briankaldenberg
Well-Known Member
Rudock will challenge for playing time as a RS FR and it will be a battle between him and Vandy in my opinion. I haven't seen Rudock on a moped yet though...
AJ Derby
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Rudock will challenge for playing time as a RS FR and it will be a battle between him and Vandy in my opinion. I haven't seen Rudock on a moped yet though...
theboat
Well-Known Member
Maybe he counted the number of linebackers that Iowa has put to the next level in the last 10 years, and compared it to QB's of the same. I think it is a great decision and I love the idea of having football smart people at LB to play intelligent football. (Not to mention the fact that he is a great athlete)
That is quite the comment...and i am being friendly with my choice of wording... considering Rudock has yet to even step on campus.
hawkeyehat
Well-Known Member
What are the chances he puts on to much weight and ends up at DE? He is 6'5" if he's already put on 10-15 pounds then he doesn't have far to go before he's 6'5" and 260.
BALDIES7980
Well-Known Member
If he can build that size and maintain his athletisim TE is in his future.
WayzataHawkeye
Well-Known Member
Is DE ever a possibility for him? We could always use that kind of athlete on the edge.
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troy
Well-Known Member
I really like guys like Derby who want to go Iowa, no matter what, and help the team win. Marvin Cook was a very good high school QB who eventually made a great collegiate and pro tight end. Marvin McNutt, former high school QB, will also be a pro as an Antonio Gates type receiver, in my opinion. Tim Dwight, all-everything at City High, made the move to the flanker position at Iowa. I also remember a QB from Davenport Central, I think his name was Mike Burke. He got solid minutes as a defensive end at Iowa. You got to appreciate unselfish guys who just want to be Hawkeyes. There have also been a few guys, like John Alt, who just outgrew their position. Alt came to Iowa as a tight end, and wound up being an All-Pro NFL tackle. Derby maybe would have been a good QB in a Tim Tebow style offense, but Derby is a physically punishing football player. That guy smashes people. I remember when Norm Parker was in Des Moines last spring, he talked to a big crowd at 7 Flags about trying to coax Derby to play defense. Of course, Norm said it tongue in cheek, but Derby's dad was an awesome linebacker, and you know that Norm saw some of the same qualities in AJ. Also, someone in this thread mentioned Chad Greenway. He did alright for himself. Good for AJ, and good for the Iowa defense.
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tm3308
Well-Known Member
Really, I saw this over a year and a half ago, when Derby was listed as a safety on Scout rather than QB. The first thing I thought when I saw his measurables at safety was "this guy is the next Chad Greenway". Remember, Greenway started out at safety his freshman year, and moved to OLB. Derby is going to be a very special linebacker for us, and could possibly make an impact this season on the defense. If nothing else, we'll probably get to see him rattle some heads on special teams now.
HawkfaninWA
Well-Known Member
My favorite part of all of this is that we have a guy on the defensive side of the ball with a QB mind. That's a big deal. I'm also glad he figured it out early.
SeattleHawkeye
Well-Known Member
My first thought was, 'Man, we have a lot of LB's.' Sounds like Derby will be a stud and was projected higher at positions other than QB, so hopefully things work out.
Our 2010 class of lbers...Gray,Morris,Poggi,Derby is top shelf. That is good news because we lose Hunter,Tarp,Johnson,and Davis this year. Next year will be Nielsen and two newbies.
Those of us who remember being thrilled with the big plays made by John Derby at lber are anxious for flashbacks in the coming 4 years with AJ making the big interceptions vs Michigan and OSU....smart move ,young man.
Those of us who remember being thrilled with the big plays made by John Derby at lber are anxious for flashbacks in the coming 4 years with AJ making the big interceptions vs Michigan and OSU....smart move ,young man.
homerHAWKeye777
Well-Known Member
Kirksey is top shelf too. He's from one of the better "football" high schools in St. Louis. His head coach described him as a freak athlete ... and that's even with Shumpert being on the same squad. I predict that Kirksey will develop into something special!
homerHAWKeye777
Well-Known Member
I'm sorry to pick nits, but Greenway played at the WILL LB spot ... which, within Iowa's scheme is an ILB spot.
Sedrick5Shaw
Well-Known Member
Best of luck to AJ, liked watching his dad play defense for the hawks. This reminded me of an article, it's from Tom Lemming but still.
Tom Lemming's Blog: Recruiting Iowa's Top Football Prospects
"ATH •••• A.J. Derby 6-4, 218, 4.6 Iowa City
Right now A.J. has to rank as the #1 prospect in the state, and he's a good bet for All-American honors. I give A.J. the ATH label simply because I don't know what position he will wind up playing in college. When I first saw him down in San Antonio at our combine, I immediately thought linebacker. He has the frame and the somewhat bowlegged walk of all the great ones.
On Film–#18 impresses you also at the QB position showing a pretty strong arm and outstanding athletic ability. What I came away thinking after watching him throw the ball down in San Antonio is he would need plenty of work if he wants to be a Division I QB. He has the size and arm strength but not yet the instincts and production of a blue chipper at that position. However, with that said, he certainly has the tools to make it on offense. On defense you are looking at an All-American SS or LB. This guy can run, he's aggressive, instinctive and determined. A fast, flowing LB with a very good short area burst. He runs to the ball with the best of them and plays hard on every down. He also has the frame to weigh around 240 in college. He reminds me of another A.J., A.J. Hawk to be exact, and he is a player I immediately recommended for the U.S. Army All-American game.
Stats–Earned All-State honors in '08.
Grades–His GPA is over a 3.0.
Favorite Schools–His father, John Derby, played ball for the Iowa Hawkeyes and for the Detroit Lyons, and his Uncle Glenn Derby played ball at Wisconsin. Besides the HAWKEYES and BADGERS, he is also looking at FL, MI, NE, MIAMI, IL, FSU, LSU and AL."
Tom Lemming's Blog: Recruiting Iowa's Top Football Prospects
"ATH •••• A.J. Derby 6-4, 218, 4.6 Iowa City
Right now A.J. has to rank as the #1 prospect in the state, and he's a good bet for All-American honors. I give A.J. the ATH label simply because I don't know what position he will wind up playing in college. When I first saw him down in San Antonio at our combine, I immediately thought linebacker. He has the frame and the somewhat bowlegged walk of all the great ones.
On Film–#18 impresses you also at the QB position showing a pretty strong arm and outstanding athletic ability. What I came away thinking after watching him throw the ball down in San Antonio is he would need plenty of work if he wants to be a Division I QB. He has the size and arm strength but not yet the instincts and production of a blue chipper at that position. However, with that said, he certainly has the tools to make it on offense. On defense you are looking at an All-American SS or LB. This guy can run, he's aggressive, instinctive and determined. A fast, flowing LB with a very good short area burst. He runs to the ball with the best of them and plays hard on every down. He also has the frame to weigh around 240 in college. He reminds me of another A.J., A.J. Hawk to be exact, and he is a player I immediately recommended for the U.S. Army All-American game.
Stats–Earned All-State honors in '08.
Grades–His GPA is over a 3.0.
Favorite Schools–His father, John Derby, played ball for the Iowa Hawkeyes and for the Detroit Lyons, and his Uncle Glenn Derby played ball at Wisconsin. Besides the HAWKEYES and BADGERS, he is also looking at FL, MI, NE, MIAMI, IL, FSU, LSU and AL."
DexterMorgan
Well-Known Member
Wow, that's some high praise.
