One thing that is almost more important than who wins these jobs is who fills the leadership void being left by King, Kroul, Bruggy, and Olsen. The dip of '06 and '07 have been laid as much on off field problems as on field perfomance. Listening to Mitch King and Matt Kroul it is pretty obvious that they bled Black and Gold. I think that DJK has done a nice job in interviews and has some leadership ability. AJ Edds and Pat Angerer have also impressed me. Others are going to need to pick up the slack and help rebuild Iowa into a consistent winner. It is imperative that Iowa doesn't take a step back in the off season and off the field after they have seemed to re-establish momentum on it.
Defense is really where it all starts for Iowa and so that is where I will begin.
Defensive Tackle: Lost- Mitch King, Matt Kroul; The candidates: Karl Klug, Broderick Binns, Chad Geary, Cody Hundertmark, Mike Daniels
Spud's Spin- You can pencil Klug in for one of these spots, but it really depends on who is going to play next to him. I have heard that Binns will move to Tackle because both Ballard and Clayborn feel their future in the NFL is at Defensive End. If you look at what Iowa has done recently this actually fits pretty well with Norm's scheme. I think that if Binns adapts well to DT, Geary stays at End. Hundertmark is a big body and played well in his true freshman year of 2007. He took his red shirt last season. Daniels also flashed some ability early last season and has a reputation as a very strong player. I explect Klug to play the Nose and Binns to play more of the Undertackle role. Since Kaczenski has taken over for Aiken it seems that more players have rotated in and out and Iowa seems to have built in some depth at this position.
Corner: Lost- Bradley Fletcher; The candidates: Jordan Bernstine, Shaun Prater, Willie Lowe, Chris Rowell
Spud's Spin- This could be a very intense battle and will probably spill into the season. Bernstine has all the tools and has seen the field a lot in nickel and dime situations, but Prater obviously made enough of an impression on the staff to play as a true freshman. He could be one of those "diamond in the rough" types as his twin brother was the more sought after recruit. Also from what I understand both starting safties could be out of spring ball after undergoing surgery following the Outback Bowl possibly pressing Bernstine into that role during spring drills. Lowe is another player who saw limited action as true freshman and is rumored to be amongst the speediest players on the team. Chris Rowell impressed last season on special teams and the staff seems to reward upperclassmen by placing them high on the depth chart heading into the season. There are some rumors that he is no longer pursuing football, however. I expect Bernstine to win the job if he stays healthy. Prater will see plenty of PT also.
Now onto the offense. There are plenty of holes to fill here, but it is wonderful to not have a QB controversy to fill the off season tedium. Well.........
Backup QB: Lost- Jake Christensen; The candidates: James Vandenberg, John Wienke
Spud's spin: I really have no idea. I have watched them warm up before one home game. One is right handed, one is left handed. This is a hilarious topic on message boards. Vandenberg set all kinds of Iowa high school records, is the right hander, and is the favorite of Tommy from Des Moines. In fact, I think that The Govenor wanted to see him last season. John Wienke is 6'5" 225 (recruited size), jilted Michigan after Rich Rod was hired, and is left handed which makes some fans cringe because it reminds them of Jake. This won't be settled until Stanzi graduates or is seriously injured so that neither of them transfers.
Tailback: Lost- Shonn Greene; The candidates: Jewel Hampton, Jeff Brinson, Adam Robinson, Paki O'Meara
Spud's spin: This would seem to be Hampton's job to lose. He had a fantastic freshman year backing up Shonn Greene. However he won't be running behind exactly the same line. It might be as good, could be better, might be a shade worse, we won't know until the Penn State game. He also won't be spelling Greene, he will be carrying the load. I think Brinson will get his share of carries as Coach Ferentz spoke glowingly about him during the lead up to the bowl. A lot of compliments have slipped out of Iowa City about Adam Robinson, too. Paki O'Meara's future looks to be special teams and perhaps a role as a 3rd down back. He has shown some ability in both pass blocking and pass catching and again this coaching staff has a tendency to reward upper classmen with playing time if they view a position as fairly even. I expect Hampton to be the starter coming out of spring ball with Brinson a close number two.
Center: Lost- Rob Bruggeman; The candidates: Rafael Eubanks, Josh Koeppel, James Ferentz
Spud's spin: Eubanks lost his job to Bruggeman twice, once in 2007 and again in 2008. Bruggeman was lost for basically the entire 2007 season so Eubanks ended up keeping the center job in 2007 but was moved to guard last season. He was listed as a co- starter with Julian Vandervelde but eventually lost that battle and was a backup for most of last season. He has really battled a lot of injuries throughout his career. Koeppel played more in 2007 than he did last season and is really undersized. If he is able to gain strength and size he could push for a starting position. Ferentz is obviously the Wild Card in this battle. He is the coach's son so his is expected to have above average knowledge of the game. He has good size for his age and is supposed to compare favorably to his brother(Brian). One thing that could hold him back was his six week suspension from the team last season for a MIP. I expect Eubanks to hold off all comers and win this position. Center is the quaterback of the line and experience is cherished by this coaching staff.
