Need a RB in the Portal

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IowaTeddy

Well-Known Member
I'm not seeing much talk about RB as one of our portal needs and I think that's a mistake. I understand why QB has been the bigger talking point. But isn't it glaringly obvious that we need a great RB in our offense at Iowa? Think about how mediocre our offense would have been this year without Kaleb. I like Patterson, Moulton (more and more), and Washington. But I don't see the elite upside in any of them. I see them more as high level depth guys and change of pace backs. And can we not leverage this season that Kaleb just had to show what a great RB looks like in our system? I hope we all see the upside in Tim Lester's creative approach to the ground game. But we should highlight with another bigtime back.

Since Shonn Greene's magical season, we have had very few "full package" tailbacks with the size, speed, power, and general ability. Kaleb is honestly the first one that comes to mind. Maybe Marcus Coker deserves a mention there, he checked all of those boxes. But otherwise, we've had good (not great) RB talent. Specifically, we've lacked the big workhorse type back. We've had not shortage of really good backs, smaller in stature, like Akrum Wadley, Canzeri, Tyler Goodson, Mekhi Sargent. And the bigger backs that we have had... like Toren Young and Gavin Williams, were solid players, but not great.

I think I'm so fixated on this because it's such a contrast with our rival: Wisconsin. They have such history and success with big, glamorous RBs that look ready for the NFL.
 
IowaTeddy said:
I'm not seeing much talk about RB as one of our portal needs and I think that's a mistake. I understand why QB has been the bigger talking point. But isn't it glaringly obvious that we need a great RB in our offense at Iowa? Think about how mediocre our offense would have been this year without Kaleb. I like Patterson, Moulton (more and more), and Washington. But I don't see the elite upside in any of them. I see them more as high level depth guys and change of pace backs. And can we not leverage this season that Kaleb just had to show what a great RB looks like in our system? I hope we all see the upside in Tim Lester's creative approach to the ground game. But we should highlight with another bigtime back.

Since Shonn Greene's magical season, we have had very few "full package" tailbacks with the size, speed, power, and general ability. Kaleb is honestly the first one that comes to mind. Maybe Marcus Coker deserves a mention there, he checked all of those boxes. But otherwise, we've had good (not great) RB talent. Specifically, we've lacked the big workhorse type back. We've had not shortage of really good backs, smaller in stature, like Akrum Wadley, Canzeri, Tyler Goodson, Mekhi Sargent. And the bigger backs that we have had... like Toren Young and Gavin Williams, were solid players, but not great.

I think I'm so fixated on this because it's such a contrast with our rival: Wisconsin. They have such history and success with big, glamorous RBs that look ready for the NFL.
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Off the top of your head, can you name two Wisconsin RBs on their team the past two years that fit the bill of "big, glamorous RBs that look ready for the NFL"?

It's harder to project RBs than you think. Who would have guessed Jeanty at Boise State would turn out to be as talented as he is? Heck, who would have guessed Kaleb would have had the year he had this past season, after disappointing last year?

If you have a RB speedster on your team who can get to the edge and catch balls out of the backfield, and a power back to create a 'change of pace' and to bring on the field for certain situations -- consider yourself a fortunate team. To get all of that in one player is very, very rare...and hard to find and/or project.
 
I thought the backs that played in the bowl game all looked pretty good. Not sure this is a front burner need, but the coaches should always be looking for talent.
 
I don't think they grow on trees like WRs do. It's harder to project them largely cause they are products of the offensive line they have. The O they have and opponents they play against.

I wouldn't overpay for one which would be a pretty likely thing that'd have to happen to land one. You're better off doing what Iowa is and working with who you've recruited in. Who knows maybe Brevin Doll or Williams can turn into studs too. I get your logic and how nice it'd be to have another KJ level RB. But there's just not many of them and to get one is expensive and risky if not impossible.
 
No. We have some young RB’s,potentially prime, who would likely transfer with three starter level good ones in the house already. Wrong message. DB’s, Receivers, DL, OL, and QB. Our place kicker has one year of eligibility remaining. Don’t underestimate his loss after 25.
 
We certainly have talent on the roster, but that totally misses the point. The point is that we have 15 years of data which shows that we are not going to get much production from the QB or passing game. With this in mind, what do we want from our running game? Do we want to head into next season with a stable of decent/solid RBs with B level talent? Or do we want to have a game changer at RB who can carry the offense?

