2016 depth chart

[ClintonIAfan]

A couple of things were interesting on this early depth chart.

The first one I did not see coming. Congrats to Brady Ross on making it to #2 fullback. He is an all state linebacker and running back from Humboldt. That is a huge jump for this redshirt freshman considering the competition at the position from Austin Kelly and Lane Acre.

I have seen Miguel Recinos in practice a lot, and I have been impressed. I think he will be a very good kicker for the team.

Boone Myers at left guard, he should do well there. I thought one tackle would move over I was just not sure who it would be. This is a good choice.

Also congrats to Jake Gervase from Assumption on making it to back up free safety. This is a nice climb for him too.

 

[SpiderRico]

The other thing I noticed....our 2015 depth chart had 11 guys with 3 stars next to their name (I assume that's letters won). This depth chart doesn't have a single player with 3 letters earned. Not near the depth of experience returning as there was in 2015.

 

[tm3308]

The other thing I noticed....our 2015 depth chart had 11 guys with 3 stars next to their name (I assume that's letters won). This depth chart doesn't have a single player with 3 letters earned. Not near the depth of experience returning as there was in 2015.

I'm guessing that letters for the 2015 season haven't been issued yet. There's no way that King wouldn't have three letters (he's the most obvious example, but there are probably some others as well).

 

[PCHawk]

Who is our long snapper this year? Hopefully he does an outstanding job like our last one!

 

[Hawkfnntn]

I had a feeling Myers may end up at LG going forward. That should solidify the left side of the line. I just wonder where some more production in the passing game will come from next year amongst the new comers. Between losing Smith, Hillyer and Krieger Coble there's a lot of receptions to replace and I'd argue still needs to be improved on. So who amongst JSmith, Scheel, Falconer, Ogu will step up and make plays week in and week out? Pretty young group for CJ to have to work with hope they get chemistry this spring. I think Vandebergs role will stay about the same I don't see his changing much.

 

[SteveGarvey]

I had a feeling Myers may end up at LG going forward. That should solidify the left side of the line. I just wonder where some more production in the passing game will come from next year amongst the new comers. Between losing Smith, Hillyer and Krieger Coble there's a lot of receptions to replace and I'd argue still needs to be improved on. So who amongst JSmith, Scheel, Falconer, Ogu will step up and make plays week in and week out? Pretty young group for CJ to have to work with hope they get chemistry this spring. I think Vandebergs role will stay about the same I don't see his changing much.

I wonder that too. R. McCarron and Vanderbergs are fine possession receivers but I don't think opposing B1G defensive coordinators are going to wake up in the middle of the night with night sweats worrying about how to stop them from making big plays.

 

[Hawkfnntn]

I wonder that too. R. McCarron and Vanderbergs are fine possession receivers but I don't think opposing B1G defensive coordinators are going to wake up in the middle of the night with night sweats worrying about how to stop them from making big plays.

Yeah I pretty much forgot about McCarron and Stone both... I don't see either of them being asked to make many big plays. I'm not rooting for any one of them to do it but it'd sure be nice if one of them could just become a go to kind of receiver on 3rd downs. I guess guys like Treadwell at MS don't grow on trees and it's what makes them so special. But what a difference a great receiver could make to a team that likes to use play action as much as we do.

 

[SpiderRico]

I'm guessing that letters for the 2015 season haven't been issued yet. There's no way that King wouldn't have three letters (he's the most obvious example, but there are probably some others as well).

Had I read the fine print at the bottom, I would have seen that it was letters won PRIOR TO 2015. So there are 8 guys on the roster with 3 letters vs 11 this past year.

 

[ClintonIAfan]

Who is our long snapper this year? Hopefully he does an outstanding job like our last one!

Tyler Kluver returns at long snapper he will be a junior.

 

[HawkeyeFan57]

I wonder that too. R. McCarron and Vanderbergs are fine possession receivers but I don't think opposing B1G defensive coordinators are going to wake up in the middle of the night with night sweats worrying about how to stop them from making big plays.

Possession receivers become more dangerous if the QB has time to throw the ball. Hopefully 2 of our freshmen/redshirt freshmen step up big time. Scheel is another possibility.

