Road to the Rose Bowl

Hindsight is 20/20

2009-12-12T18:56:00.000-08:00

Here I will look back on my Preseason All-Big Ten team and compare it to the actual results.

Offense:
QB: Juice Williams - Illinois
Actual Result: Darryl Clark
This is easily my worst pick. I was really expecting the Illini to bounce back with a 2007ish year. The combination of 4 year starter and a weapon with the talent that Arrelious Benn possesses was just too intriguing. I must have overlooked the fact that this team is coached by the Zooker. Darryl Clark would have been my second choice, however.

RB: Evan Royster - Penn State
RB: John Clay - Wisconsin
Actual Result: Same
'Nuff said. This was a pretty easy projection, and was without a doubt going to be the end result after Jewel Hampton went down with a season ending injury.

OL: Bryan Bulaga - Iowa
OL: Justin Boren - Ohio State
OL: Stefen Wisniewski - Penn State
OL: Joel Foreman - Michigan State
OL: Kyle Calloway - Iowa
Actual Results: Bulaga, Dace Richardson, Wisniewski, Moffitt, and Landolt
I only correctly guessed two of the 5 positions. It was good to see Dace have a huge year after a career plagued with injuries for the Hawkeyes.

TE: Garrett Graham - Wisconsin
Actual Result: Tony Moeaki
Moeaki is easily the most talented TE in the Big Ten, and would have been my choice had you told me he would have an injury-free (for the most part) season.

WR: Arrelious Benn - Illinois
WR: Eric Decker - Minnesota
Decker, Blair White
Benn, like the rest of the Illini, was a major disappointment this year. Blair White had a great year for the Spartans and definitely deserved first team honors.

Defense:
DL: Corey Wooten - Northwestern
DL: Jared Odrick - Penn State
DL: Jammie Kirlew - Indiana
DL: Thaddeus Gibson - Ohio State
Actual: Clayborn, Odrick, Graham, Schofield
This was my second worst projection behind Juice Williams. I am embarassed to not have Adrian Clayborn or Brandon Graham on my preseason list.

LB: Navorro Bowman - Penn State
LB: Pat Angerer - Iowa
LB: Sean Lee - Penn State
Actual: Angerer, Jones, Bowman
I had Sean Lee instead of Greg Jones for MSU. Lee was named second team, while Jones edged him out for first team.

S: Tyler Sash - Iowa
S: Kurt Coleman - Ohio State
CB: Traye Simmons - Minnesota
CB: Amari Spievey - Iowa
Actual: Sash, Spievey, Coleman, Phillips
I got 3 of the 4 defensive backs correct, and I was one of the few who had Sash on his preseason list.

Specialists:
K: Brett Swenson - Michigan State
P: Zoltan Mesko - Michigan
Actual: Mesko, Swenson

Iowa All-Decade Team

2009-06-23T12:23:00.000-07:00

After picking up the latest copy of Lindy's preseason college football magazine I noticed an interesting feature they had on the Big Ten All-Decade team. So, I thought it would be a good blog topic to post my University of Iowa All-Decade team.

Notice: These picks do not reflect where a player was drafted or how well they did in the pros. This is strictly based on their college football productivity at the University of Iowa. Also the positions might not always go by strict formatting, for example the first team offensive line has three tackles, one guard, and one center. It just goes by who was the most productive on the line, regardless of interior position. Enjoy!

1st Team Offense:
QB: Brad Banks
This was really a coin flip between Banks and Drew Tate. You could make a good argument for either player. Although Banks was only the starting quarterback for one season you can't argue that he had one of the best seasons for any player in a Hawkeye uniform this decade. He led the supremely talented 2002 squad to an undefeated Big Ten season and championship while throwing for 2,573 yards and 26 touchdowns, not to mention his 423 rushing yards. Banks also garnered more national attention than any other Hawkeye this decade by winning the Davey O'Brien award, being name AP National Player of the Year, and being runner-up for the Heisman trophy. For those reasons he just barely gets the nod over Tate.

HB: Shonn Greene
HB: Fred Russell
The selection of Shonn Greene is an easy one, even though he only started one season this decade. Greene finished the 2008 years with 1,850 yards (second in the nation), 20 touchdowns, a consensus All-American, and won the Doak Walker award. Greene's 2008 statistics were all single season Iowa rushing records. The choice of Russell was a little harder as there have been many talented Iowa backs this decade. Others making viable claims for first team honors include Albert Young (led Big Ten in rushing in 05, 3rd all-time leading rusher) and LaDell Betts (2nd All-Time leading rusher, back-to-back 1,000 yard seasons). Russell barely edges these two out by also having back-to-back 1,000 yard seasons that were more successful than Betts (2002, 2003). Betts also is at a disadvantage having played two of his years in the 90s (1998, 1999).

WR: Maurice Brown
WR: Ed Hinkel
Mo Brown had the most productive season for any wide receiver in this decade by catching 48 balls for 966 yards and breaking the single season receiving touchdowns record in 2002. Hinkel is also a first team'er for his sure hands and solid consistency throughout his four year career.

