would. Morris stepped in to the starting role after injuries left the Iowa coaches with little option but to burn his redshirt. To say that he made the best of his opportunity is an understatement. In the short time as the starter, Morris proved to have a knack for finding the ball and making plays when he got there. Behind Morris will be Senior Bruce Davis (6-0, 232), a player that has been in the Iowa system for four years and hasn’t seemed to be able to avoid the injury bug in his time on campus.
Weakside linebacker-
Gone will be three year starter Jeremiah Hunter and in his place will be a trio of sophomores vying for the starting role. Christian Kirksey (6-2, 215), Anthony Hitchens (6-1, 215), and Shane DiBona (6-2, 230) look to be the front runners to replace Hunter. Kirksey is a player who learned the ropes as a special teams player last year, Hitchens is a converted defensive back and DiBona saw action last year at linebacker when Hunter was injured. Whoever comes out of this pre-season battle will have to be on their game as the two that don’t start will be looking to earn playing time all season. This could be a position that sees a rotation based on what type of offense they are playing, DiBona seems to be a little stronger against the run while the other two seem to be better in pass coverage.
Strongside linebacker-
Returning from a broken neck will be senior Tyler Nielsen (6-4, 235), who is looking to turn in a solid senior season. While the starting job is essentially his to lose, sophomore Dakota Getz (6-4, 235) will be nipping at his heels to find his way to the field.
The best thing about this unit is their versatility, both weakside and strongside linebackers can be interchanged. With the young depth that this unit has, don’t be surprised if you see more 3-4 defense this season.
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