Elite WR talent in our backyard

One more quick comment, since I saw the post about checking Andregg's stats on the quikstats track website, and alluding to Rob's comments. A lot of these football guys that are running track are just that...football players running track. Football players need to be able to run fast for bursts of about 20 yards. Again, using my son as a reference, he ran his first open 200 of the season the other night as part of our JV team. He has a better 200 time than Andregg, but he hates running 200s. In fact, if you watch him hurdle, you would see that the first 4 or 5 hurdles he is flying, then his size catches up to him. He is similar in size to Andregg...6'1, 190. Go check out most of these track boys. Most of the really fast ones, are smaller and lighter in stature (there are exceptions, Gavin Williams comes to mind, he's fun to watch)
 
It would seem we have been recruiting excellent in the te position. We are pretty full, unless a freak athlete at the position comes along.
Unless it looks like an easy convert to defense, I just don't know. Mid 4.7's is not very fast. He could of just had a bad day, but at 4.7 you are more in line with the ouutlaw then you are with a 4.5 like djk (not debating, just numbers).
 
SteveGarvey1 said:
He was only a freshman last year so maybe he needs more time. Or he messed up and went to Michigan instead of coming to Iowa where the receiving corps is thinner and he could have had more opportunity to play. One of the two.
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Some sites show him as a junior, so I would guess he redshirted either 2017 or last season, correct? Either way, Michigan has definitely recruited over him.
 
4thngoal said:
It would seem we have been recruiting excellent in the te position. We are pretty full, unless a freak athlete at the position comes along.
Unless it looks like an easy convert to defense, I just don't know. Mid 4.7's is not very fast. He could of just had a bad day, but at 4.7 you are more in line with the ouutlaw then you are with a 4.5 like djk (not debating, just numbers).
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I wouldn't put a lot of stock into HS 40 times. They usually don't know how to run it with proper technique yet, which can shave off a decent amount of time.
 
Adam said:
Don't let pragmatic voices deter your resolve. Iowa pisses away scholarships every cycle on recruits that don't pan out. That's the game. It's hit or miss. This kid with his size and athleticism could easily be developed at multiple positions. I don't see any way that scooping this kid up would be a wasted scholarship. There is no need to wait until the kid proves it on the gridiron. By that time everyone will know what we should have known first.
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You're right. I think we're all in agreement that Iowa needs to get this kid.

But I also think there is some hypocrisy in this conversation and in the thread title. Iowa's fanbase takes a lot of pride in the anti-combine football culture. And there is no real indication that he's an elite WR prospect (yet). He's young and he hasn't played much football, let alone at WR. Looks like he has been playing wingback in small town football.

Hopefully he becomes a Hawkeye and turns into a beast at whatever position makes most sense.
 
4thngoal said:
It would seem we have been recruiting excellent in the te position. We are pretty full, unless a freak athlete at the position comes along.
Unless it looks like an easy convert to defense, I just don't know. Mid 4.7's is not very fast. He could of just had a bad day, but at 4.7 you are more in line with the ouutlaw then you are with a 4.5 like djk (not debating, just numbers).
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4.7 is fast for a big framed HS receiver.
 
IowaTeddy said:
4.7 is fast for a big framed HS receiver.
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"developmental" program

Either we develop players to be stronger, jump higher and run faster or we don't. I vote that we do. I also don't understand how a single sprint time negates a combine score higher than Martins.
 
karras said:
"developmental" program

Either we develop players to be stronger, jump higher and run faster or we don't. I vote that we do. I also don't understand how a single sprint time negates a combine score higher than Martins.
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I'm not saying it does.
Maybe that's his fastest ever and really runs a 4.9. Maybe as said it's his slowest for a variety of reasons.
All we can do at this point is say we don't know.
We have a young kid who may or may not want to play college football. May or may not want to play for Iowa. May or may not be a great wr. May or may not run faster than a 4.7.
From there, I would say invite him to camp and or go watch him play and talk to his coaches.
Not much else to do. But I think an offer before doing a little research and eval and giving him time to prove he wants to play as a hawk is jumping the gun a little.
 