1) we are not getting a really high level WR in the portal (nor in HS recruiting)
2) If we did get one, he would not be utilized effectively
 
HuckFinn said:
No. We have some young RB’s,potentially prime, who would likely transfer with three starter level good ones in the house already. Wrong message. DB’s, Receivers, DL, OL, and QB. Our place kicker has one year of eligibility remaining. Don’t underestimate his loss after 25.
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To be clear, I'm trying to take a totally different approach here. Instead of pretending like we're going to go get an awesome QB and revolutionize how we think about our passing game, what if we just get better at what we actually can do well?

Again, I agree that we have good talent at RB returning. I really like our top 2 guys. But what does "starter level" actually mean? Would either Patterson or Moulton start for a top 4 Big10 team? No, they wouldn't. These guys would be solid rotation guys behind the star RBs on those teams. That's my point. The concept of "starter level" is foolish. We need a big time running back on this team and I don't see him currently on the roster (of course we had one this year... for the first time in a long time).

Really unsure why so many are still pretending like we're going to go out and get a QB + WR duo that changes the tide. An upgrade at RB is feasible and would do wonders for the makeup of our offense next year.
 
We are fine at RB this year. Moulton would've started this year and been effective if KJ wasn't here, and Patterson is a great option catching the ball out of the slot.

The only place I'd argue for a deeper room would be if you wanted to have 2 back sets with Moulton in the backfield and Patterson in the slot. I think that could be effective as hell. Guys don't have to be either/or backs or receivers. Look at Tracy in New York right now.
 
HuckFinn said:
No. We have some young RB’s,potentially prime, who would likely transfer with three starter level good ones in the house already. Wrong message. DB’s, Receivers, DL, OL, and QB. Our place kicker has one year of eligibility remaining. Don’t underestimate his loss after 25.
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This x 1,000

We need DBs from the portal like smokers need to quit. REAL bad.

All of our focus right now should be on buying the best DBs we can possibly get from the portal. Iowa should write whatever checks needed. Go approach award winners and steal them away from blue bloods, whatever you have to do.
 
IowaTeddy said:
To be clear, I'm trying to take a totally different approach here. Instead of pretending like we're going to go get an awesome QB and revolutionize how we think about our passing game, what if we just get better at what we actually can do well?

Again, I agree that we have good talent at RB returning. I really like our top 2 guys. But what does "starter level" actually mean? Would either Patterson or Moulton start for a top 4 Big10 team? No, they wouldn't. These guys would be solid rotation guys behind the star RBs on those teams. That's my point. The concept of "starter level" is foolish. We need a big time running back on this team and I don't see him currently on the roster (of course we had one this year... for the first time in a long time).

Really unsure why so many are still pretending like we're going to go out and get a QB + WR duo that changes the tide. An upgrade at RB is feasible and would do wonders for the makeup of our offense next year.
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We had a stellar running back this year and with substandard QB and WR play (and line, too), it gives us a ceiling in terms of being in any kind of national conversation. 7-8 wins with pounding the rock, sure. If Iowa wants to ever sniff a playoff situation, they need a solid RB room but they definitely need much better QB and WR play. They really can be game changers. Look at some of the teams this year that had that, and they were shockingly good. I was in Tempe, AZ last November for my wife's triathlon, and watched Oregon go up 42-0 on Arizona State in the second quarter. There was more going on with ASU this year than Scattebo, although he was a massive factor. Same with Indiana. A revelation with a very good QB and WRs.

I'm not discounting the need to what Iowa does well. We'll still need strong lines, a solid defense, and the ability to run the ball. But I think we have multiple years of data to show that that won't, by itself, get it done.
 
Grady said:
Off the top of your head, can you name two Wisconsin RBs on their team the past two years that fit the bill of "big, glamorous RBs that look ready for the NFL"?

It's harder to project RBs than you think. Who would have guessed Jeanty at Boise State would turn out to be as talented as he is? Heck, who would have guessed Kaleb would have had the year he had this past season, after disappointing last year?

If you have a RB speedster on your team who can get to the edge and catch balls out of the backfield, and a power back to create a 'change of pace' and to bring on the field for certain situations -- consider yourself a fortunate team. To get all of that in one player is very, very rare...and hard to find and/or project.
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Not sure if you're joking here.

Braelon Allen for one. Chez Mellusi is another (albeit a guy who was setup with really tough injuries). Jalen Berger is another.

Long before them: Jonathan Taylor, Melvin Gordon, Montee Ball, James White, Corey Clement.

TLDR: Iowa gets one guy per decade in this category. Wisconsin has ~1 at all times.
 
Fryowa said:
False. Moulton could walk in and start at a whole bunch of places.
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Moulton is a fine fine player and I'm glad he's wearing our colors. He would not start for Oregon, OSU, Michigan, Penn State. He likely wouldn't even play.

Kaleb would start for those schools (or at the VERY least would've been a big contributor).
 
