The Hawkeye Recruiter » iowa hawkeyes

Kicker Mike Meyer of Dubuque Wahlert Walking On at Iowa

iowah0_admin — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 22:15:52 +0000

Scout — Read how Dubuque Wahlert kicker Mike Meyer made his decision to attend Iowa over Iowa State and Northern Iowa.

The Hawkeyes could use a guy of Meyer’s talent. His strong leg will fill some holes in the Iowa kicking game and could put him in the running for the kickoff squad right away.

Last year, Meyer was eight of nine FGs from inside 50 yards, including a long of 56 for Wahlert. He also recorded touchbacks on 28 of his 30 kickoffs.

The good news: the field doesn’t get any longer in college football.

Not to put unnecessary pressure on the Hawkeyes’ latest signing, but it would be nice to see a kicker with some accuracy and range to match. Meyer may be able to offer just that.

Why Kirk Ferentz Does Not Fit at Notre Dame

iowah0_admin — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 16:18:40 +0000

Kirk Ferentz is no stranger to rumors—he seems to have his name thrown into more possible coaching replacement discussions than can be counted on one hand any given year.

The Big Ten Coach of the Year was originally penned into the Notre Dame coaching job discussion by a story ran in the Chicago Sun-Times way back on November 15th.

Now that the Irish have officially dumped Charlie Weis, it seems every media outlet has planted Ferentz on what they believe should be Notre Dame’s short list—though it’s extremely short-sighted.

Ferentz and Weis share a common acquaintance in Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick and their salaries are similar. That’s about all that could be tying the Iowa head coach into this messy equation.

Though, it’s all very clean-cut in Ferentz’s case.

Notre Dame would need to change too much for Ferentz to be the proper fit.

Ferentz is Catholic (for what it’s worth) and it’s true that Notre Dame would benefit from a coach with a style similar to that of Ferentz—a focused running attack and strong defense—but let’s face it: Kirk Ferentz is not flashy enough for the Notre Dame fans or the program’s tradition.

How would Ferentz adapt to Notre Dame’s storied pep rally tradition? Even though Ferentz isn’t given much slack when the Hawkeyes struggle, he is still deeply loved by his players and the Iowa faithful. However, it’s hard to see him waving his arms around in Lou Holtz fashion.

Ferentz is not one to get people fired up. He always maintains a calm, collected demeanor—with the rare exception of getting in a referee’s ear, but even that takes a down right outrageous call.

It’s safe to say “Ferentz” wasn’t the name that came to many Notre Dame fans’ minds when rumors started swirling that Weis was soon to be ousted. I can’t claim to know the pulse of the Irish on the subject but I imagine I’m close to being correct.

Bob Stoops and Urban Meyer make a lot more sense, but they have something very important in common with Ferentz—they’re sitting pretty in their respective programs, too.

Notre Dame’s helmets are the only thing golden about the state of Fighting Irish football. It would take a lot of persuasion—or a mighty large paycheck—to get any of these coaches to move location.

Getting Ferentz to up and move could take even more persuasion. Ferentz’s son is a freshman for the Hawkeyes and he has two other children attending the University. That’s a lot of relocation that would be a major pain to deal with.

Yet at first glance, Ferentz’s name admittedly sounds good when thrown into the mix. Take a close look, though.

During Weis’ tenure, he accumulated a record of 35-27 (.565) with the Fighting Irish. Ferentz is 80-55 (.593) in his time spent coaching the Hawkeyes.

Ferentz is recognized for turning the Hawkeyes around after his team limped through its first seasons under his lead. A similar struggle is likely for Notre Dame’s new coach, which makes one wonder: Is there enough patience in South Bend for Ferentz?

Ferentz is also known for picking up the recruits that fly under other teams’ radars and turning them into surprise NFL-caliber athletes.

Weis, on the other hand, has ruined Notre Dame’s recruiting program, but would Ferentz bringing in his usual under the radar recruits appease the Notre Dame faithful who still want blue chippers?

No way that would fly in South Bend.

Though Ferentz will likely keep his cards close throughout the entire discussion, this shouldn’t be confused as proving he’s actually considering the job. Hawkeye fans and others used to Ferentz know he keeps a tight lip about everything personal—it’s simply how he operates.

In an article ran by the (Cedar Rapids) Gazette before Iowa’s final game against Minnesota, Ferentz discussed the Notre Dame job rumors and was quoted as saying: “That’s the last thing I’ve thought about. I’ve been here 20 years and I kind of like my job. I like where I’m at.”

