The specifics of what could be argued to be eight o-lineman, that were at some point projected to be rotational players in the '22 line, and didn't play a single snap in that season:
Linderbaum- early departure to NFL after '21/'22 season. Yes, you want to be in a place, as a program, where you are losing players to the draft early. But Iowa's never had a surplus of talent to just reload. So in conjunction with other players lost, it had real impact. And it's timing was also a challenge. The only way to have replaced Tyler by fall, with an upperclassmen, would have been through the portal. And I've already discussed how not going to the portal in it's first year of the present NIL/portal dynamic is something that falls on KF. And discussed how to beat KF up over that, would be silly.
Britt- missed entire '22 season with injury. Was still hope in the summer that he would play that season, as I recall.
Davidkov- missed entire '22 season with injury. Also was hope in the summer that he would play, as I recall.
Ince- RIP
. Retired due to injury at some point after a '21 jr season in which he gave up just 3 pressures across 338 snaps.
Jenkins- retired from the game, citing physical toll. Also may not have loved the game anymore. If there was something in the culture that attributed to that, it would have fallen directly on KF. And I think his record for culture, and recruiting high character kids that love the game, speaks for itself.
Fenske- transfered. Don't remember much the specifics. But again, if he didn't enjoy the culture at Iowa, that falls of KF, not BF. Would have been a rotational player as an upperclassmen.
Miller- had to leave the game because of injuries. Later began a comeback effort with Nebraska. Would have been a rotational player as an upperclassmen. I had mistakenly remembered him to have transferred, citing the loss of Doyle. Turns out he had already left the game before Doyle's firing.
Alt- it's well-known that Iowa had him wrapped up. His father played at Iowa. There was plenty of intel on the matter. It's also well known that he switched to Notre Dame because Doyle was gone. Although he was never on the team, he was certainly projected to be a starter in '22. He committed to ND just before his senior season in '20. So, unless to acquire a transfer, at a time before the present NIL/portal existed, Iowa had to respond by using that fall to recruit another lineman. I don't know for sure who that ended up being. But certainly, it didn't end up being someone who, most likely as a redshirt fr in '22, was anywhere near the level Alt would have been in '22. So, in conjunction with everything else, it's worth noting.
Even if, for example, I were to be unaware that Fenske transferred, citing BF. Or even if you're able to show how the loss of a player can be attributed to BF of KF, it's the totality of the attrition that can't rightfully be attributed to anyone. Each loss accentuated the situation, as it's timing came within a critical time period that included other losses.
So, the attrition that led to physically underdeveloped replacements can't rightfully be attributed to anyone.
Just as the factors that led to the severity of physical underdevelopment can't be rightfully attributed to anyone.
I suppose you can attribut the strategy of recruiting undersized lineman to KF. But you can't blame him for not using a long successful strategy for the purpose of the ability to respond to an amount of attrition that couldn't be foreseen.
You can't blame KF for the timing of Covid to have an impact on the '22 line, as it further stunted the physical development of already underdeveloped players, that would end up forced into action before they were ready.
Even if one wants to fully blame KF for the loss of Doyle, fans have made the narratives into much more than that.
But one still can't blame KF for the timing of the loss of Doyle, which furher compounded the severity of physical underdevelopment of the line that was forced into action in '22.
Stuff happens, man. Some tough timing and luck will even hit the most consistent of coaches over a span of decades. Clear the hatred from your heart.
KF dealt with it incredibly well, and still takes ******** negativity for it. And he should have had an overflow of equity with the fans, and never been given a hard time in the first place.
But that's what dumbass fans do. They complained about unentertaining offenses, before it stalled out, that were ranked in the 40's and 50's. They went nuclear when the offense stalled out. And they've lessened their negativity as the offense has improved, but wins have gone down.
Again, the highest the level of negativity that's ever existed in the community was during the last two seasons of KF's winninest stretch at Iowa.
SMH
SMH
. That really says it all. This is all about fans.
The two constants have been fan negativity and winning. Let's hope the winning continues