TE: Dallas Clark
This is another no-brainer selection. Clark is not only the best tight end for Iowa this decade but one of the best in the NCAA's during that time frame.

OL: Robert Gallery
OL: Eric Steinbach
OL: Bruce Nelson
OL: Marshal Yanda
OL: Bryan Bulaga
I feel like I could run for a thousand yards behind this offensive line. Gallery was all-world during his career at Iowa, having won the Outland trophy. And, Bulaga (with two years eligibility remaining) could be the second coming.

K: Nate Kaeding
Was there any doubt about this one? Nate Kaeding is one of the best kickers in college football history.

1st Team Defense:
DL: Matt Roth
DL: Mitch King
DL: Jonathan Babineaux
DL: Aaron Kampman
Now there is a defensive line that would have any quarterback fearing for his life. Mitch King and Matt Roth provided the intensity and were team leaders during their years in a Hawkeye uniform, while also being extremely productive on the field. Kampman is one of the best ever at Iowa at his position, and Babineaux had a monster senior year after converting from fullback earlier in his career.

LB: Chad Greenway
LB: Abdul Hodge
LB: Fred Barr
Greenway and Hodge are also two all-timers at Iowa. They dominated Big Ten offenses for three straight years as starters. Barr was a four year starter who, while not as spectacular as Hodge and Greenway, had a very productive career for the Hawks. Other contenders included Mike Humpal, Mike Klinkenborg, and Pat Angerer.

S: Bob Sanders
S: Sean Considine
Bob Sanders was an easy selection. Considine was a smart player who often times was the quarterback of the Iowa defense. He was also more productive than other safeties this decade (Marcus Paschal, Miguel Merrick, and Derek Pagal).

CB: Amari Spievey
CB: Jovon Johnson
While Spievey is still a current player he had a solid year in 2008 (66 tackles, 4 Ints) and still has two years of eligibility remaining, including one this decade. He is poised to break out in 2009, and also gets recognition after defensive coordinator Norm Parker said that he may be the most talented corner they've had during the Ferentz era. Jovon Johnson, on the other hand, was very productive during his four year starting career at Iowa, including 16 career interceptions.

P: David Bradley
Bradley barely gets the nod over current punter Ryan Donahue.

What picks do you agree with? Disagree with? Who was snubbed? Who was overrated? And, finally who was the best player for Iowa this decade? (Greene, Gallery, Banks, Sanders, Greenway, Hodge, or Kaeding?)

2009 Preseason All-Big Ten Team

2009-06-15T19:45:00.000-07:00

After a month hiatus I'm back with my first Road to the Rose Bowl blog of the summer.

Today I give my preseason All-Big Ten first team. This will be interesting to look back on come December/January, when I can come back and see how accurate my picks were, or face the far more likely scenario of seeing just how 'full of you know what' I am.

Anywho, without further ado:

2009 Preseason All-Big Ten 1st Team

Offense:
QB: Juice Williams - Illinois
This was a hard choice, and a pick that could take some flack. It's either all or nothing for Illinois in 2009. Everyone knows the story on the Fighting Illini, they are loaded with talent on paper, but can't seem to translate that into on the field W's. I believe the 2009 Illini squad will more resemble the 07 squad (not quite that successful, however) than the freefall that was the 2008 team. Juice will be relieved of some of the pressure this year as he now has two experienced players in the backfield in Daniel Dufrene and Jason Ford. Juice also has the luxury of throwing to arguably one of the most talented returning wide receivers in the country in Arrelious Benn. I look for the Illini to return to having a winning record, and in the process Williams should put up lofty numbers in his senior year.

RB: Evan Royster - Penn State
RB: John Clay - Wisconsin
Running back was a major strength for the Big Ten in 2008 and although the conference loses the likes of Shonn Greene, Javon Ringer, Beanie Wells, and Tyrell Sutton----the cupboard is not bare. Amongst the aforementioned stars Evan Royster put up a quiet 1,236 yards and 12 touchdowns. Royster should put up similar or better numbers this year. Wisconsin's Clay had a strong first campaign in 2008 and will put up much better numbers in '09 as he becomes the feature back after RB P.J. Hill decided to forego a year of eligibility to enter the NFL Draft (reasons unknown).

OL: Bryan Bulaga - Iowa
OL: Justin Boren - Ohio State
OL: Stefen Wisniewski - Penn State
OL: Joel Foreman - Michigan State
OL: Kyle Calloway - Iowa
The Iowa offensive line should be one of the tops in the nation, anchored by Bulaga and Calloway. Wisniewski and Foreman should have solid years on the offensive front while former Michigan transfer Justin Boren should have an immediate impact for his new team the Ohio State Buckeyes.

TE: Garrett Graham - Wisconsin
Graham should have a good year if Wisconsin can find a reliable quarterback. But, watch out for the oft-injured Tony Moeaki who could finally have a breakout year---barring injury.