 

[Xerxes]

Possession receivers become more dangerous if the QB has time to throw the ball. Hopefully 2 of our freshmen/redshirt freshmen step up big time. Scheel is another possibility.

Good point. I would add that if Iowa had a legit #1 WR this season, Vandenberg would have been far more effective because defenses would be concentrating on that guy and 89 would be all over the place irritating the **** out DCs. Instead he's Iowa's most consistent WR so DCs can focus on him. Maybe 9 can be that guy in 2016? Or maybe 9 & 3 can just stretch the field a little and 89 can take care of the intermediate stuff.

 

[MoseSchrute]

Who is our long snapper this year? Hopefully he does an outstanding job like our last one!

C'mon man, Iowa is long snapper U!

 

[skinnykilmer17]

If one had any doubt how thin in talent and depth our offensive line is just check out the backup center.

 

[deanvogs]

If one had any doubt how thin in talent and depth our offensive line is just check out the backup center.

Lol. He only has 2 brothers who played at a high level, got cups of coffee in the NFL as well. I mean yeah, that is a HUGE stretch to think maybe he might have at least some skills as well.....

 

[skinnykilmer17]

Lol. He only has 2 brothers who played at a high level, got cups of coffee in the NFL as well. I mean yeah, that is a HUGE stretch to think maybe he might have at least some skills as well.....

Laugh all you want Dean. So he is automatically good because he has two brothers who were?

He has admitted he is the least talented of the three but by all accounts from the family he IS the smartest and sounds like a great kid.

Of our top 9 lineman on the 2016 depth chart, (Myers is listed at two positions), 7 earned all'state honors in high school. The 8th, Cole Croston, earned all-conference. Guess who didn't even earn all-conference?

He is a senior who has never lettered. Has he even taken a snap as a center in a game? If the season were to start tomorrow he would apparently be our starting center. And this doesn't concern you?

I would say our line was exposed in our last 3 games as being overrated. We have 4 former walk-ons out of our top 9 lineman heading into next year.

Recruiting and Development, Talent and Depth ARE big issues IMO. And the depth chart is evidence. Blame GD for using those Schollies on WRs if you want, (and that hasn't panned out yet), but the buck stops with BF and KF.

 

[deanvogs]

Laugh all you want Dean. So he is automatically good because he has two brothers who were?

He has admitted he is the least talented of the three but by all accounts from the family he IS the smartest and sounds like a great kid.

Of our top 9 lineman on the 2016 depth chart, (Myers is listed at two positions), 7 earned all'state honors in high school. The 8th, Cole Croston, earned all-conference. Guess who didn't even earn all-conference?

He is a senior who has never lettered. Has he even taken a snap as a center in a game? If the season were to start tomorrow he would apparently be our starting center. And this doesn't concern you?

I would say our line was exposed in our last 3 games as being overrated. We have 4 former walk-ons out of our top 9 lineman heading into next year.

Recruiting and Development, Talent and Depth ARE big issues IMO. And the depth chart is evidence. Blame GD for using those Schollies on WRs if you want, (and that hasn't panned out yet), but the buck stops with BF and KF.

Steve has NFL players in his blood lines, and is more athletic than all his other brother, and smarter than all of his other brothers. So if you think the building blocks of next years team is the backup C then yeah I will laughy. I am not going to panic about a RS Sr being a backup center, with his pedigree. Plus it is a freaking Jan. depth chart. He will either rise or get passed depending on his and others development over the spring, and summer.

 

[skinnykilmer17]

Steve has NFL players in his blood lines, and is more athletic than all his other brother, and smarter than all of his other brothers. So if you think the building blocks of next years team is the backup C then yeah I will laughy. I am not going to panic about a RS Sr being a backup center, with his pedigree. Plus it is a freaking Jan. depth chart. He will either rise or get passed depending on his and others development over the spring, and summer.

More athletic and smarter. Smaller and much less experienced and accomplished.

And the building block of an offensive line is THE center position. I am not panicking. I just think our current offensive line depth is an illustration of the poor recruiting since the 2010 Orange Bowl for instance. The disparity in talent between then and now is stark IMO.

