Bower keeps moving up for Hawkeyes

Read between the lines...there are *some* players starting at UNI who could be playing for Iowa.

Remember 2009 Iowa.....remember 2009.
 
I am not sure what this means with Bower earning a starting LB spot as a red shirt freshman walk-on. It might mean this is another diamond in the rough player or it might say we have real problems at LB. We will find out soon.
 
SpecialKHawk said:
I am not sure what this means with Bower earning a starting LB spot as a red shirt freshman walk-on. It might mean this is another diamond in the rough player or it might say we have real problems at LB. We will find out soon.
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I won't lie, I was thinking the same thing...but if there are two position coaches that I trust, it's Jim Reid and Lavar Woods. The difference in the play of Morris, Kirksey, and Hitchens from 2012 to 2013 was remarkable. I completely understand a lot of that had to do with the improvement in the DL, but it was beyond that...they played so much faster and were in absolutely incredible position 99% of the time. They attacked the line of scrimmage with ferocity. That wasn't present the year before. If these two think Bower can do the job and has shown the ability to play fast and get himself in position to make plays, then I'm certainly leaning that it's a diamond in the rough situation. Laron Taylor leaving may have also been an indication of that fact.
 
Doesn't bother me a bit, I'm just glad to have another player the coached are this high on. We've learned in the past that walk-ons can turn out to be some of the best players on the team.
 
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Thanks for posting the article link. I love to read this type of thing as it reflects what makes Iowa such a great place to grow up and live in. It's also what makes it a great place to go to college at. ON IOWA!!!
 
Iowa should have an excellent front 4 on defense that will help these young LBs a ton. Id be a bit more worried if the front wasn't as strong, but it should be a great strength for Iowa.
 
WinOneThisCentury said:
I won't lie, I was thinking the same thing...but if there are two position coaches that I trust, it's Jim Reid and Lavar Woods. The difference in the play of Morris, Kirksey, and Hitchens from 2012 to 2013 was remarkable. I completely understand a lot of that had to do with the improvement in the DL, but it was beyond that...they played so much faster and were in absolutely incredible position 99% of the time. They attacked the line of scrimmage with ferocity. That wasn't present the year before. If these two think Bower can do the job and has shown the ability to play fast and get himself in position to make plays, then I'm certainly leaning that it's a diamond in the rough situation. Laron Taylor leaving may have also been an indication of that fact.
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Word is he has a scholarship now. Does that make you feel better?

I look at it the other way, he is beating out a guy who has been in the program for four years and has actual game experiance. Perry didn't look too bad when he was in there last year.

If Bower is winning the spot, I think that is probably a real testament to the player he is.
Not all the players who deserve scholarships right out of high school get them due to where they played and who they played against. Some players just need to grow into their bodies or mature physically or mentally later.

I think we will be fine here this year and for some years to come.
It sounds like we have a lot of young, talented athletes at linebacker, they just lack experience.
 
About 33% of this year's roster are Iowans. Hats off to the recruiters and to the kids from Iowa playing at this level.
 
This is a good thing IMO because I think they like Perry quite a bit as well so if a younger player is beating him that says allot.
 
With the emergence of Bower and Jewell this offseason, I feel a lot better about the LB unit going into the season than I thought I'd be.
 
SamBrownlee48 said:
With the emergence of Bower and Jewell this offseason, I feel a lot better about the LB unit going into the season than I thought I'd be.
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There's a bunch of them, so depth shouldn't be an issue. At this point I think it is more an issue of how talented the starters are, and how quickly they settle in.
 
SamBrownlee48 said:
With the emergence of Bower and Jewell this offseason, I feel a lot better about the LB unit going into the season than I thought I'd be.
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This is exactly how I feel about it. Are they young and inexperienced? Yes, absolutely. However, the emergence of Jewell and Bower simply means the coaches believe they have a couple more guys who are ready to see the field. That's not a bad thing. There will be growing pains at some point with this unit, but I believe they will adjust rather quickly thanks to the defensive line the they have in front of them. I expect the LB crew to be playing up to Hawkeye standards by midseason at the latest (as they long as they are healthy).
 
deanvogs said:
Here is another good article about Bower:

http://hawkcentral.com/2014/08/24/pat-harty-bower-took-a-risk-but-was-rewarded-by-hawks/
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Here's another reason why I don't like Pat Harty:

"It’s reasonable to think that some prospects from in-state probably get passed over for scholarships to play football at Iowa, but with the hope they would walk on.

It might not always seem fair, but it makes sense from a business standpoint. Why offer a kid from in-state whose upside is uncertain if he’s willing to pay his own way to school?"

What's the point of adding this? It has no bearing on the article.
 
Seth53 said:
About 33% of this year's roster are Iowans. Hats off to the recruiters and to the kids from Iowa playing at this level.
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That stat deserves a "wow" It's one thing to have that many Iowans. It's another for them to be good and have a great year in the BIG as a team. I think they can and will. Iowans should really puff their chests out at that stat. That's awesome.
 
AdamHawk said:
Here's another reason why I don't like Pat Harty:

"It’s reasonable to think that some prospects from in-state probably get passed over for scholarships to play football at Iowa, but with the hope they would walk on.

It might not always seem fair, but it makes sense from a business standpoint. Why offer a kid from in-state whose upside is uncertain if he’s willing to pay his own way to school?"

What's the point of adding this? It has no bearing on the article.
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Harty hasn't been my favorite writer either.... However regardless of the relevance of it what you quoted from him is true. UNI does it as well. I don't know about ISU so much. But with the tweener kids they usually have a touch choice to make. Cause in state kids UNI offers usually are offered 40 to 80 percent schollys. Rarely100% But the out of state kids always get 100%. Yet the out of state schools do the same so an in state kid here that's a tweener usually has this scenario. 100% offers from the Dakota schools, Eastern Illinois schools like that. Then 40-80% ride from UNI or walk on at Iowa. I bet Brandon Meyers didn't have a 100% offer from UNI before Iowa finally did.
 
I'm not disputing the legitimacy of what he wrote, I just don't think it is relevant to the story whatsoever. Reading the article, I felt that it was actually going to be a rare feel-good piece from Pharty. But per his usual self, he has to throw a thinly veiled dig at the football program even though there was no reason to here. I thought this was a piece about Bower working hard to earn a scholly at Iowa, not the football program holding back scholarships to in-state prospects. Seems like a completely separate topic IMO.
 
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