WR: Arrelious Benn - Illinois
WR: Eric Decker - Minnesota
These are really no brainer picks as Benn and Decker are not only the top two WRs in the Big Ten but also amongst the best in the country.

Defense:
DL: Corey Wooten - Northwestern
DL: Jared Odrick - Penn State
DL: Jammie Kirlew - Indiana
DL: Thaddeus Gibson - Ohio State
Gibson is the Buckeye's returning sack man having registered five in 2008. He should increase the number in 2009 as he begins to maximize his potential during his junior campaign. Kirlew and teammate Greg Middleton could be bright spots on an Indiana team that should see its fair share of gloomy moments this season.

LB: Navorro Bowman - Penn State
LB: Pat Angerer - Iowa
LB: Sean Lee - Penn State
It feels weird not seeing James Laurinaitis on this list, but after his seemingly decade long run of dominating Big Ten offenses, Laurinaitis is finally in the NFL. Which opens up preseason and postseason accolades for other Big Ten linebackers. It is hard to leave Michigan State's Greg Jones off this list but he just barely gets bumped to the second team. Angerer led the Big Ten in interceptions (5) as a middle linebacker last season. Bowman was the conferences best tackler and his teammate Lee missed all of 08 after getting injured in the spring. Lee, the most hyped of all, should have a monster year if he can return to pre-injury form.

S: Tyler Sash - Iowa
S: Kurt Coleman - Ohio State
CB: Traye Simmons - Minnesota
CB: Amari Spievey - Iowa
Iowa's defensive backfield should be solid with two first team all-Big Ten'ers in Spievey and Sash. Sash tied teammate Pat Angerer for the Big Ten's lead in intereceptions with five. While Spievey (second team all-Big Ten last season) is set to break onto the national scene in 2009 after having four interceptions and improving every game in 08. Simmons returns to the Gophers after being a second team selection last year. While Ohio State's Coleman need to play an even bigger role on the OSU defense that loses plenty of stars to the NFL, including cornerback Malcolm Jenkins.

Specialists:
K: Brett Swenson - Michigan State
P: Zoltan Mesko - Michigan
KR: David Gilreath - Wisconsin
PR: Ray Small - Ohio State

Final Project: Top 5 Iowa JUCO Transfers

2009-05-11T20:45:00.001-07:00

The topic of my final project was University of Iowa football players transferring to Iowa Central Community College, and then back. So, that got me thinking, who are the best Ferentz-era junior college transfers to ever grace a Hawkeye jersey?

There have been many talented players to end up at Iowa via the JUCO route. Which is surprising since Ferentz rarely ever recruits from the JUCO rankings. So, without further ado, here are your top five Ferentz-era (1999-Present) transfers:

Honorable Mention:
Amari Spievey

I didn't include Spievey in the top five since he is a current player. Spievey has definitely shown flashes of greatness throughout his brief Iowa career and could, eventually, be near the top of this list. Spievey was a redshirt freshman for Iowa in 2006 before transferring to Iowa Central Community College in 2007. Spievey was a beast, as expected, in the JUCO ranks racking up seven interceptions including two for touchdowns. He also scored on two kickoff returns and blocked four punts. After returning to Iowa City, Spievey didn't slow down a bit. In 2008, he recorded 66 tackles and had four interceptions including an explosive 55 yard INT return against Minnesota.

5. Nathan Chandler

Chandler didn't do anything special. But, he also didn't do anything wrong. What he did do was win. With Chandler under center, as a senior, the Hawkeyes went 10-3. Chandler saved his best for last by going 13-25 with 170 yards and 1 TD and no interceptions in a 37-17 blowout against a Ron Zook coached Florida Gators team. This was Iowa's second of three straight ten win seasons. Chandler was a community college All-American before transferring to Iowa.

4. Clinton Solomon

Solomon faced academic problems following his freshman season at Iowa. During his freshman campaign he had only 14 receptions for 159 yards and one touchdown. Solomon would later transfer to Iowa Central Community College in order to get his grades back on track. At ICCC Solomon had 34 catches for 537 yards and five touchdowns.

“We are a heavily run-oriented team, so for him to put up those kind of numbers
in our offense just shows the athletic ability he had,” Iowa Central coach Kevin
Twait said. “He made some incredible plays for us. He was really a difference
maker.”

Twait still recalls a game against Ellsworth Community College,
no six years later, where Solomon had three receiving touchdowns and took the
game over.

“We would have not won that game without him,” Twait said.
“In fact, we probably would have dropped a couple more games that season without
him.”

Solomon only improved after returning to Iowa and turned into an all-time great Hawkeye receiver. He finished his Iowa career with 118 receptions for 1,864 yards and 14 touchdowns. This places him fourth in career touchdown receptions and seventh in career receiving yards.

