'24 O-Line

Any truth that Bama had KP almost up to 400 lbs? I would hope Iowa maybe looks at that and potentially if it also lead to some of his struggles. If I recall, wasn't he prior to this last season 330-350? Some of the knock on him was his feet were slow and that he struggled against edge pass rushing.

The kid was a freshman last year and he did step right in and play in the SEC. I think he will do just fine once he settles in. Glad to have him.
 
I wonder if they could slide Richman into LG and leave Dunker at RT? I thought Dunker made some strides there, and as Wirfs infamously stated, switching from the left side to the right side of the line is like trying to wipe your ass with your off hand. Maybe sliding Richman in will be less of a transition for him, and he would be Proctor's natural backup to kick back out if Proctor gets injured.
 
This is one of the most important offseasons of Kirk’s career outside of those first few seasons. He has an OC to hire, a returning elite D and enough talent on offense to be improved with a few changes.

If we crap the bed on offense again I think the good will with his supporters starts to dry up.
 
The Elsbury-Jones discussion is an interesting one.

I also thought Elsbury looked better when he was in there later in the season but as mentioned Jones was injured. And Jones hopped right back in for the bowl game.

As a side not, Dustin Elsbury, Tyler's brother, is the new head coach at Iowa City Regina, taking over for former Hawkeye Jason Dumont, now the coach at West Liberty.

One of Regina's main rivals, West Branch, hired John Nestor as its new head coach. Nestor is the father of Iowa freshman DB John Nestor.
 
My view of the world is that we have enough guards with experience, and Elsbury and Jones should both compete at center in the Spring and Fall and let the best one start and the other back-up. I suspect it will be Jones as KF treats his centers like his QBs, very rarely is the starter unseated. Both showed some things and both should be better this coming season.
 
I kinda think guard would be a better spot for him just so he can bulldoze guys. I kinda want to put someone experienced next to Proctor that's good at pass pro though for when it comes to handling stunts and blitzes and passing off guys. So I'd probably put Dunker on the right side and have Colby next to Proctor.

Stephens is a guy who when he gets healthy could push for time. He played some before he got hurt and he's a huge dude too. I'm not sure exactly what the best lineup is and a lot will get sorted out in the spring. The good thing is LT and center should be solidified. They can build from there.
I really like the looks of the potential depth and competition.
 
Proctor may be the all-time best tackle at Iowa. With a year of Nick's tutelage and reps against the best linemen in the country down in the SEC he's going to be ridiculous in the Big Ten.
Not many guys are going to beat him 1-on-1 while he's pass protecting, I can tell you that!
 
I actually think a lot of people are wildly underestimating how good Proctor is and how good he will be. A lot of people (a lot of dumb Alabama fans) are talking shit and saying that he struggled and was not up to the task.

I think he's a future #1 overall pick in the NFL draft type of player. And easily the biggest prospect we've ever had on our roster.
 
The Elsbury-Jones discussion is an interesting one.

I also thought Elsbury looked better when he was in there later in the season but as mentioned Jones was injured. And Jones hopped right back in for the bowl game.

As a side not, Dustin Elsbury, Tyler's brother, is the new head coach at Iowa City Regina, taking over for former Hawkeye Jason Dumont, now the coach at West Liberty.

One of Regina's main rivals, West Branch, hired John Nestor as its new head coach. Nestor is the father of Iowa freshman DB John Nestor.
I hung out with the Nestors a couple of times this last season. Really nice couple. IIRC, they were living in Chicago, so he must be transferring in for the job.
 
I actually think a lot of people are wildly underestimating how good Proctor is and how good he will be. A lot of people (a lot of dumb Alabama fans) are talking shit and saying that he struggled and was not up to the task.

I think he's a future #1 overall pick in the NFL draft type of player. And easily the biggest prospect we've ever had on our roster.
He didn't struggle during Alabama's last two games of their season, vs. Georgia and Michigan, that's for sure.
 
Not many guys are going to beat him 1-on-1 while he's pass protecting, I can tell you that!
Against speed rushers he had his troubles with. If he gets his hands on you with his hips and shoulders square you're just done. I don't see how anyone really bull rushes him. But yeah he got better as yr went on I saw him play quite a bit. The best thing about him is his best football is in front of him. Can Barnett get that out of him? Will new OC call plays conducive to taking advantage of what he should be dominant at? That new OC domino falling is a pretty big one yet.
 
Anyone who is questioning whether landing Proctor is a big deal is not a serious football person. Setting aside he is the highest ranked recruit in the history of the program coming out of high school, he backed that up by starting for the third best team in the country at the most important OL position as a true freshmen for the entire season. He also played pretty damn well as far as I saw during his last two games.

He instantly makes this offensive line better by taking over at the most important position, and by allowing the coaches to move our returning best OL to another position of need (RT or LG).

The OL will be much better next year. Could be down right salty with the returning RBs we have and hopefully someone not completely sucky taking the snaps or calling plays.
 
Anyone who is questioning whether landing Proctor is a big deal is not a serious football person. Setting aside he is the highest ranked recruit in the history of the program coming out of high school, he backed that up by starting for the third best team in the country at the most important OL position as a true freshmen for the entire season. He also played pretty damn well as far as I saw during his last two games.

He instantly makes this offensive line better by taking over at the most important position, and by allowing the coaches to move our returning best OL to another position of need (RT or LG).

The OL will be much better next year. Could be down right salty with the returning RBs we have and hopefully someone not completely sucky taking the snaps or calling plays.
Amen to every word. Add in just how butt hurt Bama fans all are over losing him and that kinda tells us all we need to know too. They know that plug and play LTs with his size ability and potential don't just grow on trees.
 
I actually think a lot of people are wildly underestimating how good Proctor is and how good he will be. A lot of people (a lot of dumb Alabama fans) are talking shit and saying that he struggled and was not up to the task.

I think he's a future #1 overall pick in the NFL draft type of player. And easily the biggest prospect we've ever had on our roster.
He's also likely to be around for only one or two seasons, hope they run an offense worthy of his talents.
 
They will have no excuse this year if they under perform. They should have depth with experience and it is now put up or shut up time.
Look, the offensive line struggled for sure last year, but if their defense, you had a statue of a QB back there most of the season who could not scramble and was a turnover machine. If you were a DC, would you do anything but load the box and/or blitz? If McNamara did not get hurt, the OL might have had a more productive season as he could have kept the defenses more honest with his legs and arm.

We have a lot of starts coming back on the OL and KF's OL tend to get better with time. There are returning pieces that can be good enough or better than that. Frankly, with Proctor in the fold, my biggest concern is getting more consistent production from the center position. If that issue gets solved, I like our chances.
 
Look, the offensive line struggled for sure last year, but if their defense, you had a statue of a QB back there most of the season who could not scramble and was a turnover machine. If you were a DC, would you do anything but load the box and/or blitz? If McNamara did not get hurt, the OL might have had a more productive season as he could have kept the defenses more honest with his legs and arm.

We have a lot of starts coming back on the OL and KF's OL tend to get better with time. There are returning pieces that can be good enough or better than that. Frankly, with Proctor in the fold, my biggest concern is getting more consistent production from the center position. If that issue gets solved, I like our chances.

You make a good point, but in the end they still don't have an excuse. If anything you support my point even more if Iowa gets a competent OC and upgrade at QB. They definitely have to perform better.
 

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