What ya'll think our odds are of adding him? Dude seems to be the prize athlete of the class. I think it'd be a huge luxury to get him but not the end of the world if we don't. We have 2 TEs already coming in along with Miamen having been redshirted. Laporta looked like he's the real deal as he got his feet wet down the stretch this yr. We'll have quite the stock pile of talent with or without him but man landing him sure would be nice.
Theo Johnson decision Monday
- Thread starter Hawkfnntn
- Start date
judzeehawk
Well-Known Member
Why go to Michigan they can't beat TOSU!
Well the Ferentzs getting that visit couldn't have hurt. Franklin seems to have rumors of him leaving every year even more then KF did during his 5th through 10th seasons. And Michigan will still be OSUs little brother. Iowa is TE U to most folks so I kinda like our chances. I wouldn't put the farm on it or even an apple pie but like you I'll cross my fingers and hope.
Motigerhawk
Well-Known Member
LaPorta and Johnson reminds me of Hock and Fant
All the big programs want him... and that tells you everything you need to know.
And I hope he chooses Iowa. But I am somewhat wary of expectations for this kid at the next level. What position does he play? Is he a WR? If so, it's hard to not love his physical skills, raw athleticism, size, and power. But watching his highlights, I don't see a naturally gifted WR. That's not to say he can't become a productive WR in college. And he's obviously worth the scholarship offer. But I would much rather see Iowa sign a truly naturally gifted WR, like David Bell. That's neither here nor there... but what kind of WR talent can catalyze Iowa's offense and passing game to the next level? I don't know if Theo Johnson is the answer.
Does Iowa want him at TE? He's listed as a TE, but has he ever really played the position? And can he block? TE recruiting and scouting is really strange. If you think about the skill set and nature of the modern TE position, it's easy to see how some of the best TEs are overlooked as recruits. TEs need to be good at a lot of things: big frame, physical, athletic, ball skills, blocking tools, toughness - yet any one of those given skills might not jump off the page at you. You can see how those kind of recruits might fly under the radar and/or be small town mutli-sport kids.
I'm worried that I see a lot of Christian French in Theo Johnson and I just don't know what position he'll to play and how his athletic talents will translate.
Yeah, great point. The "pro" style TE isn't really a position that's played in HS. 99% of HS offenses simply aren't setup that way. HS teams will put their best athletes at WR or in the backfield. It's what makes TE such an interesting position when you look back at scouting and player development.
NikeHawk21
Well-Known Member
What amazed me about LaPorta is his high school profile had him at 208. Iowa listed him at 242 as a freshman this year and he looked every part of that, while still looking pretty athletic. By the untrained eye he seems to be a decent blocker already. I think this kid is going to be an absolute stud.
That's recruiting... Nobody thought 220 lb Robert Gallery would turn into what he did either. This kid is one big athletic ball of clay. I wouldn't want to predict that he'll be a stud TE, WR, DE who knows. I'd lean towards TE. But I'd sure like to find out with him wearing a Tiger Hawk on his helmet
Do you think Logan Lee is going to play TE ? Or maybe DL ?
MelroseHawkins
Well-Known Member
The thing about Iowa is that often times they see or evaluate players in practice that are in other positions that they think may make a nice TE and move them. That is what happen with Dallas Clark. He came in as a walk-on to play LB but couldn't read and react to the ball fast enough. Once time Kyle McCann asked him to play catch with him to warm up and KF saw him. He then watched and noticed that he could run routes pretty well and was a mismatch for CB's and too fast for LB's. After a couple seasons of having bad injuries, he had a terrific season and the rest was history.
RobHowe
Administrator
Logan Lee was in the '19 Class. He's working at DT. Should be in the rotation there next season.
HawkU
Well-Known Member
Why go to IA - they cant beat WI?
NikeHawk21
Well-Known Member
He’s at DT. They moved him to end and then inside to tackle. I’m excited for him there. Just don’t think he had the top end speed for TE.
deanvogs
Well-Known Member
I don't think I would call Yelverton and Lachey under the radar. Yelverton is an Army AA and had offers from Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Penn St. and tons more. While not quite as impressive Lachey had offers from Wisconsin, MSU, Nebraska, Kentucky and Louisville.
What has to excite you about Lachey is he is 6'6", but athletic enough that he played a lot of wildcat QB for his high school team (I think their starting QB may have gotten injured during the year?). Sounds like a play-maker to me.
That is why I keep saying Johnson should be DE. He probably wants to play TE, and he should do what he wants. But he is basically already the size and speed of Fant when Fant LEFT Iowa. To me, that screams elite edge-defender. I think Iowa already has one of those coming in with Deontae Craig, if they could add another, I think we are talking top-5 DL nationally down the road.
judzeehawk
Well-Known Member
Just love how Hawk fans always come back with some downer crap. Never fails.