3. Marshall Yanda

Marshal Yanda played two seasons at North Iowa Area Community College before joining the Hawkeyes in 2005. Yanda immediately made in impact and was one of the anchors of the Iowa offensive line. In fact, Yanda played so well he was drafted in the third round of the NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens. Yanda has since earned a starting spot and is one of the key elements of the Ravens offensive line heading into the 2009 NFL season.

However, the best thing about Marshal Yanda is that he knows how to hit. Yanda is the owner of one of my favorite blocks in Iowa football history. And yes it helps that the guy he hit was a Cyclone. He Rashawn Parker, welcome to the Iowa-Iowa State rivalry:

2. Shonn Greene

Greene just keeps showing up in this blog. There's not a whole lot more that needs to be said, as everyone knows the Shonn Greene story by now. He's everyone's favorite furniture mover turned Doak Walker award winner. Greene isn't a 'true' JUCO transfer, however, after facing academic troubles Greene transferred to Kirkwood Community College and only took classes. After a year out of the game he returned with a vengeance, rushing for 1,850 yards and 20TDs and won the Doak Walker as the nation's best running back. Since then, he was drafted by the New York Jets in the third round (1st pick).

1. Brad Banks

Brad Banks is a Hawkeye legend. Banks was one of the most athletically gifted quarterbacks in Iowa history. Although, he may not have been the pure passer that the Chuck's were (Long and Hartlieb), he made very few mistakes. Banks exploded onto the scene in 2002 after sitting a year behind Kyle McCann (I know, right?). As a senior, Banks was 17-294 with 2,573 yards, 26 touchdowns and only five interceptions. He was also the leader of the incredibly talented 2002 Iowa team. Banks helped lead the Hawkeyes to the 2003 Orange Bowl and a 10-2 overall record. He was rewarded for his season winning the Davey O'Brien award (nation's best QB) and was named the Associated Press Player of the Year. Banks was also runner-up for the 2002 Heisman trophy (Carson Palmer).

Before Iowa, Banks was enrolled at Central Florida University as a freshman. He later transferred to Hinds Junior College after his freshman season, and later the University of Iowa.

Photos from: Spievey: CR Gazette; Nathan Chandler: Getty Images ; Clinton Solomon: hawkeyesports.com ; Marshal Yanda: Quad City Times ; Shonn Greene: smu.edu/doakwalker ; Brad Banks: Getty Images

3 Big Ten Players Named to College Football Hall of Fame

2009-04-30T11:07:00.000-07:00

Three Big Ten players, including one Hawkeye, have been named to the 2009 Hall of Fame class.

The three Big Ten-ers named to the Hall include: (from ESPN.com):

Chris Spielman, Ohio State, linebacker (1984-87) --
Two-time first team All-America selection (1986-87) who was unanimous in 1987
and consensus in 1986. The recipient of the 1987 Lombardi Award, he was a
three-time first team all-conference selection and a member of two Big Ten title
teams.

Larry Station, Iowa, linebacker (1982-85) -- Two-time
first team All-America selection (1984-85) who was unanimous in 1985, consensus
in 1984. A three-time first team all-conference selection, he was named team
captain and MVP in 1985. Iowa's all-time leader in tackles with 492, Station
topped the team's tackles chart in all four seasons and recorded 10 or more
tackles 23 times.

Curt Warner, Penn State, running back (1979-82)
-- Named first team All-America in 1981 and led Penn State to 1982 national
championship. Most outstanding offensive player in 1980 and 1982 Fiesta Bowls.
Finished career with 11 season, 10 career, 14 bowl and 42 school records

Chris Spielman personifies intensity. Nevermind his playing career, I was ready to induct him into the Hall after his magnificent job calling the 2006 Outback Bowl. If you don't remember that game, it was, and I hate to blame things on officials, the worst referee'd game I've ever seen.

Flashback: With under two minutes left Iowa recovers an onside kick, to set-up a potentially game-tying drive. Wait...flag...Greenway was offsides. On second thought, no he wasn't. On third thought, Conference USA referee's should never officiate big time bowl games again. But, in relation to Spielman, he called the game and was barking at the refs the whole broadcast (this was only one amongst numerous bad calls). Oh, and he was a pretty damn good linebacker too.

Who tops Iowa's all-time leading tackles list? Abdul Hodge? Nope (3rd) Chad Greenway? Nope (5th) Sitting atop the list of all-time great Hawkeye linebackers is Larry Station. His 492 career tackles are 27 more than second place.

And, how did it take Kurt Warner this long to get in? He's a two time NFL MVP, has won a super bowl...and after many counted him out age-wise, he led the Arizona Cardinals to the 2009 Super Bowl. The man has done it all. Oh....wait, thats right he played for UNI. Different Curt Warner? Oh well, he was pretty good too.

Congrats to all the 2009 inductees, for a full list of the new entrants into the Hall click here.

Indiana's Lewis Kicked Off Team

2009-04-30T10:54:00.000-07:00

ESPN's Big Ten blogger Adam Rittenberg reported yesterday that former quarterback and briefly turned wide receiver Kellen Lewis has been dismissed from the Indiana football team.

