homerHAWKeye777
Well-Known Member
Disappointing. However, some while ago MSU was smart enough to move on him and make it clear to him that he was a high priority target for them. Kudos to the Spartans for landing him ... very good get.
Jack Allen to MSU
- Thread starter homerHAWKeye777
- Start date
Mac50702
Well-Known Member
We had a pretty damn good shot at the best damn center in the country. I just want to know WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
BALDIES7980
Well-Known Member
This was my first thought. Coaches son syndrome.
homerHAWKeye777
Well-Known Member
Mac -
No worries. Allen has great athleticism and quickness ... definitely attributes that we value. However, you have to remember the following things ....
- Iowa's Boffeli is a stud. Should Koeppel win the starting gig ... expect Boffeli to give James Ferentz everything he can handle in the competition for the starting gig in 2011. The implication there is that starting in 2011 ... we could potentially have a 3-year starter in Boffeli. That gives us time to find another C.
- Even if Boffeli doesn't win the job in 2011, he'll likely end up being a starter at OG before we know it. Thus, after Ferentz graduates, Boffeli will still be able to slide over to C if necessary in 2013. As stated before, that still gives us time to find another C.
- Folks may not have noticed, but Blythe himself projects pretty darn nicely at the C spot.
- Iowa has already targeted a number of high quality C-recruits in the 2012 recruiting class.
homerHAWKeye777
Well-Known Member
Also, let me add the old line ... there are more fish in the sea.
No way will I marginalize Allen. I've been high on him for quite some time AND I'm disappointed that we didn't land him. However, a single recruit will not make or break our OL.
No way will I marginalize Allen. I've been high on him for quite some time AND I'm disappointed that we didn't land him. However, a single recruit will not make or break our OL.
homerHAWKeye777
Well-Known Member
Easy ... MSU was in on him sooner and made him feel like he was a higher priority target of theirs.
Furthermore, Iowa is better known for their OLs and, thus, he might be concerned about his chances for seeing early playing time. At Iowa, I wouldn't forsee Allen being an early contributer. I see him as being a high quality guy ... however, I highly doubt that he would have been an early contributer at Iowa. That matters to some guys ...
homerHAWKeye777
Well-Known Member
Mac -
One more thing ... when you're a recruiting junkie, if you want to keep your sanity, you have to be able to have a short memory (not unlike Ricky and his ability to move past his mistakes).
Iowa has landed A LOT of quality guys as a result of evaluating guys who were either "late bloomers" or were guys who were injured and consequently got a little too overlooked in the recruiting process.
The very fact that the Iowa coaches staff DOESN'T leave stones unturned always leads me to simply look forward. We can't land 'em all ... as much as we'd like too.
One more thing ... when you're a recruiting junkie, if you want to keep your sanity, you have to be able to have a short memory (not unlike Ricky and his ability to move past his mistakes).
Iowa has landed A LOT of quality guys as a result of evaluating guys who were either "late bloomers" or were guys who were injured and consequently got a little too overlooked in the recruiting process.
The very fact that the Iowa coaches staff DOESN'T leave stones unturned always leads me to simply look forward. We can't land 'em all ... as much as we'd like too.
Not sure if you are referring to Allen or Bobek with "best damn center" coment. Bobek had some interest in Iowa, with his dad being alumni, but Iowa apparently didnt have interest in him. We fans will never know reason for that decision. Maybe similar to why we didnt recruit the guy from CB area who went to Miami. I cant recall name now.
As for Allen, I too thought we had good shot but he thought MSU was better choice for him.
homerHAWKeye777
Well-Known Member
Mac -
Going off from what Norm has said about college football these days ... the kids are the same as they were (and they're still great) ... the problem is with the parents.
I wouldn't be shocked Bobek tried to leverage the coaches into offering and the coaches didn't want to have to deal with that sort of extra parental baggage.
Furthermore, when it comes to how programs like to man the C spot ... there are a number of different "philosophies." For instance, one philosophy is to have a C who is as strong as an ox in order to match up against the big DTs that are out there. Another philosophy is to opt for a C who is more athletic and quick ... but who also has a frame that allows them to have very good natural leverage.
My impression is that Bobek is more of the former type, whereas Iowa tends to prefer more of the latter.
Either way, guys of either type can develop into mighty fine centers. However, some guys will fit into some systems better than others.
SeattleHawkeye
Well-Known Member
Losing Allen doesn't bother me. I'd have loved to have gotten him, but I think we're in on so many good players right now that we have options, and b/c we have fantastic young depth and Blythe and Walsh have already committed, I'm not too concerned. Also, recognize going into next year for commits we have 2 of the top OG's in the country, and will likely get another OT commit to go along w/ the young studs on campus now (Boffelli, VanSloten, MacMillan, Scherff, Donnall). OL is a position I think we've recruited exceptionally at the last couple years, and don't forget we lose at most 3 players from next year, though likely only 1 (JVV and Koeppel graduate, and Reiff will likely have the option, but I think Reiff stays, and Ferentz easily replaces Koeppel).
As for Bobek, his dad is posting on websites, which is always a bit eye-raising. Here's a thread from TOS in which he posts. Nothing spectacular or brilliant, but I just thought it was interesting a kid's dad is actually posting on college football message boards.
http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=8&f=1378&t=6226761
As for Bobek, his dad is posting on websites, which is always a bit eye-raising. Here's a thread from TOS in which he posts. Nothing spectacular or brilliant, but I just thought it was interesting a kid's dad is actually posting on college football message boards.
http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=8&f=1378&t=6226761
homerHAWKeye777
Well-Known Member
I'm amused that Bobek's father cared enough to try to imply that I was incorrect on one of my hypotheses. However, what he didn't account for was that I was right about Iowa sitting VERY well with Blythe and Walsh. Bobek's father seemed to indicate that the fact that the Iowa coaches still ended up going after Allen was evidence that one of my prior hypotheses was incorrect. However, quite to the contrary, it still displayed that the Iowa coaches were placing priority on recruiting OGs (something I emphasized) ... and the fact that they then decided to offer Allen AFTER having seen him at camp (a camp that Bobek was invited too, FWIW) simpy reinforced that they wanted to make sure that they'd know what they'd be getting if they were to offer a guy who projected more exclusively at C.
imported_ankle23
Well-Known Member
Matt Pipho from LaPorte City?
