Four-Star In-State Standout T.J. Bollers Getting Down to Nitty Gritty

RobHowe

RobHowe

Administrator
Clear Creek Amana defender focusing in on process of finding college:

LINK

Also an update on Council Bluffs TE Thomas Fidone linked on the recruiting board.
 
I wonder how creative Phil Parker is interested in getting? The MO has always been do a small number of things, and do them exceptionally. But the Athletic article on Clemson putting in an odd-front package for spread teams (one they stole from Iowa State) made me wonder if Iowa could do something similar. They should have a lot of athletic, LB type bodies. More opportunities to get Jestin Jacobs, Dillon Doyle, Jack Campbell, Joe Evans, etc. on the field. Could also sway Bollers, who likes the idea of being a 3-4 edge guy.
 
They both talked about having good relationships with the Iowa coaches.

To me, that’s interest.

Is Iowa the favorite for either one?

I couldn’t say that. But there’s interest. Fidone puts Iowa among his Top 3.
 
There’s nothing left to say to Bollers from Iowa. They’ve been recruiting him a long time. He knows Iowa and they know him. Sounds like he’s a long way from a decision.
 
RobHowe said:
They both talked about having good relationships with the Iowa coaches.

To me, that’s interest.

Is Iowa the favorite for either one?

I couldn’t say that. But there’s interest. Fidone puts Iowa among his Top 3.
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The "moving apart" is concerning. That seems synonymous with "waning interest". Maybe he's just practicing the verbal equivalent of a head fake, swim move or twist to keep us off balance. Who knows. It's a mystery inside a riddle wrapped in an enigma.
 
It has been a month since the quiet period started. Friday the quiet period ends. More information will come out soon after
 
thawks1 said:
It has been a month since the quiet period started. Friday the quiet period ends. More information will come out soon after
Click to expand...

Quiet period is no face to face contact. Other forms of communication are allowed.

Other schools have been utilizing that with TJB. Iowa has not.
 
CP87 said:
I wonder how creative Phil Parker is interested in getting? The MO has always been do a small number of things, and do them exceptionally. But the Athletic article on Clemson putting in an odd-front package for spread teams (one they stole from Iowa State) made me wonder if Iowa could do something similar. They should have a lot of athletic, LB type bodies. More opportunities to get Jestin Jacobs, Dillon Doyle, Jack Campbell, Joe Evans, etc. on the field. Could also sway Bollers, who likes the idea of being a 3-4 edge guy.
Click to expand...

I can see why he liked the 3-4 defense. Did you see the size of that NT (#75)? Every offense they faced had to put two guys on him just to move him. That is one large human! No wonder TJ Bollers was able to run loose to make tackles. Wherever TJ winds up, it’s gonna be a big reality check for TJ. He ain’t gonna be able to pick and choose what defense he plays in if/ when he makes it to the NFL. Better to learn to play 4-3 defense as well. No matter which, at the end of the day, you still gotta take on that OT. 4-3,5-2,3-4,4-2-5, mostly affect the linebackers more than DE’s.
 
Phil Parker and staff are saying the same thing to both guys, you can come in and work hard, compete and we'll figure out the best spot for you and the team. This philosophy seems to be working pretty well to me.
 
CP87 said:
I wonder how creative Phil Parker is interested in getting? The MO has always been do a small number of things, and do them exceptionally. But the Athletic article on Clemson putting in an odd-front package for spread teams (one they stole from Iowa State) made me wonder if Iowa could do something similar. They should have a lot of athletic, LB type bodies. More opportunities to get Jestin Jacobs, Dillon Doyle, Jack Campbell, Joe Evans, etc. on the field. Could also sway Bollers, who likes the idea of being a 3-4 edge guy.
Click to expand...
Last offseason they toyed with Amani Jones playing an “edge” position where he was basically playing a rush end but wasn’t putting his hand in the ground. We’ve been a lot more multiple with our defensive looks in recent years.

At the end of the day I think standing up as an OLB in a 3-4 system just might simply be a better fit here. At Iowa if he wanted to be an every down player we’d probably ask him to put on more weight than maybe he would like to or feels he can excel at.

It will stink if we lose an in state kid like this but I understand the logic behind it. Iowa is in on some other DE’s and will be fine at the position I think.
 
RE: the 4-3 vs 3-4. Isn't 4-3 a more common alignment, especially in the NFL? I can understand a receiver wanting to go to a passing school, or an run/pass QB wanting an offensive scheme that fits. But wouldn't Bollers be pidgeon-holing himself a bit to infer that he can only play in a 3-4?

Doesn't sound like he's that hot on IOWA either way...just curious.
 
RobHowe said:
They both talked about having good relationships with the Iowa coaches.

To me, that’s interest.

Is Iowa the favorite for either one?

I couldn’t say that. But there’s interest. Fidone puts Iowa among his Top 3.
Click to expand...

I just don't understand Fidone having Nebraska near the top. Last year, in one of Iowa's lowest TE productivity seasons in a decade (due to losing 2 x 1st-rounders to early entry), Iowa still outproduced Nebraska's TEs by about 200 yards. I bet if you look at "TE snaps", Iowa more than doubled what Nebraska had. It just doesn't make sense unless he has always been a huge Husker fan (which is perhaps the case).
 
CP87 said:
I just don't understand Fidone having Nebraska near the top. Last year, in one of Iowa's lowest TE productivity seasons in a decade (due to losing 2 x 1st-rounders to early entry), Iowa still outproduced Nebraska's TEs by about 200 yards. I bet if you look at "TE snaps", Iowa more than doubled what Nebraska had. It just doesn't make sense unless he has always been a huge Husker fan (which is perhaps the case).
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Living on the edge of Husker-land must have some influence.
 
Anthony Nelson, who as we know played end here, lined up at LB in Tampa Bay's 3-4 this season. We had him in the radio during the year and he said it was fun and not that big of a transition.
 
CP87 said:
I wonder how creative Phil Parker is interested in getting? The MO has always been do a small number of things, and do them exceptionally. But the Athletic article on Clemson putting in an odd-front package for spread teams (one they stole from Iowa State) made me wonder if Iowa could do something similar. They should have a lot of athletic, LB type bodies. More opportunities to get Jestin Jacobs, Dillon Doyle, Jack Campbell, Joe Evans, etc. on the field. Could also sway Bollers, who likes the idea of being a 3-4 edge guy.
Click to expand...

I never really looked at Clemson's total package but I would bet that against OU and LSU with 4 or 5 receiver sets they had one more dback than the offense had wide receivers. If Clemson was in a 3 DLinemen look they might have had only 3 or even two linebackers in there and play a safety as a CASH type hybrid as Hurts and Burrows both can run pretty well. Even in an empty backfield set sometimes you have to account for the qB run.

Four wideouts and a back in the backfield might be a 3-3-5 defense.
 
RobHowe said:
Anthony Nelson, who as we know played end here, lined up at LB in Tampa Bay's 3-4 this season. We had him in the radio during the year and he said it was fun and not that big of a transition.
Click to expand...
It’s a fair point, but the question really is what position does TJ feel better suited to play in college. At Iowa they are going to ask him to get to probably 265 in order to handle playing against the run. Or at least if he wants to be an every down player. He might feel that isn’t his ideal playing weight. Zach Baun who played OLB for UW this year and is likely a 2nd-3rd round pick played at 6’3/235.
 
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