First the losses- Iowa loses Riley Reiff, Adam Gettis, Markus Zusevics and Woody Orne from 2011. All were basically two year starters and Zusevics may be one of the most underrated linemen in Iowa history- he stepped in for a very good multi-year starter in Calloway and there was no significant drop in play. Reiff is a Consensus Top 10 draft pick, stepped in for Bulaga and really anchored the line last season. Gettis had two solid seasons and really played well last season. All three have a chance at making NFL rosters* and Orne provided solid blocking and receiving skills in his short time at TE. Orne was a solid depth player and the kind of unsung player that make Iowa’s program successful. All will be missed, but Reiff will be the hardest to replace.
*Zusevics was injured in the combine and depending on the severity of his injury may not get a shot.
Iowa returns four players with significant playing time- Center James Ferentz (SR) and this will be his third season as a starter, Matt Tobin(SR) and Brandon Scherff (R. SO) split time at left guard last season with Tobin receiving the majority of time and starts. Ferentz is a lock for the center spot and it is likely Tobin and Scherff will start somewhere on the line next season. The fourth player is Nolan MacMillan (R. JR with a legit chance to get a 6th year, however “old†for his class) who was lost for the entire season and his future is still a bit cloudy. He may not be able to return or he may not be able to live up to his promising red shirt freshman season, but it is my opinion that he has the most raw talent of any of Iowa’s lineman headed into next season, assuming he will return at full strength. His status will likely be known by the end of spring and he could really bolster the talent and ability of the offensive next season.
Iowa returns three players that have had limited game experience- Conor Boffeli, Brett Van Sloten, and Andrew Donnal. All three have very good size, positional flexibility and will be entering at least their third season at Iowa. I think all three of these guys have legitimate chances to land a spot in the lineup heading into the spring. Of these three Van Sloten has the most significant playing time as he stepped in for Zusevics during the Insight Bowl and held his own. Van Sloten and Donnal probably have the most tackle ready bodies and abilities, and will likely be in contention for one the open tackle positions. I am a fan of Boffelli from the limited appearances he has had and believe he has the size and ability to play any interior position.
Four players return with little or no significant experience- two highly recruited red shirt freshman in Austin Blythe and Jordan Walsh, as well as Casey McMillan (SR) and Drew Clark (JR) who have very little game experience. Of this group Blythe likely has the best chance to push for PT this season as Walsh may need one more season to add strength as he was listed at 270 last season. McMillan has never made significant push for PT, but given the staff’s propensity for rewarding upperclassmen he will likely have a spot on the initial two deep. Clark has been on campus for three seasons now and will likely need a big spring to launch himself into the mix.
Iowa signed a Juco center Eric Simmons from Iowa Western and he has four years to play three seasons. I doubt he will red shirt and may have a chance to impact right away or could be in the mix to replace Ferentz after next season. I would be surprised if Simmons doesn’t push for time and he will certainly be a player to watch this spring.
Here is a (VERY) rough depth chart followed by ranking players by tackle and interior positions. Iowa traditionally tries to get the best five players on the line and once they settle on that spot it is rare to see player rotation after the first two or three games. Brian Ferentz already trotted the “best five†out in his introductory press conference, but realistically only four or five players have the size and athleticism to play tackle on the roster right now. The lists will be an attempt to reflect that. Several players will show up on both lists.
LT Nolan MacMillan, Donnal/Van Sloten/ Sherff
LG Matt Tobin, Boffeli/Blythe/ Walsh
C James Ferentz, Boffeli /Simmons/ Blythe
RG Brandon Scherff, Boffeli/ Blythe/ Walsh
RT Brett Van Sloten/ Donnal, Scherff
Top Tackles
1. MacMillan
2. Van Sloten
3. Scherff
4. Donnal
5. Tobin
Top Interior Players
1. Ferentz
2. Scherff
3. Blythe
4. Tobin
5. Boffeli
6. Walsh
7. Simmons
Basically I am saying there is one position locked down- Ferentz at center and then possibly 9 players competing for the four other spots. I think Scherff and a healthy MacMillan are locks for two spots.
