Recruiting = state of the program

[hawkdrummer1]

Reading the sports page from a major Big Ten city this morning.

Iowa's class is 13th out of 14 Big Ten schools. The comment reads "The fall continues for the program that ranked fourth and landed four 4-star players in 2011."

The fall indeed. How do you explain the most tenured coach in the conference...with nearly the worst recruiting class.

Enough already. Time for a change.

 

[Billso]

Reading the sports page from a major Big Ten city this morning.

Iowa's class is 13th out of 14 Big Ten schools. The comment reads "The fall continues for the program that ranked fourth and landed four 4-star players in 2011."

The fall indeed. How do you explain the most tenured coach in the conference...with nearly the worst recruiting class.

Enough already. Time for a change.

Well, they picked the worst ranking of the 4 services:

Scout: 10th
247: 12th
Rivals: 13th
ESPN: 10th

But you're onto something here. Iowa's recruiting has NEVER been great nationally apart from a couple aberrations. This year's class is about average for KF era at a national level - see http://iowa.scout.com/forums/1376-football/13630943-higdon?s=8. But Scout's CONFERENCE rankings for Iowa show a more troubling trend:

10th this year
7th last year
10th 2013
4th 2012
3rd 2011
6th 2010
11th 2009 (last place)
7th 2008
5th 2007
6th 2006

 

[QuadCityHawkeye]

I try not to get caught up in "star" ratings but it's very troubling to see Iowa's ranking this low, this far into Ferentz's tenure. There is no doubt the program has been heading south and part of that is due to poor recruiting. Not all of it, but it does play a factor. Hopefully some of these kids will pan out into really good players but you can only go to the well to many times and hope lower tier recruits become the next Bob Sanders or Dallas Clark. Now more than ever with coaches like Urban Meyer and Jim Harbaugh in the Big Ten you really have to pull in good recruits. On paper this class looks very weak but time will tell.

 

[1hawkeye1]

Nine kids from Iowa. I love Iowa. I've lived here all my life. But there are NOT 9 D1 football prospects in this state. And that doesn't even count the ones that went to other schools.

Iowa staff absolutely wiffed on this class. We are very quickly becoming a B1G cellar dwellar.

 

[RocknRollface]

Reading the sports page from a major Big Ten city this morning.

Iowa's class is 13th out of 14 Big Ten schools. The comment reads "The fall continues for the program that ranked fourth and landed four 4-star players in 2011."

The fall indeed. How do you explain the most tenured coach in the conference...with nearly the worst recruiting class.

Enough already. Time for a change.

Poor results, boring style, unwillingness to play more talented younger players.

 

[TheIowaHawkGuy]

Poor results, boring style, unwillingness to play more talented younger players.

Add to that, no variety of uniforms and no social media use during the season and it's a turnoff for a lot of possible prospects. I know it sounds stupid to those of us that are older and didn't grow up with this stuff but working with kids daily I know for a fact and have been told that these things are a big deal to their lifestyle and do impact their decision.

 

[StanziUSA]

I don't get choked up on these rankings especially with iowa's history. Yes it's a gross and ugly number, if KF can change his philosophy towards football and get these kids developed like he used to I think this class could potentially be a shocker. This class has a lot of hard workerinng student athletes who can potentially change the culture as long as KF feels his seat burning and changes too, i doubt it but I like to be optimistic. Just know there were 0 5 star recruits in the super bowl. Don't judge a 17-18 year olds football ability based on their stars base it on their character and integrity. Like Boyle...he wants to come in and start, he doesn't want to redshirt. That's a kid who wants to win. A mindset like Stanzi.

 

[BigD]

Well, they picked the worst ranking of the 4 services:

Scout: 10th
247: 12th
Rivals: 13th
ESPN: 10th

But you're onto something here. Iowa's recruiting has NEVER been great nationally apart from a couple aberrations. This year's class is about average for KF era at a national level - see http://iowa.scout.com/forums/1376-football/13630943-higdon?s=8. But Scout's CONFERENCE rankings for Iowa show a more troubling trend:

10th this year
7th last year
10th 2013
4th 2012
3rd 2011
6th 2010
11th 2009 (last place)
7th 2008
5th 2007
6th 2006

WOW, I am so grateful we have one of the highest paid and best coaches in the conference. Just imagine how terrible our recruiting would be if we had some Twitt we were paying two million a year to coach our beloved hawkeyes. Wow, we dodged a bullet there.

 

[Xerxes]

I don't get choked up on these rankings especially with iowa's history. Yes it's a gross and ugly number, if KF can change his philosophy towards football and get these kids developed like he used to I think this class could potentially be a shocker. This class has a lot of hard workerinng student athletes who can potentially change the culture as long as KF feels his seat burning and changes too, i doubt it but I like to be optimistic. Just know there were 0 5 star recruits in the super bowl. Don't judge a 17-18 year olds football ability based on their stars base it on their character and integrity. Like Boyle...he wants to come in and start, he doesn't want to redshirt. That's a kid who wants to win. A mindset like Stanzi.

