James Morris and Nolan MacMillan - CFN All-American Freshman

herkeye

herkeye

Well-Known Member
Thought everybody might like this. I am excited to see what these two can do 3 more years.

LB James Morris , Iowa – Injuries created an opening in the middle that Morris quickly filled, taking over as the starter toward the end of October. He’s fourth on the team with 63, making a season-high 13 in the loss to Northwestern. More important, he possesses the physical toughness and all of the intangibles that have been inherent to great Hawkeye defenders for decades.

Nolan MacMillian gets honorable mention for O-Line.

http://cfn.scout.com/2/1031167.html
 
Every year we lose guys and the chicken littles come out wondering what we will do, and every year, Ferentz reloads and wins between 6 and 11 games like clockwork. The future is bright.
 
James Morris is a great example of next man in. Before the season there was no way anybody thought he would start. After a few injuries he got the nod and ran with it
 
Kudos to both. Never met NM but I have met James and his family and he's a great representative for this program. Nice kid. Smart. Seems like a hard worker. It's guys like him who I've felt the worst for over the last week.
 
An 18 year old frosh from Iowa gets CFN freshman first team all-american and you're criticizing his pass defense? He had his ups and downs in pass D, and he certainly has a bright future. Considering he was in a HS championship game just a little over a year ago, I think he had a pretty good season in the middle for the Hawks. He will be the foundation of the D for the next 3 years. And based on his work ethic, he will shore up an pass d deficiencies. After watching Johnson and Jeremiah Hunter on pass d, I will gladly take James.
 
CRHawk2002 said:
An 18 year old frosh from Iowa gets CFN freshman first team all-american and you're criticizing his pass defense? He had his ups and downs in pass D, and he certainly has a bright future. Considering he was in a HS championship game just a little over a year ago, I think he had a pretty good season in the middle for the Hawks. He will be the foundation of the D for the next 3 years. And based on his work ethic, he will shore up an pass d deficiencies. After watching Johnson and Jeremiah Hunter on pass d, I will gladly take James.
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This. Some people just don't want to be satisfied.
 
I just don't get the satisfaction in demonizing our own players. Morris is a name we'll remember long after he graduates because we'll see him on Sunday, barring injuries. The kid's got it and people still slam him.
 
MidnightBlueSix said:
He's probably gonna be my favorite defensive player next year...or Mike Diesel...
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so either you don't like TMFS or you think he is going pro? with the labor uncertainty I am thinking most underclassman might not jump ship so quickly, although there are a not a lot of great DB's out there.
 
Scotttyd said:
so either you don't like TMFS or you think he is going pro? with the labor uncertainty I am thinking most underclassman might not jump ship so quickly, although there are a not a lot of great DB's out there.
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No, I figure TMFS will be on the team next year but he's not my favorite. He's a lot of fun to watch and makes some SERIOUS plays but the only safety who's ever been my favorite defensive player (at any level) was Bob Sanders. The safeties just aren't in on as many plays as the MLB or DTs so it's harder for them to become my fave.
 
hawkdoctor said:
I just don't get the satisfaction in demonizing our own players. Morris is a name we'll remember long after he graduates because we'll see him on Sunday, barring injuries. The kid's got it and people still slam him.
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You got it. I said before he even started that he was going to be our best LB EVER. I may not be right on the "ever" part, but good Lord, he sure looks damn good. 3 more years of Morris? Yes, please.
 
He does need to pass defend. Great season, but he didn't make all big ten team did he? He needs to improve. His pass defense was marginal to average. He will get better. He will be great! Nice job, but your pass defense was weak!!
 
austinhawk said:
He does need to pass defend. Great season, but he didn't make all big ten team did he? He needs to improve. His pass defense was marginal to average. He will get better. He will be great! Nice job, but your pass defense was weak!!
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Agreed. Pass D was a little weak, but you can't expect a whole lot more out of a freshman. However, his ability to read an offense is impeccable and give him a little more time to learn to read passing plays better and he'll be finishing his career with the ranks of Greenway, Angerer, and Edds. Hell, maybe he'll even trump Larry Station. Anyway, the future is bright for this kid. Same with Macmillan.
 
James will have some big shoes to fill to be the best IA LB ever. After playing as a true frosh I thought maybe he would have a chance to leave as the IA all-time leading tackler. Then I looked up the record and it appears that Larry Station wants that record all to himself. 462 tackles. James had 63 tackles this year. To break it he would need 133 tackles per year the next three years. However, I do think he will leave as one of the better MLB's here at IA. He is quick to the ball and has a very high football IQ. I will enjoy watching him the next few years. Hopefully if Derby doesnt pan out at QB he switches to the fun side of the football and the two of them play both play LB. That would be fun to watch.
 
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I'm less worried about his pass defense than I am his rush defense. Kid did well under the circumstances but he needs to bulk up to take on the guards, centers, and fullbacks.
 
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