hawkeyegamefilm
Well-Known Member
Lot to like about the OL depth this spring. Iowa isn't going to do anything fancy up front, it's going to be primarily zone blocking and a focus on being more physical than opposing defenses. Overall, not a lot that wasn't known coming into today; but it's always nice to reaffirm things with concrete observations.
LT: Pretty much no questions here; Brandon Scherff is healthy and is capable of playing at a very high level. By the end of this season Scherff might earn the right to carry Samuel L Jackson's wallet from Pulp Fiction. Donnal took some reps at LT with the 2s; with MacMillian out and often injured, Iowa needs to get some depth at the tackle spots. I think Donnal is going to earn reps at RG, but is also is needed for depth at OT.
LG: Boffeli has the inside track after improving steadily down the stretch at this spot late in '12 and holding onto the starting job the last 3 games. Seemed like he kept his lead here to me. Behind him is Drew Clark who looks like a solid reserve, but likely would be the 9th OL in the pecking order.
C: Austin Blythe did pretty well at the Center spot when I watched him. He's not as intense as James Ferentz was but is a bigger body and has a high ceiling for development. Eric Simmons also looked pretty good when lined up at Center with the 2s. Simmons is pretty tenacious and plays with sound leverage, but does lose his base a little too often.
RG: Jordan Walsh ran with the 1's most of the day at RG and looked more physical and a little bit bigger than he did in '12. Donnal started several games at this spot in '12 and will factor into the competition heavily; as could Simmons. I think there will be a heated competition for the RG spot and we're likely to see guy's splitting reps here early in the season.
RT: Brett Van Sloten looks to have kicked up his level of play a little bit. He looked more physical and was punishing guys more often than he did in '12. Behind him in this practice was Ryan Ward who also gets after it pretty good. Ward is only a RS Frosh and looks to have a bright future. He's already a sound run blocker and may push for time at one of the guard spots and gives Iowa some solid depth at OT, where they are a little thin.
Iowa's coaching staff has talked openly about getting the best 5 OL on the field in the past, regardless of position. The gap between the 5th, 6th, 7th, & 8th OL looks like it's going to be pretty small to me. Contests like this usually end up with some rotation and are definitely not sprints in terms of winning the job; they're about endurance & consistency . Competition usually is a good thing and only raises the level of play.
LT: Pretty much no questions here; Brandon Scherff is healthy and is capable of playing at a very high level. By the end of this season Scherff might earn the right to carry Samuel L Jackson's wallet from Pulp Fiction. Donnal took some reps at LT with the 2s; with MacMillian out and often injured, Iowa needs to get some depth at the tackle spots. I think Donnal is going to earn reps at RG, but is also is needed for depth at OT.
LG: Boffeli has the inside track after improving steadily down the stretch at this spot late in '12 and holding onto the starting job the last 3 games. Seemed like he kept his lead here to me. Behind him is Drew Clark who looks like a solid reserve, but likely would be the 9th OL in the pecking order.
C: Austin Blythe did pretty well at the Center spot when I watched him. He's not as intense as James Ferentz was but is a bigger body and has a high ceiling for development. Eric Simmons also looked pretty good when lined up at Center with the 2s. Simmons is pretty tenacious and plays with sound leverage, but does lose his base a little too often.
RG: Jordan Walsh ran with the 1's most of the day at RG and looked more physical and a little bit bigger than he did in '12. Donnal started several games at this spot in '12 and will factor into the competition heavily; as could Simmons. I think there will be a heated competition for the RG spot and we're likely to see guy's splitting reps here early in the season.
RT: Brett Van Sloten looks to have kicked up his level of play a little bit. He looked more physical and was punishing guys more often than he did in '12. Behind him in this practice was Ryan Ward who also gets after it pretty good. Ward is only a RS Frosh and looks to have a bright future. He's already a sound run blocker and may push for time at one of the guard spots and gives Iowa some solid depth at OT, where they are a little thin.
Iowa's coaching staff has talked openly about getting the best 5 OL on the field in the past, regardless of position. The gap between the 5th, 6th, 7th, & 8th OL looks like it's going to be pretty small to me. Contests like this usually end up with some rotation and are definitely not sprints in terms of winning the job; they're about endurance & consistency . Competition usually is a good thing and only raises the level of play.