Right Guard: Lost- Seth Olsen; The candidates: Dan Doering, Andy Kuempel, Travis Meade, Adam Gettis, Casey McMillan
Spud's spin: This looks like Dan Doering's job to lose as I have read that Kuempel is out for spring. Meade started 7 games in '07 and barely played in '08. Gettis is a player that I keep hearing and reading about but it is hard to see him winning a starting job yet. McMillan has the size but is only entering his second semester of college. When Doering has been healthy (the story of the recruiting class of 2005) he has played very, very well. He has been dinged up his entire career but because of his natural abilities and Iowa's reputation could still be on the NFL's radar. He needs to win this job. I am betting he will win this battle.
Wide Out: Lost- Andy Brodell; The candidates: Trey Stross, Colin Sandeman, Paul Chaney Jr., Marvin McNutt, Shane Prater
Spud's spin: Iowa tends to rotate at least 4 wide outs per game and has run a lot more 3 wide receiver sets so many of these guys have some experience. Stross will probably be the leader for the first line and Sandeman has a good chance to push him because Stross lives in the training room. Chaney runs track in the spring and allegedly takes advantage of both coaching staffs to loaf. Maybe he has matured and that is all behind him because we could really use a speed threat like him. McNutt is an intriguing option at 6'4" and, you would assume, an understanding of the passing game moving over from quarterback. Prater was highly recruited and if he is athletic as his brother would be tantalizing in the slot (so KOK will use him on the outside). I would expect to see Stross' name next to DJK on the one line with Sandeman and Chaney backing them up again as a nod to upper classmen.
Tight End: Lost- Brandon Myers; The candidates: Tony Moeaki, Allen Reisner, Brad Herman, J.D. Griggs
Spud's spin: Iowa basically starts two tight ends in many of their alignments and last season even used three on occasion. Given the fragility of Moeaki, Herman and Griggs better be ready for prime time. Reisner really flashed last season showing soft hands, deep speed and the ability to find a hole in zone coverage. He could be the new Myers if Moeaki can't make it through the season. Herman saw some action early in the season and also played special teams while Griggs red shirted. Both are listed at 6' 5" but need to add some weight and strength to block in the Big Ten. Speed shouldn't be and issue for either of them.
Place Kicker: Lost- No One; The candidates: Daniel Murray, Trent Mossbrucker
Murray made the biggest kick of Iowa's season last year when he ruined Penn State season. I won't lie, I was outside my house chain smoking, cursing Ferentz, muttering," Where's Mossbrucker?" I didn't have a lot of confidence in Murray and it was my understanding that Mossbrucker handled the kicks from inside 40 but hey I'm not complaning now. I think that this season one of them will be the full time kicker and it is possible that the loser of this job may transfer as soon this spring, especially if it is Mossbrucker. Iowa's style of play dictates the necessity of a clean kicking game so I would prefer to keep both. If the coaches are smart they will name Mossbrucker the starter or at least Co-starter. I think the coaches are pretty smart.
Depth Chart Returning Starters in Bold
- QB Ricky Stanzi JR James Vandenberg R.FR/John Wienke R.FR
- TB Jewel Hampton SO Jeff Brinson R.FR/Paki O'Meara Jr Brandon Wegher FR
- FB Brett Morse JR Wade Leppert SO Shane Di Bona FR
- WR Derrel Johnson-Ko. JR Colin Sandeman JR Shane Prater R.FR
- WR Trey Stross SR Paul Chaney Jr. JR Keenan Davis FR
- TE Tony Moeaki SR Allen Reisner JR Brad Herman SO
- LT Brian Bulaga JR Dace Richardson* SR Riley Reiff R.FR
- LG Julian Vandervelde JR Adam Gettis SO Travis Meade SR
- C Rafael Eubanks SR Josh Koeppel JR James Ferentz R.FR
- RG Dan Doering SR Andy Keumpel SR Casey McMillan R.FR
- RT Kyle Calloway SR Kyle Haganman JR Markus Zusevics SO
- * That is if Dace returns healthy ** I expect the loser of the Doering/ Keumpal position battle to basically be the top backup at every other line position except center.
- RDE Adrian Clayborn JR Chad Geary SR Joe Gaglione R.FR
- DT Karl Klug JR Cody Hundertmark SO
- DT Broderick Binns SO Mike Daniels SO
- LDE Christian Ballard JR Steve Bigach R.FR Jason Semmes R.FR
- LEO A.J. Edds SR Tyler Nielson SO Troy Johnson JR
- Mike Pat Angerer SR Jacody Coleman JR Bruce Davis SO
- Will Jeremiha Hunter JR Jeff Tarpinian JR Jake Reisen FR
- CB Amari Spievey JR Willie Lowe SO Micah Hyde FR
- SS Tyler Sash SO David Cato SO Greg Castillo R.FR
- FS Brett Greenwood JR Jack Swanson R.FR
- CB Jordan Bernstine JR Shaun Prater SO Chris Rowell SR
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