Things have turned from bad to worse for Lewis, who lost his starting quarterback gig to teammate Ben Chappell earlier this spring. I did a blog post earlier this year on Lewis' switch to wide receiver and seriously questioned Hoosier coach Bill Lynch's move.

Obviously there was something that the public wasn't seeing. Perhaps Lynch no longer trusted Lewis as the leader of his team, after such violations. Lynch wouldn't release any details on why Lewis was dismissed from the team besides that he violated 'team rules'. This is his second such offense after being suspended last spring for the same vague offense.

This is a huge blow to the Hoosier team. It was doubtful that Lewis was going to make same impact at wide receiver as he did at quarterback, but the fact remains that Kellen Lewis was a playmaker. In just 2007, he was a second-team all-Big Ten quarterback. He also led the Hoosiers to their first bowl game in 14 years.

Chalk this up to another wasted Big Ten talent due to off-the-field issues.

Photo from heraldtimesonline.com

Purdue Possible Destination for Former Miami Quarterback

2009-04-30T10:40:00.000-07:00

As reported by ESPN's Joe Schad, Purdue is the preferred destination of former Miami quarterback Robert Marve. Amongst his other choices are Arizona State, South Florida, and Nebraska. Currently, Purdue is at the top of his list.

Marve would be a huge addition to the Boilermaker's roster. Of course, he would have to sit out the 2009 regular season, but beyond that, I see him being a three year starter in West Lafeyette.

Marve struggled through his freshman season at Miami and eventually lost his starting job to fellow freshman Jacory Harris. Marve's 2008 stats were: 116-213 1,293 yards 54.5% 9 TDs 13 Ints

Marve has decent size at 6'2" and 210 pounds and would fit in well at Purdue, should they continue Joe Tiller's pass-happy offense under new coach Danny Hope.

Although Marve didn't live up to all the expectations in his first year at Miami he still has tons of potential. He was a four star recruit coming out of high school and the tenth best quarterback prospect in the 2007 class.

Photo from Doug Benc/Getty Images North America

Big Ten Draftees

2009-04-28T09:32:00.000-07:00

Here is a list of all the Big Ten players drafted in the 2009 draft. The list of draftees comes from nfl.com:

Iowa:
Shonn Greene RB 5'11" 227 Pick 1, Round 3 (65) Jets
Bradley Fletcher DB 6'0" 196 Pick 2, Round 3 (66) Rams
Seth Olsen OG 6'5" 306 Pick 32, Round 4 (132) Broncos
Brandon Myers TE 6'4" 250 Pick 29, Round 6 (202) Raiders

Ohio State:
Malcolm Jenkins CB 6'0" 204 Ohio State Pick 14, Round 1 (14) Saints
Chris "Beanie" Wells RB 6'1" 235 Ohio State Pick 31, Round 1 (31) Cardinals
James Laurinaitis ILB 6'2" 244 Ohio State Pick 3, Round 2 (35) Rams
Brian Robiskie WR 6'3" 209 Ohio State Pick 4, Round 2 (36) Browns
Donald Washington CB 6'0" 197 Ohio State Pick 2, Round 4 (102) Chiefs
Brian Hartline WR 6'2" 195 Ohio State Pick 8, Round 4 (108) Dolphins
Marcus Freeman LB 6'0" 239 Ohio State Pick 18, Round 5 (154) Bears

Wiconsin:
Matt Shaughnessy DE 6'5" 266 Wisconsin Pick 7, Round 3 (71) Raiders
DeAndre Levy OLB 6'2" 236 Wisconsin Pick 12, Round 3 (76) Lions
Kraig Urbik OT 6'5" 328 Wisconsin Pick 15, Round 3 (79) Steelers
Travis Beckum TE 6'3" 243 Wisconsin Pick 36, Round 3 (100) Giants

Purdue:
Alex Magee DT 6'3" 298 Purdue Pick 3, Round 3 (67) Chiefs
Chris Painter QB 6'3" 225 Purdue Pick 28, Round 6 (201) Colts

Penn State:
Aaron Maybin DE 6'4" 249 Penn State Pick 11, Round 1 (11) Bills
Derrick Williams WR 6'0" 194 Penn State Pick 18, Round 3 (82) Lions
Deon Butler WR 5'10" 182 Penn State Pick 27, Round 3 (91) Seahawks
Rich Ohrnberger OG 6'2" 297 Penn State Pick 23, Round 4 (123) Patriots
A.Q. Shipley C 6'1" 304 Penn State Pick 17, Round 7 (226) Steelers

Michigan:
Terrance Taylor DT 6'0" 306 Michigan Pick 36, Round 4 (136) Colts
Morgan Trent CB 6'1" 193 Michigan Pick 6, Round 6 (179) Bengals

Michigan State:
Javon Ringer RB 5'9" 205 Michigan State Pick 37, Round 5 (173) Titans

Illinois:
Vontae Davis CB 5'11" 203 Illinois Pick 25, Round 1 (25) Dolphins
Xavier Fulton OT 6'4" 302 Illinois Pick 19, Round 5 (155) Buccaneers
Will Davis DE 6'2" 261 Illinois Pick 31, Round 6 (204) Cardinals

Breakdown:
Ohio State: 7 Draftees
Penn State: 5 Draftees
Iowa: 4 Draftees
Wisconsin: 4 Draftees
Illinois: 3 Draftees
Michigan: 2 Draftees
Purdue: 2 Draftees
Michigan State: 1 Draftee
Minnesota: 0 Draftees
Northwestern: 0 Draftees
Indiana: 0 Draftees

Pretty lackluster year for the Big Ten, only having four first round draft picks (Maybin, Jenkins, Davis, and Wells) and no one in the top ten.

