Iowa Post-Spring Position Analysis: Safety
- Thread starter RobHowe
- Start date
NorthKCHawk
Well-Known Member
What the hell's up with recruiting at this position. We have one 5-star recruit in this room and everyone else is a walk-on or former walk-on???? Yowza.
There is no questioning the talent in the starting 3 guys. Sure looks murky as hell after that, but Parker knows how to develop safeties.
There is no questioning the talent in the starting 3 guys. Sure looks murky as hell after that, but Parker knows how to develop safeties.
Fryowa
Administrator
Recruiting stars are bullshit.
When Phil Parker starts to flounder, then we can question recruiting choices. Until then his results speak for themselves.
NorthKCHawk
Well-Known Member
True, but it is not the stars part of this that is weird. Its the fact that so many kids in that room that are in line for playing time are walkons. That suggests to me they were not good enough out of high school to get an offer from Iowa or any other D1 program. They likely chose between walking on at Iowa or playing football at a lower tier school. Stars or not, these kids were not sought after prospects by anyone, including us, and now they are the starting FS and the primary backups on one of the best defenses in the nation. Where are the scholarship recruits at these positions? That's rather extraordinary.
hawkinn3
Well-Known Member
They’re not everything but they mean something. Not too many 3 star guys on the Georgia roster.
We have had some decent safety recruits, 3-star guys with decent offer sheets: Castro, Bracy, Craddieth, Entringer. It just so happens that some of those athletic, multisport in-state guys who fly under the radar perform well once they get on campus.
Craddieth ended up being a good ST player and leader, hopefully he gets to play more D at his grad transfer destination (Kent St.). Bracy also contributed on ST but didn't see a path to the field on D and chose to enter the portal earlier in his career to find that path (Troy).
Castro had some huge moments last year. He got picked on in coverage by Ohio State, but OSU's #3 receiver is the #1 receiver on 95% of the teams in the country. I think he is in line for a big year.
I like what I have heard about Entringer, so far.
Craddieth ended up being a good ST player and leader, hopefully he gets to play more D at his grad transfer destination (Kent St.). Bracy also contributed on ST but didn't see a path to the field on D and chose to enter the portal earlier in his career to find that path (Troy).
Castro had some huge moments last year. He got picked on in coverage by Ohio State, but OSU's #3 receiver is the #1 receiver on 95% of the teams in the country. I think he is in line for a big year.
I like what I have heard about Entringer, so far.
NorthKCHawk
Well-Known Member
LOL. You are probably right.
It sometimes befuddles me how Iowa is not turning away visits from talented Safeties, OL, and TEs. High school kids at those positions should be begging to go to Iowa We put so many guys in the league at those positions, but we are not raining 4-5 star kids by any stretch.
Yeah it's an interesting thing. I saw some stat about what % of 5 star kids are drafted compared to all others and it's pretty significant wish I could remember what it was. Iowa has some wild stats though. If you're a senior starter for Iowa you damn near are guaranteed to get drafted or invited to a camp. The sales pitch Iowa has for recruits is tough to debate against.
Jake Gervase is still out there cashing checks. Who'd have thought that? It's unreal
ChosenChildren
Well-Known Member
In Phil We Trust. One of the great coaches in the entire country.
Fryowa
Administrator
People need to realize that Phil is what makes this team go 'round. Kurt and Brain just get in the way.
NorthKCHawk
Well-Known Member
Come on, that's hyperbolic. Phil is an amazing coach, but KF fielded three Top 10 teams in a row long before Phil took the reigns. And, I have said this before and I will say it again, Parker benefits from Iowa's inept offense and generally good punting prowess. Because teams know Iowa is not going to score much on offense they play much more conservatively on offense. If Iowa had a competent offense, teams would have to try and score more. And they would. I guarantee you that if you moved Parker up the road to Lames and he was the DC in the Big 12, his unreal stats as a DC would not be as good.
And, it is not just Iowa's terrible offense that helps his numbers, it is the rest of the shitty West. Phil greatly benefits from calling defenses in THE WORST offensive division in football by a long ways. Stopping Minnesota and Nebraska is light work compared to Georgia, OSU, Okie, USC, TCU, etc.
Again, not taking away from Parker's greatness. And, he is considered by many, including me, to be one of the top coordinators in all of football, but to ignore that he has some factors in his favor and to suggest that KF is not the biggest factor in Iowa's success is stretching things IMHO.
Fryowa
Administrator
Since Phil Parker took over he is the single entity (followed in a close 2nd by LeVar Woods) responsible for the success at Iowa. KF and Fredo would have us equal with Illinois and Indiana if it weren't for Parker's coaching, recruiting, and developmental abilities. To say otherwise is ridiculous and ignores obvious data.