IowaTeddy said:
Moulton is a fine fine player and I'm glad he's wearing our colors. He would not start for Oregon, OSU, Michigan, Penn State. He likely wouldn't even play.

Kaleb would start for those schools (or at the VERY least would've been a big contributor).
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Lol.

Comparing KJ to almost any other back out there is pretty ludicrous, but not as ludicrous as expecting to find a guy better than Moulton hanging out in the portal waiting to come to Iowa, especially with the NIL money Iowa has available.
 
Fryowa said:
Lol.

Comparing KJ to almost any other back out there is pretty ludicrous, but not as ludicrous as expecting to find a guy better than Moulton hanging out in the portal waiting to come to Iowa, especially with the NIL money Iowa has available.
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Serious question. Does anyone really know what sort of NIL money Iowa has available, or how the coaches and collectives make these types of decisions on who gets what? I mean, I see a lot of speculation about such things, and usually the speculation is Iowa is light on NIL money. But light compared to who? Sure, we won't compete with O$U and the like, but I would expect we have more NIL money than ISU or Minny or the like. Does anyone know?

A few things stand out to me. We were hosting a kid this weekend that most everyone thinks will command a million or more. Would we waste his and our time if that money was not there?

Everyone believes we paid Cade seven figures. Presumably, Proctor was going to get a big check if he stayed.

Finally, we did not lose one player of consequence to the portal based upon NIL poaching last season. You can't tell me that some of those guys on defense would not have been contributors at a richer school. I don't see anyone passing up a bag of cash just because of loyalty to KF or Parker. So, that leads me to believe Iowa is getting some cash to these kids to keep them in the fold.

Again, does anyone really know? That is what I am asking.
 
NorthKCHawk said:
Serious question. Does anyone really know what sort of NIL money Iowa has available, or how the coaches and collectives make these types of decisions on who gets what? I mean, I see a lot of speculation about such things, and usually the speculation is Iowa is light on NIL money. But light compared to who? Sure, we won't compete with O$U and the like, but I would expect we have more NIL money than ISU or Minny or the like. Does anyone know?

A few things stand out to me. We were hosting a kid this weekend that most everyone thinks will command a million or more. Would we waste his and our time if that money was not there?

Everyone believes we paid Cade seven figures. Presumably, Proctor was going to get a big check if he stayed.

Finally, we did not lose one player of consequence to the portal based upon NIL poaching last season. You can't tell me that some of those guys on defense would not have been contributors at a richer school. I don't see anyone passing up a bag of cash just because of loyalty to KF or Parker. So, that leads me to believe Iowa is getting some cash to these kids to keep them in the fold.

Again, does anyone really know? That is what I am asking.
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I have heard from people in person who I trust, as well as online that ISU has more than we do. Smaller school, yes, but I'd argue that their fans are just as rabid and they're basically building a small town next to Trice for $200M here shortly. Google Cytown. There's LOTS of money being spent in Ames.

Brad Heinrichs who runs the Swarm collective has also been on record numerous times on podcasts and interviews showing his frustration with not having the level of money that's competitive even within our own "tier" of programs.

So for me at least I'm pretty sure we aren't competitive. There's definitely been zero creativity other than a branded beer in trying new things to get money coming in.

Lastly, I think the results to this point speak for themselves. If Iowa was competitive financially, we'd have been making some waves by now. To this point we haven't even made a ripple. As far as guys not leaving, I do think we have one of the best cultures around and that has to play a big part. Higgins could've bolted but he's said how much he loves the Iowa program and staff.
 
NorthKCHawk said:
Serious question. Does anyone really know what sort of NIL money Iowa has available, or how the coaches and collectives make these types of decisions on who gets what? I mean, I see a lot of speculation about such things, and usually the speculation is Iowa is light on NIL money. But light compared to who? Sure, we won't compete with O$U and the like, but I would expect we have more NIL money than ISU or Minny or the like. Does anyone know?

A few things stand out to me. We were hosting a kid this weekend that most everyone thinks will command a million or more. Would we waste his and our time if that money was not there?

Everyone believes we paid Cade seven figures. Presumably, Proctor was going to get a big check if he stayed.

Finally, we did not lose one player of consequence to the portal based upon NIL poaching last season. You can't tell me that some of those guys on defense would not have been contributors at a richer school. I don't see anyone passing up a bag of cash just because of loyalty to KF or Parker. So, that leads me to believe Iowa is getting some cash to these kids to keep them in the fold.

Again, does anyone really know? That is what I am asking.
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It was my understanding that Iowa used some NIL funds to keep key defensive players (Jackson, Higgins, Castro, etc). Please correct me if I'm wrong.
 
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