2009 NFL Draft Position Rankings

2009-04-23T14:34:00.000-07:00

Here are my rankings for the top three players at each position. Including who I think will be the biggest disappointment and the biggest surprise. These rankings don't reflect where I think they will get drafted or where the 'experts' are projecting them, but rather, who I believe will have the best pro careers in the long run. Enjoy!

Quarterback:

1. Matthew Stafford - QB - Georgia
2. Mark Sanchez - QB - USC
3. Rhett Bomar - QB - Sam Houston State
Biggest Surprise: Pat White - QB - West Virginia
Biggest Disappointment: Josh Freeman - QB - Kansas State
Thoughts: I'm not very high on the 2009 quarterback class. I think Stafford should make a fine pro, but I'm not even sure if he is the answer in Detroit. I don't see Sanchez being your protypical franchise quarterback. I don't think Pat White will be a quarterback, at least starting, in the NFL, but since he played the position in college he fits in this category. I think White has too much talent to keep him off the field. I see him with, best case scenario, Antwaan Randle-El talent. And, if he stays at QB, he is Seneca Wallace-esque.

Running Back:

1. Knowshon Moreno - RB - Georgia
2. Beanie Wells - RB - Ohio State
3. Shonn Greene - RB - Iowa
Biggest Surprise: Shonn Greene - RB - Iowa
Biggest Disappointment: Donald Brown - RB - UCONN
Thoughts: A lot of people are selling Shonn Greene short. But, I think he has the potential to be one of the tops of this running back class. This is a weak class, as there is no one creating Adrian Peterson, or even Darren McFadden buzz entering the draft. If Wells can stay healthy he makes a nice power back in the NFL, and Moreno could be a franchise player given his versatility out of the backfield.

Wide Receiver:

1. Jeremy Maclin - WR - Mizzou
2. Michael Crabtree - WR - Texas Tech
3. Percy Harvin - WR - Florida
Biggest Surprise: Hakeem Nicks - WR - North Carolina
Biggest Disappointment: Michael Crabtree - WR - Texas Tech
Thoughts: Even though Crabtree's listed as my second best WR of this class, he still gets the nod as biggest disappointment. Talks are heating up that the Browns will grab Crabtree with the fifth overall pick and attempt to trade away Braylon Edwards. I don't see Crabtree having near the potential of Edwards. I like Maclin in the number one slot. He reminds me a lot of DeSean Jackson---as a WR and return man. Also, look out for Hakeem Nicks.

Tight End:

1. Brandon Pettigrew - TE - Oklahoma State
2. Jared Cook - TE - South Carolina
3. Chase Coffman - TE - Mizzou
Biggest Surprise: Travis Beckum - TE - Wisconsin
Biggest Disappointment: Cornelius Ingram - TE - Florida
Thoughts: I pretty much agree with the experts on the tight ends. I do think Beckum could be a steal if he falls to the third round. He is coming off a season ending injury, but does have loads of talent, when healthy. Missouri's Chase Coffman should find himself on an NFL roster for a long time, and have a productive career. But, not necessarily pro bowl material.

Offensive Line:

1. Jason Smith - OT - Baylor
2. Eugene Monroe - OT - Virginia
3. Michael Oher - OT - Ole Miss
Biggest Surprise: Duke Robinson - OG - Oklahoma
Biggest Disappointment: Andre Smith - OT - Alabama
Thoughts: I would caution any team willing to spend a top ten pick on Andre Smith.

Defensive Line:

1. Aaron Maybin - DE - Penn State
2. Brian Orakpo - DE - Texas
3. B.J. Raji - DT - Boston College
Biggest Surprise: Michael Johnson - DE - Georgia Tech
Biggest Disappointment: None
Thoughts: This is a pretty good year for the defensive line. Many DE are projected to go in the first round. Almost every mock has Orakpo going ahead of Maybin, but I like Maybin's potential.

Linebackers:

1. Rey Maualuga - ILB - USC
2. Aaron Curry - OLB - Wake Forest
3. Marcus Freeman - OLB - OSU
Biggest Surprise: Tyrone Mckenzie - OLB - South Florida
Biggest Disappointment: James Laurinaitis - ILB - OSU
Thoughts: Curry should have a solid career in the NFL, but I don't think he will be the potential HOF'er everyone is already proclaiming him to be. I like Maualuga's intensity, and I see his skill set transfering over well into the NFL. Of the Ohio State linebackers I look for Freeman to have a better career.