You're going to lessen Parker's achievements becasue he plays in "THE WORST offensive division in football by a long ways," but not mention that Kurt and Fredo have for the past few years produced THE WORST offense in "THE WORST offensive division in football by a long ways?" Lol.
If you're going to say anything spectacular about KF, I'd oblige that his talent is surrounding himself with really, really good staff. That alone is not enough.
NorthKCHawk
Well-Known Member
I don't know whether this "lessens" his achievements, but you did not refute my point that if Parker was DC in the Little 12 or $EC or Big Ten East, his numbers would not be nearly as daunting. You know for a fact that Phil's numbers would not be as amazing if he was the DC at Oklahoma State. He feasts on facing 5 other offenses every year that are almost as bad as Iowa's. The only consistently competent offense Iowa has faced in the West is Purdue and there are times when Purdue's offense got the better of Iowa's D. On the flipside, contests against OSU and Michigan have generally not been stellar defensive performances by Iowa.
I will revise what I said above. The offense helps and hurts Parker. In the West, it is a benefit. When facing the dregs in the West, Parker gets to benefit from a pack of coaches that are trying to win the game 13-10. So, the defensive stats are awesome. When Iowa plays real competition a few times a year, Iowa's putrid offense either does nothing or is actually a hindrance. But, either way, Parker's D usually cannot stop a real team from putting points on then board. That is not a knock, those teams score against just about everyone. Imagine if Iowa was suddenly placed in the East, and had to play OSU, Michigan, and PSU every year? Michigan State and Maryland can score too. Numbers would be materially worse for Iowa's D and you know it.
He is a great DC, I have said that repeatedly. But if you cannot acknowledge that he is in an incredibly favorable position given the West and the style of play Iowa goes for, you are not being objective. Two things can be true at once.
SmokeTownHawk
Well-Known Member
Until it comes to the conference championship game.
NorthKCHawk
Well-Known Member
Huck, if you are actually advancing that there is any sort of parity between the East and West I have some lake shore property in Antarctica to sell you.
Basically 50/50 still favors the East a smidge and the West has never won a conference title. The East is top heavy, the West is average heavy.
The seeming parity largely comes from the fact that the East has 3 great teams (OSU, Michigan, PSU), one up and down team (MSU) and three suckwad teams (Rutgers, Maryland, and Indiana). The West is all about the same load of average yawns. A few above average (Wisky and Iowa), a few below (Nebbie and Illinois) and the other three are straight up average.
So, collectively, the West's average teams largely get beat by the top side of the East but mop up on the bottom half and split with MSU. That is obviously a generalization, but it explains the alleged parity. When it comes to which division is a better division, however, reasonable sports minds do not find the point even debatable.
There is a reason this will be the last year of Iowa trying to navigate the crappy West. Let's go out on top!
Basically 50/50 still favors the East a smidge and the West has never won a conference title. The East is top heavy, the West is average heavy.
The seeming parity largely comes from the fact that the East has 3 great teams (OSU, Michigan, PSU), one up and down team (MSU) and three suckwad teams (Rutgers, Maryland, and Indiana). The West is all about the same load of average yawns. A few above average (Wisky and Iowa), a few below (Nebbie and Illinois) and the other three are straight up average.
So, collectively, the West's average teams largely get beat by the top side of the East but mop up on the bottom half and split with MSU. That is obviously a generalization, but it explains the alleged parity. When it comes to which division is a better division, however, reasonable sports minds do not find the point even debatable.
There is a reason this will be the last year of Iowa trying to navigate the crappy West. Let's go out on top!
HuckFinn
Well-Known Member
With OSU and Mich that is not surprising.
HuckFinn
Well-Known Member
I don’t disagree with most of what you posted. The East is top heavy by two teams, OSU and Mich. Remember that Iowa owned Mich for a while, btw. I saw Iowa beat Mich in AnnArbor twice. PSU has been good not great imho. I don’t recall them winning a BT championship, right? They were going to dominate the BT when they first joined. Nope. Parity in the BT, regardless of the spin you put on it, is OSU, Mich, sort of PSU, then 11 other teams. Even the 3 top dogs have slipped up enough times to keep it interesting.
In short, the BT, in my view, is a 14 team competitive conference with the usual couple of teams that stand out. Is that a rare event in P 5 football.
Just out of curiosity, what if either OSU or Mich was in the West? Would that solve your concern? It would seem so. Or, if usc and ucla end up in the West, whole new parity party?
Where exactly is that property you have for sale in Antartica? Would like to take a look…
