Skill Position Battles

There should be some spirited competition at the Fall camp for offensive skill positions. Several Red-shirt and True Freshman have a chance to make an impact this season. We will start with Back-up Qb and address every position.

Back-up Qb- The battle to be the most popular player on Iowa's roster would seem to be between R.S Frosh James Vandenberg and John Wienke. There are rumors that incoming freshman Josh Brown will be given his first shot at Qb and that even special packages are being designed to take advantage of his athleticism. Those rumors must forget that KOK is our Offensive Coordinator.

Candidates- James Vandenberg 6'3" 205 lbs The leader after spring, said to throw a very catchable ball and have very good command of the offense. Iowa's High School Career Passing Leader in almost every category will still have to perfom well in the fall to hold onto the job. According to Marc Morehouse's excellent blog following the open scrimmage it is clear that he is the #2 as the reps between Vandenberg and Wienke are not being given out evenly.

John Wienke 6'5" 225 lbs The more highly touted recriut of the class of '08, Wienke jilted RichRod and Michigan feeling their version of the spread offense was a bad fit for his skills. Another product of the "Texas Tech" style of spread offense (shotgun style, horizontal passing game) he too put up huge numbers in high school. Winke purportedly has the biggest arm on the team. Both he and Vandenberg are making huge leaps in competition so they both could use some seasoning.

Tailback- This could get interesting depending on the status of Jewel Hampton. The early reports of Hampton being seriously injured were supposedly overblown but he didn't dress for Saturday's scrimmage after supposedly tweaking the same knee. If he is hurt or reinjures the knee this could be the biggest story of camp. Iowa's tailback's have to do more than just run the ball. Hampton won the backup job in large part last season for his ability to block. They need to be an outlet in the passing game, too. Replacing Shonn Greene will be tough, lets hope it won't get tougher.

Candidates- Jewel Hampton 5'9" 210 So. (463 yds 5.1 ypc 7 tds) Hampton did a great job last season spelling Greene. He rolled up impressive numbers and did it in more than garbage time. People tend to forget the Greene tended to get banged up during games last season and Hampton played meaningful snaps in almost every Big XI game. It has been reported (John Miller broke the story) that Jewel injured his knee and had an MRI, in my experience they don't schedule those for precautionary measures even if you are the stud tailback at Iowa. Jewel has a red shirt to burn lets hope he doesn't have to burn it. If he is just a little hurt he will be the unquestioned starter.

Jeff Brinson 5'11" 215 R.Fr The more highly routed recruit of the class of '08 he took his red shirt after reportedly battling allergies or asthma and leg injuries. Ferentz has spoken glowingly of him after both the bowl practices and spring drills. Brinson is less shifty than Hampton, but more powerful. How patient will he be? The most underrated aspect of Greene's game was his vision- he found the correct hole and then he hit it hard. Brinson has some of Greene's tools, hopefully he has that one in his toolbox.

Paki O'Meara 5'11" 211 Jr. Paki will probably be elevated in the mix becasue he has proven he can catch and block. Physically, he isn't as gifted as the rest of the guys on this list. Mentally he might be a step ahead of everyone else. That counts for a lot with this coaching staff. He will also still be a standout on special teams. He was the starter on the Kids' Day Scrimmage.

Brandon Wegher 5'11' 206 True Fr. No player has come to Iowa with expectations like this since Tim Dwight. If Hampton is hurt, he has a chance to elevate into the back up role immediately. At the very least I expect him to have a shot to return kicks and punts. Weghers biggest challenges will be learning protections and adjusting to the speed of the college game. Given his athleticism I don't think his adjustment to the speed will be that tough.

Adam Robinson 5'9"205 R.Fr. The Des Moines Lincoln product is another player who was singled out for praise after spring drills. Thought to be a candidate to change positions I would guess now he will stay at Tb. Could have the most straight line speed at the position and also thought to have the most natural hands. It will be interesting to see if Bernstine's injury re-ignites position switch talk for him.

Brad Rogers 5'10" 225 True Fr. The Ohio native is almost a Fb/Tb hybrid perfect for smashing into the line in Iowa's two Td sets. Last season's first commit, he could be Iowa's short yardage and goalline back. Observations from the scrimmage say he could be larger than his listed size and that he blew up Travis Meade on one play.


Iowa is well stacked at fullback with Brett Morse (6'3 240 Jr.) who is a great blocker and Wade Leppart (6'0 245 So.) who did an okay job filling in for Morse while he was injured( I am not convinced the MSU play was Leppart's fault, I always blame KOK). '09 recruit Shane Di Bona (6'2" 220) may land at the position as well.

Wide Reciever- this is potentially Iowa's weakest position. Iowa hasn't had a dominating player at this position since I can remeber. Even Tim Dwight is remembered more for his special teams greatness than his recieving numbers. The one thing you can say about this group is there are a lot of them. Hopefully a year and a half of Coach Campbell will show up this season.

Candidates- Derrell Johnson-Koulianos 6'1" 200 lbs Jr DJK is no doubt Iowa's most gifted reciever. He is on pace to break both career receptions and yardage marks. But something still seems to be missing. He is now entering his fourth year of playing the position full time, he really needs to be the "guy". DJK has all the tools to be a dominant college player. He just can't seem to stay out of the coaches' doghouse. Coming out of the spring he was on the second string. I like Marvin McNutt's upside as much as anyone else but come on the coaches were obviously sending a message with that one. It has been rumored he has been consistently late to meetings which isn't going to sit well with either the coaches or the players. Hopefully he can get it together because listening him talk to the media he seems to have some leadership potential.