Defensive Backs:

1. Vontae Davis - CB - Illinois
2. Malcolm Jenkins - CB - OSU
3. Sean Smith - S - Utah
Biggest Surprise: Alphonso Smith - CB - Wake Forest
Biggest Disppointment: None
Thoughts: I don't see anyone who sticks out as a for sure bust amongst the defensive backs. There have been a lot of talks of Jenkins switching over to safety, ala Antrel Rolle, and I think that may suit him well. Davis seems to be the real deal, running a 4.4 40. Utah's Sean Smith has a huge frame as a 6'4" safety and could have a very successful pro career.

Which picks do you agree/disagree with? Who should be higher/lower?

Moreno photo from Reuters Pictures; All others from the Associated Press

2009 NFL Mock Draft Database

2009-04-23T14:30:00.001-07:00

If you’re looking to get your last minute NFL Mock Draft fix, I highly recommend you check out the 2009 NFL Mock Draft Database. This is a site that links all the mock drafts on the internet. It's fast, convenient, and very helpful.

As you can see it looks like the general consensus is that Stafford will be the first picked, followed by offensive tackle Jason Smith.

In related news....is it Saturday yet?

Show Some Love: Top Five Underrated Players in the 2009 NFL Draft

2009-04-22T14:25:00.000-07:00

I'm back today with my top five underrated players of the upcoming draft. Just for some clarification on yesterday's post, I don't think Curry and Crabtree will be complete busts, ala Ryan Leaf, I just don't think they can compare to the top talent at their positions of previous drafts. But, I do see Robiskie being a bust, and Andre Smith has Ryan Leaf written all over him...well maybe two Ryan Leaf's---given his size.

Anywho, without further ado, my top five players who should be getting more love from the 'experts'.

5. Lawrence Sidbury Jr.

Rice's Lawrence Sidbury Jr. really impressed scouts at the combine. He turned in the best time for a defensive end with a 4.64 40 yard dash. He also put up a respectable 28 reps on the bench press. Sidbury may still need to slightly bulk up his 6'3" 265 pound frame, but even now, his measurables are comparable to other top DL prospects like Aaron Maybin (6'4" 253) and Brian Orakpo (6'3" 263). Sidbury is projected by most to be a late second or early third round draft choice. Rice's Sidbury Jr. would be a real steal that late in the draft.

4. Rhett Bomar

Remember Rhett Bomar? If not he was Oklahoma's quarterback in 2005. He was later kicked off the team and went to Sam Houston State. Bomar is the second FCS (I-AA) prospect to crack my list. Bomar showed promise in 05 with Oklahoma throwing for over 2,000 yards and a 10 touchdown to 10 interception ratio, as a redshirt freshman. Bomar only increased his stats at SHS throwing for 3,405 yards and a 27-13 touchdown to interception ratio. Being a IAA prospect, I'm not declaring Bomar the next Joe Flacco, but he could be a great pick-up in the later rounds.

3. Marcus Freeman

If you read my rankings yesterday, you know that I put some stock in combine numbers, but I don't like putting too much stock into them. Being said, Freeman was very impressive at the combine. He put up a linebacker-high 30 repetitions on the bench press, and his 4.74 40 yard dash was seventh amongst all linebackers. Freeman also has the collegiate career to back up his numbers, being named second team all-Big Ten in 2008. Freeman may be being slightly looked over due to playing his whole career in the shadows of James Laurinaitis at OSU. I see most mocks projecting Freeman as a third round pick. Scouts may me a little hesitant of his size, at only 6'0" and 239 lbs, but I believe Freeman will have a long pro career ahead of him.

2. Hakeem Nicks

Hakeem Nicks isn't exactly being overlooked---being a projected second round pick. But, I think his talent is even greater than that. Nicks, even at 6'1", can go up and get any pass. And, if you watched North Carolina's bowl win against West Virginia you know Nicks catches anything that is thrown to him. He finished the game with eight receptions for 217 yards and three touchdowns, including a string of highlight reel worthy circus catches. Nicks had a very productive 2008 grabbing 68 passes for 1,222 yards and 12 touchdowns. I think any team should feel lucky to snatch Nicks up in the second round.

1. Shonn Greene

Okay fine, call me a homer, but you had to see this one coming. Shonn Greene's 1,850 yards were good enough for second in the nation. FACT: Shonn Greene was college football's best running back in 2008 (See Doak Walker results). But, the same knocks keep coming up against Greene. The experts will reiterate that Greene only had one full season of college football, and will talk about his age as if he's getting AARP discounts. The only discount here is the team that gets Greene in the late second or third round, that he's projected to go. Greene will turn 24 when the NFL season opens. But that is not necessarily a bad thing, considering he has only 376 career carries (including an entire year off) while Donald Brown (a RB projected ahead of him) has almost twice as many, 698 carries. While Greene's legs might be slightly older than the other top prospects they haven't seen nearly as much work. Therefore, Greene's NFL longevity may be just as long as any RB in this class.

