assuming that hecklinski works out, iowa is plugging its needs rather beautifully. at least on paper.
solid transfer portal game so far
- Thread starter r_desihawk
- Start date
Agree! I like what we have so far...I'm sure there are more to come!
Plugging needs is how you keep'em happy.
I don't think "solid" is the word I would use. KF and Co, as well as the Swarm, are crushing it right now.
Still hoping for one more impact DT…
Yup. That would be the cherry on top of this portal class.
Not sure about that. We are losing 3 WR this year (Phillips, Anderson, Gill) so wouldn't be surprised to pick up one more experienced WR from the portal. I guess it all depends on what the coaches think of the guys we already have in the stable. If there is room Kasper could be a good pick up but who knows?!I gotta think there is no room for Eddie Kasper at this point….
One more impact D lineman would be great. This is the group I'm worried about the most. Zero returning production.
Scratch where it itches, as ol Hayden used to say. So far, we've hit nearly every position we've been in need of.
Speaking of when you aren’t going after a portal qb (7+ figures) saves some nice coin to spend on other areas of need.
He’s listed as 5’10, 160 lbs & was 4th leading receiver on an FCS team…..so hopefully not.I gotta think there is no room for Eddie Kasper at this point….
Kyler Kasper is the most overrated WR mentioned on this board since Oliver Martin.
Iowa never needed Kasper, and now he's on his way to BYU after spending four years on the bench at Oregon.
Stars make things shiny, and some folks are attracted to shiny things.
True that is, but as the old football guru William "Billy" Shakespeare used to say, "All that glitters is not gold."
I gotta think there is no room for Eddie Kasper at this point….
I do not think they will be recruiting the fourth best Illinois state wide receiver no
Overall, I think Iowa has done well in the portal based on recruiting areas of needs and reeling in a couple of big fish with impressive offer lists.
How many pan out is anyone’s guess, but there is a lot of potential for sure.
How many pan out is anyone’s guess, but there is a lot of potential for sure.
Feels like KF and Barnes took a strategy of going after guys who proved it on the field at smaller schools with multiple years for most part. Seems like the portal strategy is like getting the 3* development strategy of HS recruits instead of trying to compete with blue bloods for 4/5* where Iowa knows can’t compete with top schools pocket book wise for top portal players proven P4 guys. Take these guys over the 3rd or 4th string at P4 who never played that may still want more $ depending how sought after they were out of HS and guys we are getting lightly recruited out of HS with more of a chip on their shoulder. Not saying Iowa is right or wrong just find it interesting and I like it.
Barnes said the Hawks were looking for value in the portal. Looks like they got a lot of high three stars in the portal. Wonder how much room they have left for schollies.
I think getting guys who have produced very well at a lower level, and mostly have 2-3 years to play, was a solid strategy.
Producing like these guys did as Freshman/Sophomores at a lower level suggests strong talent. They didn’t have to develop into it as a Senior.
We are obviously hoping that this ends up being “guys that can play, can play” situation regardless of increased competition. And we have time to develop them also if their future in the B10 looks positive.
I prefer that to gambling on guys who have been sitting on the bench, and you have little/no tape of in college competition.
Producing like these guys did as Freshman/Sophomores at a lower level suggests strong talent. They didn’t have to develop into it as a Senior.
We are obviously hoping that this ends up being “guys that can play, can play” situation regardless of increased competition. And we have time to develop them also if their future in the B10 looks positive.
I prefer that to gambling on guys who have been sitting on the bench, and you have little/no tape of in college competition.
I agree.
Rather than throwing big $$ at a guy who will only be around 1 year, Kirk and Company are getting solid guys who can be coached up and will (hopefully) be around for a couple seasons.
It’s worked out well for IU based upon their roster of 1 5 star and 7 four star guys so Iowa might as well the value route too and save some money for that one must have get.
Of the FCS guys that have committed:
6/8 were FCS All Americans this year:
3 on the 2nd team as Sophomores
3 that were Freshman All Americans
If you think about that. The 1st team is usually dominated by Juniors and Seniors. Not much time left in their careers.
Making 2nd team as a Sophomore is a good indicator of high talent level. Same with making the Freshman All American Team. And they have more time for us to do what we do best, develop them.
Brice Stevenson was a 3 year starter at Holy Cross. Did you know he has over 1300 Defensive Snaps in his career. Experience will not be an issue. Did you know he visited Ole Miss and FSU as a DL recruit for 2023?
So how did he end up at Holy Cross? Who knows, none of the articles I read really went into that. Our coaches usually are pretty good at picking out a good fit for what we do, from what they see on tape. Just saying that this could end up being a better pickup than many probably believe at this point.
That leaves us with 2 commits from former JMU players. 1 started on OL as a Freshman and played his HS ball at Southlake Carroll. The other started as a Safety as a Sophomore.
And 1 Sophomore from NIU.
Besides Stevenson, where we needed a veteran player next year. The overriding theme here is we got young guys from the FCS level/JMU that hadn’t been coached up for 3-4 years. They have excelled early on at that level(talent). And we potentially will have them for multiple years to coach up at this level.
Time always tells, but I think this was a good strategy to at least try. Potentially may get a whole lot of bang for our buck.
6/8 were FCS All Americans this year:
3 on the 2nd team as Sophomores
3 that were Freshman All Americans
If you think about that. The 1st team is usually dominated by Juniors and Seniors. Not much time left in their careers.
Making 2nd team as a Sophomore is a good indicator of high talent level. Same with making the Freshman All American Team. And they have more time for us to do what we do best, develop them.
Brice Stevenson was a 3 year starter at Holy Cross. Did you know he has over 1300 Defensive Snaps in his career. Experience will not be an issue. Did you know he visited Ole Miss and FSU as a DL recruit for 2023?
So how did he end up at Holy Cross? Who knows, none of the articles I read really went into that. Our coaches usually are pretty good at picking out a good fit for what we do, from what they see on tape. Just saying that this could end up being a better pickup than many probably believe at this point.
That leaves us with 2 commits from former JMU players. 1 started on OL as a Freshman and played his HS ball at Southlake Carroll. The other started as a Safety as a Sophomore.
And 1 Sophomore from NIU.
Besides Stevenson, where we needed a veteran player next year. The overriding theme here is we got young guys from the FCS level/JMU that hadn’t been coached up for 3-4 years. They have excelled early on at that level(talent). And we potentially will have them for multiple years to coach up at this level.
Time always tells, but I think this was a good strategy to at least try. Potentially may get a whole lot of bang for our buck.
Kid from NIU looks like he’s got the frame to really blow up in the weight room, will end up a hoss. 6-5 260 and lean, will probably end up 280+ and moved inside before his career is over.
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Speaking of lean D ends, has anyone else noticed that AJ Epenesa looks to be leaner than he ever was in college? To me, it looks like 20 pounds less.
It would be far easier to form an opinion if like in Baseball you could see spotrac and see how much each player costs and what each Team has estimated left to spend , That said it sure seems like Barnes really did well
Yes. The Bills had him lose a lot of weight. I think at one point he was down into the 240s. I think he is probably heavier than that now but nowhere near the 280-285 he was at during his college career.