Howe: Iowa Football '20 Position-By-Position Outlook 2.0

[Lumberman]

If Belton stays at Cash, he needs a quantum leap from his freshman year. Minnesota was clearly picking on him... and winning that matchup. USC picked on him, too.

If anyone can coach him up, Phil Parker can.

My Guess: Golston, Nixon, Schulte and Waggoner up front. Rotating in will be Shannon, Lee and Van Valkenberg at DT. On 3rd and Long: Evans, Golston, Van Valkenberg and Waggoner.

At LB: Campbell at MLB, Niemann and Colbert. Belton subs in for Colbert at the Nickel. Maybe the light comes on for Doyle...?

Back 4: Brents, Hankins, Koerner and Merriweather. Moss is the dime, but rotated in regularly with Brents and Hankins to minimize the inevitable injuries we have at CB. DJ is Belton’s backup and emergency 4th CB.

My guess is that we will see a lot more dime packages than past years with Niemann as the lone LB against these spread teams like ISU, jNW, Nebby and Purdue.

 

[RobHowe]

In fairness to Belton, Minnesota and USC had really good groups of receivers and he was a true freshman who really didn't start playing until midseason because of an injury.

I know you're not banging on him. I just think he makes a pretty big jump this offseason. I think the kid could be special.

 

[Grady]

The staff really seems to like Moss, and I think they'll find a way to get him on the field on a consistent basis, if not at CB then perhaps at Cash? The LB spots are also interesting. If you look at Nieman's talent level, I think everyone including coaches would agree he's been underutilized the past couple years -- but he's kind of a tweener: hasn't been big enough for MLB but not fast enough for the Cash. Just gotta figure out a way to get him on the field. I wasn't a big fan of Welch until last year, when I saw what happened when Doyle took his place. Could be a tougher guy to replace than most expect.

 

[NikeHawk21]

If Belton stays at Cash, he needs a quantum leap from his freshman year. Minnesota was clearly picking on him... and winning that matchup. USC picked on him, too.

If anyone can coach him up, Phil Parker can.

My Guess: Golston, Nixon, Schulte and Waggoner up front. Rotating in will be Shannon, Lee and Van Valkenberg at DT. On 3rd and Long: Evans, Golston, Van Valkenberg and Waggoner.

At LB: Campbell at MLB, Niemann and Colbert. Belton subs in for Colbert at the Nickel. Maybe the light comes on for Doyle...?

Back 4: Brents, Hankins, Koerner and Merriweather. Moss is the dime, but rotated in regularly with Brents and Hankins to minimize the inevitable injuries we have at CB. DJ is Belton’s backup and emergency 4th CB.

My guess is that we will see a lot more dime packages than past years with Niemann as the lone LB against these spread teams like ISU, jNW, Nebby and Purdue.

Nixon was on the pass rushing package this year. His size and athleticism are pretty unique. I’d say he’s an absolute lock for any pass rushing package.

 

[Fryowa]

My thoughts:

-I think Britt is a starter on the OL.

-I’m hoping Niemann moves to the middle and Jacobs takes over his LEO spot in 4-3.

-Secondary is very interesting. I’m thinking Belton slides back to safety to take Stone’s spot so he can be an every down player. Brents locks down the second corner spot. DJ Johnson struggled a bit at cash but he will have a second chance at it, also like to see Merriweather in that mix there. Moss in the dime looks. Overall I think the group will be solid, but if the pass rush takes a step back that could be a concern.

I'm high on Britt as well and could see him winning a spot. I think the competition on the OL will be fascinating.

Maybe Kallenberger ends up being a better RT than Cronk and the latter moves inside. Cody Ince is an overlooked kid. Wirfs told me he's a freakishly good athlete. He could emerge. Then Banwart is coming back.

I would say AJ and TL are locks. After that, it's wide open.

The secondary also should be fascinating. Iowa has done a nice job adding versatile pieces back there.

Also, maybe Jacobs is good enough at LEO that Iowa leans towards the base 4-3 more because nobody emerges at Cash if Belton's best spot is SS.

I'm getting excited for football. I need something to distract me from these temperatures in Iowa City today.

I've become a fan of Kirk's OL/DL by committee the past few years. I'd argue that fresh legs late in games are equal to skill in importance sometimes. Superhuman guys like WIrfs and Scherff are good for 70 snaps a game but the majority of guys aren't. Not all schools do it to the degree that Iowa rotates, and I think its been at least part of the success. It's also why I don't focus too hard on the depth chart at those spots. At Iowa, "starter" is somewhat of a symbolic term on the OL/DL.