Clayborn/Binns vs. Hesse/Nelson?
DJK/McNutt vs. Vandenberg/McCarron?
Spievey/Sash/Hyde vs King and...?

You want to compare OLines?
Bulaga/Vandervelde/Gettis/Eubanks/Calloway/D. Richardson/Doering/Zusevics/Reiff (in position switch and development) vs. Now??

I don't believe any of these 9 listed above were walkons.

My point is Oline recruiting has gone through some dark years. Why? I believe we are about to see an uptick in recruiting though. I hope so. But we didn't see it after our Orange Bowl victory. I find that interesting.

 

[LASBUR]

Good point. I would add that if Iowa had a legit #1 WR this season, Vandenberg would have been far more effective because defenses would be concentrating on that guy and 89 would be all over the place irritating the **** out DCs. Instead he's Iowa's most consistent WR so DCs can focus on him. Maybe 9 can be that guy in 2016? Or maybe 9 & 3 can just stretch the field a little and 89 can take care of the intermediate stuff.

Exactly

 

[deanvogs]

More athletic and smarter. Smaller and much less experienced and accomplished.

And the building block of an offensive line is THE center position. I am not panicking. I just think our current offensive line depth is an illustration of the poor recruiting since the 2010 Orange Bowl for instance. The disparity in talent between then and now is stark IMO.

Clayborn/Binns vs. Hesse/Nelson?
DJK/McNutt vs. Vandenberg/McCarron?
Spievey/Sash/Hyde vs King and...?

You want to compare OLines?
Bulaga/Vandervelde/Gettis/Eubanks/Calloway/D. Richardson/Doering/Zusevics/Reiff (in position switch and development) vs. Now??

I don't believe any of these 9 listed above were walkons.

My point is Oline recruiting has gone through some dark years. Why? I believe we are about to see an uptick in recruiting though. I hope so. But we didn't see it after our Orange Bowl victory. I find that interesting.

I think this line played very well and they had a walkon RS So manning the left tackle. A player who wasn't recruited by anyone else and was a 220 lbs TE in High School at Right tackle. When one got hurt in step yet another walkon tackle to fill in for them.

Lets compare the 2009 Oline (heck even the 2008 line) to this year:

2008: 188 yards rushing per game and 4.8 YPC.
2009: 114 yards rushing per game and 3.27 YPC.
2015: 182 yards rushing per game and 4.5 YPC.

Both the '08 and '09 teams had NFL running backs on the team, '15 did not have that luxury.

I mean seriously this line has more returning players with experience than 99% of years. We have 5 players who played a TON this year and are all young, and are still getting better. We have two other FR who are impressing the coaches a ton in Render (on the two deeps) and Waechter. Then you have the Paulsen twins. If you think there isn't any talent in the pipeline, then I disagree.

 

[tm3308]

More athletic and smarter. Smaller and much less experienced and accomplished.

And the building block of an offensive line is THE center position. I am not panicking. I just think our current offensive line depth is an illustration of the poor recruiting since the 2010 Orange Bowl for instance. The disparity in talent between then and now is stark IMO.

Clayborn/Binns vs. Hesse/Nelson?
DJK/McNutt vs. Vandenberg/McCarron?
Spievey/Sash/Hyde vs King and...?

You want to compare OLines?
Bulaga/Vandervelde/Gettis/Eubanks/Calloway/D. Richardson/Doering/Zusevics/Reiff (in position switch and development) vs. Now??

I don't believe any of these 9 listed above were walkons.

My point is Oline recruiting has gone through some dark years. Why? I believe we are about to see an uptick in recruiting though. I hope so. But we didn't see it after our Orange Bowl victory. I find that interesting.

The coaching staff took a gamble on getting speed on the outside (which there is quite a bit of among the underclassmen receivers who are now set to step into bigger roles) at the expense of recruiting the trenches. Not a bad gamble to make when you've got such a great track record of developing the guys in the trenches. Maybe it doesn't look like the greatest on paper to us, but the coaches are betting on themselves being able to develop what they have up front. And given their track record, I'm pretty okay with that.