'16 Recruiting Class Working Out Real Well for Hawkeyes

These same people would be the first ones to go off if we did make it to the CFP and promptly got pasted by Alabama or Clemson. When a poster on another thread suggests that Kirk tanked the season to make a point to Chris Fant you wonder if they should be watching sports in the first place.
Kirk has been planning this tank job since he had down time waiting for the parade behind the picket fence on the grassy knoll.
 
This just drives home my point on the coaching staff. Iowa is never going to be a premier destination for 4/5 star recruits, KF and staff have done an incredible job finding kids that get overlooked and develops them into D1 athletes with some reaching the next level. He gets us 7/8 wins per year with an occasional run at the BTC.

Having said that I'm still disappointed in how this year played out, this year feels like a missed opportunity. With Nebraska and Wisconsin down this was the year Iowa should have taken advantage and made a run. They have another chance next year so, hopefully, they can get it together.
 
This just drives home my point on the coaching staff. Iowa is never going to be a premier destination for 4/5 star recruits, KF and staff have done an incredible job finding kids that get overlooked and develops them into D1 athletes with some reaching the next level. He gets us 7/8 wins per year with an occasional run at the BTC.

Having said that I'm still disappointed in how this year played out, this year feels like a missed opportunity. With Nebraska and Wisconsin down this was the year Iowa should have taken advantage and made a run. They have another chance next year so, hopefully, they can get it together.

I think 10-2 this year and we flip the script on Wisconsin. With the season we had, I expect a slight recruiting dip, and basically a maintenance of Iowa program status quo.

Another chance next year.
 
Shocked that you guys decided to view this negatively. Really shocked. Especially from Iowa Law. He's Mr. Positive on most occasions.

Good lord.
I really don't get the all the rancor over this one. The piece was basically about Iowa's recruiting being better than the national perception of Iowa's recruiting. There is more actual talent than perceived talent. End of story.
I would assume that everybody here (or the vast majority) are dyed in the wool Hawkeye fans, minus a few trolls. I also suspect that all would agree that some things could be done better but that is not what this particular story was covering.
I'm thinking that some people might need to find a different team to cheer for... The endless bitching of a few must get tiresome to them after a while. I drank no kool aid. I went to a Hawkeye game as a kid and that was all it took. We have a solid program, well above average in some regards, well behind the times and stagnant in others. There is a lot to cheer for and there will almost always be some level of heartache. I'm fine with that.
If you don't like, cheer for Alabama... Seriously, not every topic needs to be a soapbox to bitch.
 
15-12 Big Ten record last 3 years.
Happy with that?
Since Rob's initial post covered four years I think it's fair that you do the same. This would make the Big Ten record 23-13 if you include the CCG loss to Sparty.

I think many are agreement that this wasn't Kirk's best year as a coach. More penalties than usual, turnovers, spotty special teams play, losing the "hidden yardage" battle, losing games as a direct result of being outcoached. It was a tough deal. And coming in the one year Wisconsin was down and the division was there for the taking didnt make it any easier.

The emotion keep I coming back to is disappointment. And thats okay. But guess what? People get disappointed in life. Again, anyone who invests more emotionally into it than that is probably too invested emotionally and hasn't looked into the history of the team they are rooting for. If you think Kirk or anyone else is going to come here and turn this team into Ohio State or a national blue blood than I suggest you double check the history of what you're about to invest so much of yourself into. Otherwise, you are setting yourself up to be driven to madness.
 
Unfortunately, I feel disappointed more than any other feeling when it comes to Iowa football.

I will say, the recruiting had taken an uptick. Well, its about time. We are on of the best programs in the nation in many regards. Not on the field, but money, fans and media.

Iowa should be getting this type of kid all the time. And recently, it has happened. Hope it continues.

Too bad the on field coaching hasnt caught up to the recruiting and development.
 
Last edited:
The issue is that we are basically a four year farm system for the NFL. Kirk and his staff are good teachers of technique, they aren't really much of scheme wizards / X&O's. We've played the same vanilla scheme for two plus decades, albeit the offense seems to have gotten even more vanilla as Kirk ages....

But the schemes allow the players to be fundamentally sound. Defense -- Keep contain on the DL, free up the LBs to make tackles, and the secondary is to keep everything in front of them. It's worked pretty well on average, the exception being the perception that our defense cannot get a big stop when the game is on the line.

On offense, it's about blocking. That's all I can say.

When we have a QB who has a little magic, we have magical seasons. When we have a QB that is average, or our magical QB is hurt....we have average seasons.

I think 2018 season could have been better if Stanley could have taken the next step as a QB and leader. He didn't. He was still as inaccurate as the previous season, and did not play his best in the games we needed him the most.
 
Since Rob's initial post covered four years I think it's fair that you do the same. This would make the Big Ten record 23-13 if you include the CCG loss to Sparty.

I think many are agreement that this wasn't Kirk's best year as a coach. More penalties than usual, turnovers, spotty special teams play, losing the "hidden yardage" battle, losing games as a direct result of being outcoached. It was a tough deal. And coming in the one year Wisconsin was down and the division was there for the taking didnt make it any easier.

The emotion keep I coming back to is disappointment. And thats okay. But guess what? People get disappointed in life. Again, anyone who invests more emotionally into it than that is probably too invested emotionally and hasn't looked into the history of the team they are rooting for. If you think Kirk or anyone else is going to come here and turn this team into Ohio State or a national blue blood than I suggest you double check the history of what you're about to invest so much of yourself into. Otherwise, you are setting yourself up to be driven to madness.

