Just how young this team is....

[herkyattack]

I was looking through past recruiting classes, and it really struck me just how young this year's football team is going to be. Typically you have a lot of upperclassmen starting, with an occasional underclassmen here or there. But looking back at our past classes, this is simply not the case. Glancing at our '08 and '09 classes (Would be RS Senior, Senior, and RS Junior classes), you would expect to have a few starters. But....

'08: Vandenberg, Ferentz
Only two likely starters from this class

'09: Alvis, K. Davis, Hyde, Rodgers, Van Sloten
Five likely starters from this class

Which leaves us with the 2010 class, which consists of true Juniors and RS Sophomores. Ideally, you would want a handful of starters from this class.

'10: C. Davis, CJFed, Hitchens, Kirksey, Lowery, Martin-Manley, T.Miller, Morris, Scherff, Trinca-Pasat

There are ten likely starters from this class, and another (Shumpert) will likely get the majority of snaps when we implement a 3rd receiver, which we may be doing with much more regularity this year.

This just reinforces many of our beliefs that while we may struggle this season (I for one am not in that camp), there is a very bright future ahead of us.

 

[Golfer]

But isn't it interesting to watch them improve game to game, like no other Iowa team in recent memory?

 

[rockstar]

now, this is a good way to look at things. they WILL get better.

 

[MNHawkeyeFreak]

I love optimists.

 

[Hawkfromnorwalk]

Look backs are always great.

 

[HawkeyeDenis]

My guess is that there will be about 17 or 18 starters back next year.

 

[Bigtenchamp]

This is very true - however it shows the failures of post 2009 up until this year.

Also there has been no forward arc the last few years (progression of players and that translating into wins)

Can only hope the forward arc returns

At this point it's hard for me to see it.

 

[Travisam]

A) Central Michigan was actually a younger team than Iowa
B) Look how not young we were in '10 when we had about 10 NFL players running around the field at any given time and managed to suck.

 

[homes]

A) Central Michigan was actually a younger team than Iowa
B) Look how not young we were in '10 when we had about 10 NFL players running around the field at any given time and managed to suck.

This is not good for the narrative being written. Please, get on the bus instead of throwing tacks on the road.

 

[BSpringsteen]

Young is not true juniors, or RS shophomores, players that have had two years in the program.

We have a talent problem not a youth problem.

 

[Travisam]

This is not good for the narrative being written. Please, get on the bus instead of throwing tacks on the road.

And by tacks you mean facts correct?

 

[MNHawkeyeFreak]

Tacky facts

 

[STILLBUSTER]

My guess is that there will be about 17 or 18 starters back next year.

But wait ... doesn't Jon often cite in his analysis of bad opponents (Indiana and Purdue, just off the top of my head as recent years' examples) something like, "Sure, they return a lot of starters but ... [they were bad, or, all freshmen, or some other flaw that minimizes their returning experience]"

Or, does this argument only work against other teams and not the beloved Hawkeyes, who always improve and go nowhere but up?

Sometimes you just have to accept what The Boss said. Experience doesn't always trump size, speed and skill deficits.

 

[homes]

And by tacks you mean facts correct?

"Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence" John Adams, 2nd President of the US, arguing in defense of British soldiers wrongly accused of a crime. It was true then, it's true today, it's just harder to decipher these days.

 

[bighawkeyedaddy]

You do realize that with the exception of our DL, our defense is not young, right? Our back 7 is loaded with junior and senior DB's and LB's. And by the time our DL has experience, we will then be going with a back 7 that is unproven and has never seen the field, right?

We have seniors at QB, WR, and 2 OL positions, as well as juniors at TE, 1 OL spot, and FB. Those young RB's everyone was so worried about don't seem to be struggling too much, do they? You can say we are young at WR, but Staggs and Shumpert aren't young, they just don't play.

 

[TecmoBowl]

Is Iowa at or near 85 scholarship limit on the roster right now? Just by looking at whatever it was....7 or so starters from the 1st 2 classes illustrated here, it seems to bring the attrition thats been in the program to light.

 

[bighawkeyedaddy]

We should blow Minnesota out if it all comes down to being young, Minnesota has 3 sophomores and a freshman on their starting OL, will have sophomore RB and QB, and 2 sophomore receivers that get minutes. They also have 4 sophomores starting on defense.

 

[CAARHawk]

A)
B) Look how not young we were in '10 when we had about 10 NFL players running around the field at any given time and managed to suck.

I get so freaking sick of this argument.

Iowa had a true freshman playing middle linebacker and other guys playing LB that had no business being on the field. They also had only lost 2 games before they ended up having to play a bad fifth year senior at right guard, who was playing next to a first year starting small center. And AROB was the starting running back with Coker's development slowed because of the shoulder injury. And oh yeah, the defensive coordinator was hospitalized all season.

So what? There was a bunch of good guys on the DLine, a good senior QB and some good (but not NFL worthy) receivers. The overall talent wasn't that great. GET FREAKING OVER IT!

 

[NeilDiamond]

When someone comes up with a legit excuse for losing to cent. michigan, other than inept coaching staff, please let me know.

 

[Travisam]

I get so freaking sick of this argument.

Iowa had a true freshman playing middle linebacker and other guys playing LB that had no business being on the field. They also had only lost 2 games before they ended up having to play a bad fifth year senior at right guard, who was playing next to a first year starting small center. And AROB was the starting running back with Coker's development slowed because of the shoulder injury. And oh yeah, the defensive coordinator was hospitalized all season.

So what? There was a bunch of good guys on the DLine, a good senior QB and some good (but not NFL worthy) receivers. The overall talent wasn't that great. GET FREAKING OVER IT!

Oh cool, so since there wasn't an NFL player at every position...on a college team...the crap season is excused. Listen, you're an apologist. We get it. We are not in year 2 of a downward spiral. We are CLEARLY in year 3. 8 wins, in today's age of scheduling is not a good season. It is an acceptable season.