While I agree with this and want Iowa to recruit kids with this attitude, its one thing to say it and its a completely different thing to actually have the ability to do it. And at a school like Iowa who recruits well below the average Power 5 school, the types of players with that kind of talent are few and far between.

I remember the QB from Texas (Shimek?) who tweeted that he was coming for everyone's spot a few years ago. I think he lasted all of a year in Iowa City. And he wasn't exactly going up against a good group of QBs here.

Hard work, character, integrity are all great traits for prospective football players. However, those traits can be taught. Kids who want those things can have them. What can't be taught is what Iowa sorely lacks: God given talent.

 

[Billso]

Hard work, character, integrity are all great traits for prospective football players. However, those traits can be taught.

I could not disagree more, at least by the time the kid is 18. Even Nick Saban disagrees - read this: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...er-workings-of-his-alabama-recruiting-machine

The difference is Saban finds hard-working kids who ALSO possess Top-10 talent.

 

[MoseSchrute]

WOW, I am so grateful we have one of the highest paid and best coaches in the conference. Just imagine how terrible our recruiting would be if we had some Twitt we were paying two million a year to coach our beloved hawkeyes. Wow, we dodged a bullet there.

...not to mention some of the best facilities in the conference. Sure are paying dividends!

 

[Caddy]

I don't get choked up on these rankings especially with iowa's history. Yes it's a gross and ugly number, if KF can change his philosophy towards football and get these kids developed like he used to I think this class could potentially be a shocker. This class has a lot of hard workerinng student athletes who can potentially change the culture as long as KF feels his seat burning and changes too, i doubt it but I like to be optimistic. Just know there were 0 5 star recruits in the super bowl. Don't judge a 17-18 year olds football ability based on their stars base it on their character and integrity. Like Boyle...he wants to come in and start, he doesn't want to redshirt. That's a kid who wants to win. A mindset like Stanzi.

I think it's hilarious that people act like Iowa is the only school where the players work hard. Guess what happens when the 4 and 5 star athlete works hard? The 2 star gets pummeled. Hate to break it to you, but just because Boyle wants to come in and start, doesn't make him have the ability to do so. This recruiting class is just plain awful, no other way to put it. Hey, they're hard workers with character and integrity though. Curious as to how you know this without knowing each kid personally.

 

[HomerChampless]

The state of the program is in flux. Is fluid. Might be here 6 more seasons or might be gone after next season. Certainly a reason why Iowa had the recruiting class they did... every other coach is saying KF has one more year before being canned. Yeah, as a vocal fan, I'll give myself partial credit for Iowa's 2015 recruiting class.

If you think about it, though, isn't this the kind of recruiting class that's normal at Iowa under KF? Recruits don't have the size, experience, or attitude and we wait for coaches to preform their molding magic? Where's the speedster that was a track star in this class, though? The speedster that was a QB? The speedsters?? IMO, speed burners are not in this class. If you ask me, a bunch of projected LBs. At least, we might have that problem solved...

What makes things different and more difficult for KF and staff?
(1) The expected flow of 'refined' available Iowa players has been interrupted. The Iowa molding process is a tough process on athletes. It's physical, mental, and, oh yeah, the players must be good with schemes. Iowa doesn't recruit many 'shovel-ready' athletes and <because> the ones with great physical ability seemly don't want to go through the Iowa molding process. Side note: why worry over losing the Florida running back? He probably wouldn't have stood the Iowa molding process.
(2) Iowa plays close games and subs don't get all that much playing time. You know, you can play close and STILL play a bunch of different players. Not sure that's a coaching philosophy problem or lack of players' ability problem, or both. In either case, that has to be corrected. The flow of 'refined' Iowa athlete has to continue. THE LOSS OF ENTIRE (OR BEST, BY FAR) PLAYERS FROM A UNIT WITH NO ONE OF ABILITY TO REPLACE HAS GOT TO STOP. Let's get back to next man in. Look, I know there are concerns subs might get injured if they play but is that risk any more than the risk from the practice field? The risk of not having a player ready if needed?
(3) Rules have changed. Bob Sanders' hard hitting and some of Iowa's 'bullying' has been penalized by the NCAA and NFL.

I don't see any way for Iowa to be successful if things are exactly the same.
If KF follows through and makes necessary changes for Iowa, to again, be successful, I would stand behind him through 2020. Beyond, if necessary. I don't think these changes would be that extensive. Winning more reaps more rewards.

 

[DesMoinesHawki]

Whatever worked for Kirk and staff no longer works. You need to be able to recruits guys who can come in and play immediately and not simply rely on developing players that won't really see the field until their junior or senior season. Kirk and staff ... their time is over and we just need to muddle through it for one more year. Kirk will be gone after next season ... No way, no how he keeps his job after next season ... And Barta could and should be right behind him. We are slowly watching the transformation of us becoming a MAC team.