4thngoal said:
I'm not saying it does.
Maybe that's his fastest ever and really runs a 4.9. Maybe as said it's his slowest for a variety of reasons.
All we can do at this point is say we don't know.
We have a young kid who may or may not want to play college football. May or may not want to play for Iowa. May or may not be a great wr. May or may not run faster than a 4.7.
From there, I would say invite him to camp and or go watch him play and talk to his coaches.
Not much else to do. But I think an offer before doing a little research and eval and giving him time to prove he wants to play as a hawk is jumping the gun a little.
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The kid already runs as fast as Hockenson. There is very little eval that I am worried about. He is big, fast, and fluid. That is how you get an out of this world camp score like he did. Even if he just picked up a football yesterday there is no reason to believe that we couldn't mold that into an All American at several different positions.

Kevin Bell: "D1 athletes are created when sperm hits the egg".

This kid is a D1 athlete and Iowa can always make use of natural athletic ability. We can teach the head game and the technique. It might even be easier the less bad muscle memory that he has.
 
IowaTeddy said:
You're right. I think we're all in agreement that Iowa needs to get this kid.

But I also think there is some hypocrisy in this conversation and in the thread title. Iowa's fanbase takes a lot of pride in the anti-combine football culture. And there is no real indication that he's an elite WR prospect (yet). He's young and he hasn't played much football, let alone at WR. Looks like he has been playing wingback in small town football.

Hopefully he becomes a Hawkeye and turns into a beast at whatever position makes most sense.
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Your arguement would hold more water if it were any other position. Most of our receivers and up being average at best anyway, so it's not like the bar is that high for him to reach.
 
4thngoal said:
I'm not saying it does.
Maybe that's his fastest ever and really runs a 4.9. Maybe as said it's his slowest for a variety of reasons.
All we can do at this point is say we don't know.
We have a young kid who may or may not want to play college football. May or may not want to play for Iowa. May or may not be a great wr. May or may not run faster than a 4.7.
From there, I would say invite him to camp and or go watch him play and talk to his coaches.
Not much else to do. But I think an offer before doing a little research and eval and giving him time to prove he wants to play as a hawk is jumping the gun a little.
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You're exactly right here...there are things that go on for these kids that we have no clue about. Granted, with this kid attending combines, etc. it seems as though he wants to play football. However, Iowa is known for doing their work before blindly making offers based on some combine numbers. I appreciate that the Hawks want the proper fit for their players. As some have also said in this thread, 4.7 is not blinding speed, but as we have transitioned back to traditional WR routes, it isn't all about speed. It's also about proper route running and proper positioning, just as much as it is speed...and that size and vertical, combined with route running and positioning is every bit as lethal as blinding speed.
 
bjohnson1102 said:
You're exactly right here...there are things that go on for these kids that we have no clue about. Granted, with this kid attending combines, etc. it seems as though he wants to play football. However, Iowa is known for doing their work before blindly making offers based on some combine numbers. I appreciate that the Hawks want the proper fit for their players. As some have also said in this thread, 4.7 is not blinding speed, but as we have transitioned back to traditional WR routes, it isn't all about speed. It's also about proper route running and proper positioning, just as much as it is speed...and that size and vertical, combined with route running and positioning is every bit as lethal as blinding speed.
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I think you're spot on with comments about route running and WR technique. But I think it's naive for us to say this kid's 40 time is slow. He's young and, at the risk of sounding really creepy... I'm sure he's physically developing, as all HS athletes do. He's also "winning" combine events with top HS football talent from the region (whatever that really means).

My point is that HS players have sort of "posted" 40 times for years. I typically don't believe them, unless they come from accredited combine settings in which you know they're using proper equipment and timing techniques. The difference between hand timing and electronically timing a 40 is well documented. Historically, there have been a ton of HS receivers who either claim fast 40 times or are somehow assigned them, based on eye tests or inaccurate hand timing. I bet that if you watched this kid play (at his old HS, or at Solon next year), you wouldn't walk away saying, "man he just doesn't look that fast".
 
IowaTeddy said:
I think you're spot on with comments about route running and WR technique. But I think it's naive for us to say this kid's 40 time is slow. He's young and, at the risk of sounding really creepy... I'm sure he's physically developing, as all HS athletes do. He's also "winning" combine events with top HS football talent from the region (whatever that really means).