The Iowa Hawkeyes like where he’s at, too.

This article was also published on BleacherReport.com.

Do the Iowa Hawkeyes Need to Invest in a Kicker Recruit?

iowah0_admin — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:54:46 +0000

Consider this: Iowa’s kicking game used to be rock solid under now San Diego Charger Nate Kaeding and Kyle Schlicher (check out what he’s up to now) did a nice job putting the ball through the uprights on a consistent basis.

The Hawkeyes just aren’t where they used to be in terms of kicking. What was once a sure three-points is no surprise if the Hawks pick up a goose egg off the feet of Daniel Murray or, before him, Trent Mossbrucker.

Let’s compare. First the oldies but goodies:

Nate Kaeding: FGs 67/84, PATs 166/169 (Wow!), Points 373 (Wow!) Iowa’s scoring leader), Blocked 2, 50-yard+ 5/6 (Wow!)

Kyle Schlicher: FGs 51/67, PATs 107/112, Points 260, Blocked 2, 20-29 yards 18/18

Current Hawkeye kickers:

Trent Mossbrucker (By the way, where has he gone?): FGs- 13/15, PATs 31-33, Long of only 39

Daniel Murray (Mr. Inconsistency himself: FGs 13/19, PATs 30-32

Does anyone know where Trent Mossbrucker went? It seems after last year’s game winner by Daniel Murray against Penn State, Mossbrucker is nowhere to be seen. This could be because he has little range but Murray is not much better with his consistency and recent struggles (have you seen those line drives?).

Either way, it’s time for the Hawkeyes to look into procuring a solid kicking recruit.

I’m not suggesting this happen right away. I’m all for giving the two current youngsters a year or two more to see how they develop, but I can’t imagine I’m the only Hawkeye fan out there who misses the consistency of Kaeding and Schlicher.

I sense an invasion.

Admittedly, I’ve been out of action for a while but upon returning to pen my recent thoughts on the Hawkeyes, I found that a lot of people have capitalized on the recent trend of “Hawk Hunting.”

From now on, Hawkeye haters will be referred by this columnist, and his peers if they’d like, as Hawk Hunters.

While Hunters believe they can just jump on the “Trendy Train” of hating Hawkeye football, which rolled off the tracks somewhere around the time AP writers took notice of Iowa’s undefeated record, I’m not going to watch them take off without throwing some crap back.

Immature approach? Maybe.

The slight against Nile Kinnick inspired my retaliation.

Leave the “Cornbelt Comet” alone. He was one of the best athletes in NCAA history. In terms of character, he was the best.

Kinnick was a hero.

Take your hands off his legacy!

Now, give me a moment to cool down, lest I completely lose my temper.

Is Iowa’s schedule really that bad? Ha! I should say not!

Let’s examine the numbers one more time:

Iowa has the 7th toughest schedule in the nation. Not 70th, 7TH.

Does that number mean anything to anyone? Keep all that “who have the Hawks played” talk out of here.

Six of Iowa’s opponents have winning records and Iowa’s remaining opponents’ record is a solid 17-10.

Remember, Iowa does not play the Big Ten’s two worst teams (Purdue and Illinois).

Iowa did have to go on the road against Penn State, Wisconsin and Michigan State. They also won against a Michigan team that still believed they were good and soundly defeated a good Arizona Wildcats squad, currently ranked 18th in the BCS standings.

Any time Hawk Hunters delve into strength of schedule—because they assume the Big Ten must be down if the media says so—they find themselves going deeper and deeper trying to prove their point when, in fact, they end up contradicting themselves.

I feel like I’m just rehashing statistics, here. That’s not what I came to do.

If Iowa wins out, they would have defeated Penn State and Ohio State in two of the toughest environments in all of college football.

If that team from the Mountain West, the WAC’s finest or the best of the Big Easy—and I’m not referring to New Orleans—find it a crime that Iowa sneaks past them in the BCS standings, so be it.

Like it or not, those are the teams on the outside looking in if Iowa stays undefeated. Remember, the computers still control the system and guess whose side they’re on.

That’s right, Iowa’s.

They can whine about it all they want.

Hawkeye fans won’t hear them. We’ll be too busy celebrating after the BCS bowl selections.