I'm not going to include the one true outlier season to distort reality in favor of Iowa averaging 9 wins.

And once again, you've done what so many KF apologists do:
Assume us fans who are in favor of a change have Ohio State or Bama level in mind.
WHO THE HELL SAID THAT?
What Iowa fan in favor of new regime actually thinks Iowa will reach OSU status? NOBODY!
Do you really see nothing achievable between Iowa's current level and frickin Ohio States level?
Why do you keep bringing up OSU type programs?

Besides, it's all pointless anyway.
As long as Barta is at Iowa, we're better off with KF. Barta doesn't come across as someone with conference championships as a priority.
 
Right now I'd be ecstatic with a program that can beat Northwestern and Purdue on a regular basis. Once we can do that, maybe we can finally get a win against Wisconsin....

Iowa should be up there with the Wisconsin and Michigan States. As much as we want to think we are, we are not. We are at the level of Purdue, Northwestern, Maryland, and maybe Nebraska before their 2018 season
 
Iowa should be up there with the Wisconsin and Michigan State

Exactly.
This is a perfectly reasonable wish.
A totally achievable level for Iowa.

But, the KF defenders won't acknowledge it.
They'll continue to pull out their "Hahah you guys who think Iowa will become Bama with a new coach keep dreamin" nonsense. A straw man if I've ever seen one.
 
Exactly.
This is a perfectly reasonable wish.
A totally achievable level for Iowa.

But, the KF defenders won't acknowledge it.
They'll continue to pull out their "Hahah you guys who think Iowa will become Bama with a new coach keep dreamin" nonsense. A straw man if I've ever seen one.
You detractors would quickly become dissatisfied if we did become Wisconsin or Michigan State (who both finished 7-5 regular seasons. You wait until we lose, whenever it is, and say we have no talent, lights are too bright.

Some of you disappeared the entire month of October, then we're back within minutes of the Penn State loss with the same posts, the same comments.

You always think we should be one level better, whatever level that is.

I was in no way satisfied with this regular season. We kicked a golden opportunity away.

But you won't acknowledge my dissatisfaction. Nor will you acknowledge memorable seasons. You call them outliers. And piss all over us for the two games we did lose.
 
Last edited:
Iowa should be up there with the Wisconsin and Michigan States. As much as we want to think we are, we are not.

Exactly.
This is a perfectly reasonable wish.
A totally achievable level for Iowa.

But, the KF defenders won't acknowledge it.
They'll continue to pull out their "Hahah you guys who think Iowa will become Bama with a new coach keep dreamin" nonsense. A straw man if I've ever seen one.

Records the last 4 years:

MSU 32-19 (SoS 38.5)
Wisconsin 41-12 (SoS 17.0)
Iowa 36-16 (SoS 23.0)

I'd say we are better than MSU and just behind Wisky.
 
You detractors would quickly become dissatisfied if we did become Wisconsin or Michigan State (who both finished 7-5 regular seasons.

The difference is, that won't last at those schools.
And if it does, they will try to change it.

I get it, it's all part of being a fan: never happy, seemingly.
But I love Iowa's successes, of course. I just think Iowa can be better, more often.
Sue me.
 
Records the last 4 years:

MSU 32-19 (SoS 38.5)
Wisconsin 41-12 (SoS 17.0)
Iowa 36-16 (SoS 23.0)

I'd say we are better than MSU and just behind Wisky.
Be careful. You're throwing the 2015 season in there.

Detractors want to throw it out. Like it never happened. We played at the level that year that all the negatives nancies say they would love to see us play at but bitched and moaned that year as well.

Also interesting that MSU plays in the B1G east and has the weaker SoS. Detractors love to rip on the West and hold the perceived weak half of the conference against us. Can't wait to see how weak the west will be should Frost, Fleck and Brohm really get their act together.
 
The difference is, that won't last at those schools.
And if it does, they will try to change it.

I get it, it's all part of being a fan: never happy, seemingly.
But I love Iowa's successes, of course. I just think Iowa can be better, more often.
Sue me.
Now you're making more sense.

As long as Alvarez is AD he won't tolerate multiple 7-5 seasons. He put Bret on notice after he became famous for his drunken nights out in addition to getting punked by Shonn Greene on the field.

If you want to argue that Barta will tolerate it over longer periods I can't disagree with that arguement.

Just don't toss aside 2015 as an outlier and pretend it didn't happen.
 
Then why not include 2014?
Did it not happen?
Absuloutely it counts. So does 2012. But Rob's original post didn't go back that far. If it did, that would have been a whole different argument. He noted a four season sample size and you tried to throw the best year out. This isn't figure skating and you cant throw out the highest and lowest.
 
Here's a stat for all the Ferentz detractors to chew on:

Iowa under Ferentz has finished tenth or higher in the final AP poll a total of five times.

This is equal to Bill Snyder (Kansas State)

This is better than Hayden Fry, Barry Alvarez and Mark Dantonio (3x's apiece)

For the record, Bobby Stoops had eleven such seasons. And I didn't even bother looking up Nick Saban.

Look, Kirk on a bad day can be stubborn, arrogant, smug, and petty. The timing of his best seasons can be looked upon as suspicious. Would I have love to see Stoops get the job in 1999? Absolutely. Would Stoops have stayed here all those years? That's another question. Maybe a rock star of a coach would be a little more exciting to the masses. Maybe we would have had to replace three or four of them by now.
 

Latest posts

Top