Trey Stross 6'4" 200 lbs Sr. Stross enters his Senior campaign possibly the best example of the recruiting class of 2005- one last shot to show unfullfilled potential. Stross has shown flashes of brilliance between injururies. At the very least he is a proven Red Zone target. A full season of health could see him considered for post season honors and a shot at a NFL training camp.

Colin Sandeman 6'1" 200 lbs Jr. He seemed to take a step back as a pass catcher last season but does all the little things well. Could have been a victim of sub par Qb play early. Is an extremely good blocker. Another player to earn praise from coaches after spring drills. Possibly the leading candidate to return punts. Very sure handed and a better athlete than people think.

Marvin McNutt 6'4" 215 So. Making the permanent switch from Qb to Wide Out. Listed as first string after spring drills, but that might have more to do with DJK than exceptional play by McNutt. Could be a devastating Red Zone target with his basketball backround and overall athleticism. Was a running Qb in high school and can do something with the ball in his hands.

Paul Chaney Jr. 5'9" 167 Jr. Another player who had been in the coaches' doghouse, he was one of the revelations of spring. Chaney is probably the fastest player on the team. He is a decent track runner and his track speed actually translates to the football field. if he could have held onto the ball at the end of the Wisconsin game in 2007 alot of things might be different. Chaney had trouble making the travel squad last season so counting on him to be in the mix all season might be a stretch, but he might have turned the corner. He could be the guy who stretches the field for the Hawk's this season.

Keenan Davis 6'3" 200 lbs True Fr. Ferentz always says the further away from the ball you play the easier it is to come in and make an impact. Iowa may need Davis to lead the receiving corps from day one. Another tall athletic target with a basketball backround, Davis can do something with the ball once he gathers it in. Davis is the kind of Wr recruit Iowa has struggled to bring in in recent recruiting classes. He could be a starter before the Big XI season.

Players to Watch
Jordan Cotton 6'1" 170 True Fr. recruited as an athlete could end up at another position
Ben Evans 6'0" 178 Jr. walk on played early last season.
James Hurt 6'1" 180 R.Fr. Vandenberg's high school teammate transfered in to walk on
Don Nordmann 6'6" 211 Jr. He is 6'6" throw him a fade see what happens
Seven Staggs 6'3" 195 R.Fr. Walk on was on track to earn a scholly before injury in H.S. very fast.


Tight Ends- Another position where Iowa has plenty of bodies to throw at you. I don't think we will see the 3 tight end set as often as we did last year since the Battering Ram is gone, but even with Anthony Schiavone quitting we have 9 on the roster. If Moeaki is healthy he is the man and if he isn't I still feel pretty good about Reisner. It looks like Herman is going to stick too so here is a look at the top four and the rest of the list.

Candidates- Tony Moeaki 6'4 250 Sr. This is Tony's last chance to show the injuries he has suffered were just fluky. When he is on the field he is a difference maker. Tony can be a traditional in line tight end, he can flex- out, and he can line up in the back field. He is a great blocker, has soft hands, can catch on the run, and run with the ball. He just has to stay healthy. If he does that, there is enough film to bault him into the top 5 at his position for next season's NFL draft.

Allen Reisner 6'3" 235 Jr. Reisner reminds me alot of Brandon Myers. He was the last scholarship offer of his class. He was pressed into duty after injuries, and never got the benefit of a red shirt season. He is consistently underestimated athletically. He just gets open and makes the best of his opportunities. He blocks the guy in front of him and then looks for someone else to hit. Last season he averaged 18.3 yards per catch. I could see him doing that again while doubling his catch total this season.

Brad Herman 6'5" 242 So. I was suprised to see Herman play tight end last season. I saw him as a natural fit at either Olb position and the heir to Nielson at the Leo position. He looked great as a receiver though early in the season. I haven't seen enough of him to know how good of a blocker he is, but I can't imagine he would have ascended the depth chart so quickly on the strength of his pass catching alone. He saw action in 6 games for Iowa last season and could see more time on special teams this season, too.

J.D. Griggs 6'5" 255 R.Fr. Griggs has the size you dream of when you create a tight end on a video game. We will see this season if his size and athleticism translate to playing time and production. I expect to see him vs. UNI and if he does well throughout the rest of the season. He reportedly had a very good Kids' Day Scrimmage.

Players to Watch
Zach Furlong 6'5" 235 So. Didn't get invited to Fall camp last season. Has something to prove I imagine.
Jonathon Gimm 6'3" 235 R.Fr. Suposedly has the frame to grow into a lineman. I wouldn't be suprised to hear about a position change for him. Nothing so far though.
Dakota Getz 6'4" 210 True Fr. Needs to red shirt to gain some weight and strength to play Big XI football. Good speed for this position.
Ross Peterson 6'3" 236 Jr. saw time last season in the 3 TE sets as a blocker. I don't recall him catching a pass.
Kyle Spading 6'5" 250 Sr. See Ross Peterson. Could switch to Dt to see the field more.