Iowa Hawkeyes: Top 5 Commits Thus Far

iowah0_admin — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 05:20:03 +0000

After perusing the depths of the many top recruiting websites, I was reminded of why I chose to create this blog: So that the avid Hawkeye fan that doesn’t want to sort through confusing recruiting jargon can enjoy a little inside knowledge of the Hawkeyes’ class of 2010.

I’ve compiled a list of who I believe are Iowa’s most valuable commits to this date. Iowa’s Class of 2010 could be a sleeper in terms of strength. Needless to say, many will disagree with the athletes I chose but I stand by my picks.

No. 5: Marcus Coker RB 6’1″/231 lbs. DeMatha High School (Hyattsville, Maryland)

Coker is an all-around running back but he has raw power that reminds one of Shawn Greene. It usually takes more than one defender to tackle him. On the season, Coker is averging 11.2 yards per carry and has 17 touchdowns on 114 carries for 1279 yards. He is on MaxPreps’ watch list for National Player of the Year.

No. 4: James Morris OLB 6’2”/215 lbs. Solon High School (Iowa)

Not many have heard of James Morris but Iowa can wave this native prospect around proudly. He is described as relentless. Head Coach Kirk Ferentz will love his work ethic. If he hadn’t committed to play for Iowa a year ago, he would have been swamped by offers from other major programs.

No. 3: Austin Gray MLB 6’2”/225 lbs. Fitzgerald High School (Warren, Michigan)

Austin Gray is a monster of a linebacker. There’s no other way to describe it. He is ranked nationally in linebackers on many top recruiting websites and considered as the second best linebacker in the state of Michigan. He gets to the ball fast and hits hard. If there’s one area he may need to work on, however, it’s his pass coverage. Who better to teach him than Hawkeye Defensive Coordinator Norm Parker, who loves to drop linebackers back into coverage. Did I mention this guy is a hard hitting monster? I thought I should emphasize that.

No. 2: A.J. Derby 6’5”/220 lbs. Iowa City High School (Iowa)

Boy, are the Hawkeyes glad they got a hold of this kid. Derby is ranked as the 33rd best quarterback prospect in the nation by iowa.scout.com. Competition for signing Derby included strong programs such as LSU, Florida and Big Ten conference foe Michigan. Derby is an all-around quarterback. In his junior year, Derby passed for 1,200 yards with 11 touchdowns and four interceptions. He showcased his skill on the ground with 1,065 yards and 13 touchdowns. While Derby says he’s a quarterback first, don’t be too surprised if he gets changed to linebacker in college.

No. 1: Andrew Donnal OT 6’7”/290 lbs. Anthony Wayne High School (Whitehouse, Ohio)

The potential for Andrew Donnal appears to be unlimited. He’s got All-American written all over him according to MaxPreps. Scouts.com lists Donnal as the 26th best tackle recruit in the nation. He’s got great speed, footwork and he can get down field better than any big man in the Midwest. Donnal has the frame to become a huge road block for defenders but he’ll have to work on gaining the extra pounds. Donnal is known for playing hard but will have to work on his overall strength. That shouldn’t be a problem. He’ll be in good hands with Iowa.

Iowa Hawkeye Recruit Profile: Marcus Coker

iowah0_admin — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 03:52:59 +0000

The Iowa Hawkeyes aren’t lacking talent at the running back position.

With the commitment of DeMatha High School’s (Hyattsville, MD) Marcus Coker, Iowa’s backfield has only gotten stronger. The 6-foot-1, 231 pound back is a leader of the pack for MaxPreps’ National Player of the Year Award.

Coker’s strengths include the ability to reach top speed in the blink of an eye, raw strength, soft hands and he’s even a good blocker. Coker is clearly an all-around back.

On the season, Coker has carried the ball 114 times for 1279 yards and 17 touchdowns. He suffered a scare last week against St. John’s (Washington, D.C.) when he pulled a groin but he isn’t expected to miss any time.

So, what can the Hawkeyes expect out of Marcus Coker?

On paper, Marcus Coker appears to be one of the most highly touted running back recruits for Iowa to pick up in some time.

Watch a video on Coker and it’s easy to draw comparisons to another recent Iowa star by the name of Greene.

It will be interesting to see how Coker develops and how soon he sees the field, considering he is behind several other capable backs.

Perhaps a redshirt is in order?

Take a look at what number 34 can do:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDYDqguGW-I