My point is that HS players have sort of "posted" 40 times for years. I typically don't believe them, unless they come from accredited combine settings in which you know they're using proper equipment and timing techniques. The difference between hand timing and electronically timing a 40 is well documented. Historically, there have been a ton of HS receivers who either claim fast 40 times or are somehow assigned them, based on eye tests or inaccurate hand timing. I bet that if you watched this kid play (at his old HS, or at Solon next year), you wouldn't walk away saying, "man he just doesn't look that fast".
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Yeah, I don't actually think his time is slow. You're spot on about 40 times...most of them are hand timed, whereas his time is an official time. Here is a great recent example of hand times; we were at a track meet about a month ago and all the times were hand timed...surprisingly, all the hurdlers (that's what I looked at since my son hurdles) were the fastest times of the year.

And as far as seeing them in person, I totally agree, 4.7 wouldn't look slow at all. Here is a link to a recent shuttle hurdle race; electronic timing shows my son's 40 split at 4.833 going over hurdles. That would likely be a 4.6 or 4.7 without the hurdles...that is not slow by any stretch of the imagination.


You're spot on about developing as well. These guys refine speed and technique over time. Go on quickstats and look up Riley Moss hurdle time from sophomore through senior year. He improved his times by almost 2 seconds....
 
4thngoal said:
I'm not saying it does.
Maybe that's his fastest ever and really runs a 4.9. Maybe as said it's his slowest for a variety of reasons.
All we can do at this point is say we don't know.
We have a young kid who may or may not want to play college football. May or may not want to play for Iowa. May or may not be a great wr. May or may not run faster than a 4.7.
From there, I would say invite him to camp and or go watch him play and talk to his coaches.
Not much else to do. But I think an offer before doing a little research and eval and giving him time to prove he wants to play as a hawk is jumping the gun a little.
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Fair enough. Your take operates within it's own rules of logic. My logic says, make this kid feel like a priority. Even if we offer and he accepts, it's still a non-binding verbal. If we offer too soon the coaches can still correct their error later in the process. If we offer too late we miss out on a prospect who fills a positional need. We've already had 3 kids in our backyard who went to a rival. Let's not make it 4 because the kid doesn't have Hawkeye tattoos on his neck. I recall Kirk offering other kids like Higdon and Peirschbacher despite the fact Iowa wasn't their dream school.
 
karras said:
Fair enough. Your take operates within it's own rules of logic. My logic says, make this kid feel like a priority. Even if we offer and he accepts, it's still a non-binding verbal. If we offer too soon the coaches can still correct their error later in the process. If we offer too late we miss out on a prospect who fills a positional need. We've already had 3 kids in our backyard who went to a rival. Let's not make it 4 because the kid doesn't have Hawkeye tattoos on his neck. I recall Kirk offering other kids like Higdon and Peirschbacher despite the fact Iowa wasn't their dream school.
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Fair assessment.
I'm all for them checking him out. They probably already know about him. Now days with with videos , combines and everything else, you would almost have to purposely hide as an athlete.
I would assume the coaches know they need to step it up in a few positions when it comes to recruiting. I would also assume any wr that wants to play knows cracking the line up at Iowa is going to be easier than OSU, Michigan, ect.
Because unless you are a lock to go pro (and nobody is) the faster you get on the field the better your odds.

On a side note, I really like the good words coming out of spring about the newest recruits. I don't really remember the staff being so complementary about so many younger players. I remember them throwing out a few names. Maybe it's just me idk.
 
I think I read Martin blew up over the summer and then Iowa jumped in. I hope Jace blows up and Iowa jumps in early and gets him. Not saying Jace has the heat Oliver did, but ya never know how things will unfold.
 
I can see some parallels. They both excelled during spring combines. This is the time when Martin began reeling in offers, during June camps. I'm not sure where else JA is camping after Iowa.
 

It's offer time. No way that kid walks out of Kirk's office without an offer. Heard some buzz at a Solon pub that Jace has eyes for the Black and Gold.
 
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