Although Greene didn't have the best combine, he dramatically improved his numbers during Iowa's Pro Day. He turned in a 4.55 40 during Pro Day, which is very respectable for a RB of Greene's size. Now, I can somewhat understand Beanie Wells (injuries and all) and Knowshon Moreno being projected above Greene----but LeSean McCoy (all 198 pounds), Donald Brown, Andre Brown, and others ahead of him? C'mon

Photos: Lawrence Sidbury Jr.: Richmond Athletics Public Relations, Rhett Bomar & Hakeem Nicks: Getty Images, Shonn Greene: Washington Post

Ryan Leaf Syndrome - The Most Overrated Players in the 2009 NFL Draft

2009-04-21T09:43:00.001-07:00

It's that time again. I look forward to this weekend every year. That's right, it's the 2009 NFL Draft. The draft once fell on the date of my senior prom, and let me just say, it was a harder decision than it should have been to miss the draft. Just like every year besides that year, I'll be glued to the television this Saturday and Sunday.

Today will start off my week long draft coverage, with my top five overrated players in this years draft class.

5. Aaron Curry

Curry was this year's combine baby. He shot up Kiper's and everyone elses draft boards after he ripped off a 4.56 40 yard dash. This was significantly faster than the other top linebacker prospects. With college standouts James Laurinaitis and Rey Maualuga running gruesomely slow times (4.88 and 4.91, respectively), Curry suddenly turned into the prize of the draft. Most mocks I've seen him have him as a certain top five pick. Before the combine, Curry was probably was just looking at the first half of the first round. I don't doubt that Curry will be a good NFL player, perhaps even great, but I think too much stock was put into his combine numbers. He will have a lot of pressure heading into his rookie campaign as a top three pick, potentially.

4. Michael Crabtree

After Crabtree's ridiculously good redshirt freshman campaign, I was still skeptical and brushed him off as a 'product of the system'. While his numbers were still greatly inflated due to the Texas Tech offense, he proved to me that he is a top college wide receiver in 2008. But, I don't think he has the ability to live up to the top 5 pick talent that is being placed on him. I don't see him as a franchise wide receiver. Leading up to draft day I have heard ESPN compare Crabtree to Larry Fitzgerald on numerous occasions. I guess I just don't see it. Crabtree measured in at 6'1" after being listed as 6'3" at Texas Tech. He lacks the true wide receiver speed that other members of this class have (Maclin, Heyward-Bey, and Harvin). I see Crabtree being a nice possession receiver in the NFL, but his talent, in my opinion, doesn't compare to other top wide receivers in previous classes (Calvin Johnson).

3. The 2009 Quarterback Class

I believe Matthew Stafford will make a fine NFL quarterback, of the Jay Cutler mold. But, beyond that I'm not so sure. Sanchez only has one full season of starting experience under his belt. I agree with Pete Carroll, in that he probably could have benefited from another year of college. And, the third highest ranked quarterback in this class is....Kansas State's Josh Freeman? I guess this class gets downplayed due to the fact that the best NFL quarterback prospect is still in college (Sam Bradford).

2. Brian Robiskie

Robiskie's numbers drastically fell in 2008 due to the breaking in of a true freshman quarterback. But, the fact remains that Robiskie only had one 100 yard receiving game in 2008. He proved to be a non-factor in 2008, only recording 42 receptions for 535 yards. These were drastically lower than his 935 yards in 07. But, since he clocked in a 4.51 40 and is only slightly under 6'3" his college production, or lack there of, is ignored and he is considered a second or third round pick. I see Robiskie being nothing more than being a team's third option at receiver, if that.

1. Andre Smith

This one was easy. Click here to read about Smith's draft free-fall. Nothing more really needs to be said, but even after all this I still see Smith being projected as a top ten pick on several mock drafts. If I were running an NFL team, I would be seriously hesitant about investing millions of dollars and a top ten pick in a guy with commitment and work ethic issues.

Stay tuned for my top underrated players in the 2009 NFL Draft!

Curry photo from Getty Images all others from the Associated Press

That's why there are so many off the field issues...

2009-04-18T14:38:00.000-07:00

From the 'barely related to college football' department, the University of Iowa was named Playboy's ninth best party school in America. Perhaps thats the reason for all the off the field issues Iowa faces, like we all already knew, Hawkeyes like to party.

Here's Playboy's top ten list:
1) University of Miami
2) University of Texas (Austin)
3) San Diego State University
4) University of Florida
5) University of Arizona
6) University of Wisconsin (Madison)
7) University of Georgia
8) Louisiana State University
9) University of Iowa
10) West Virginia University

Iowa gets the nod after ranking high in many of Playboy's criteria. Girl-to-guy ratio and sports, amongst other things, all played a role in the decision making process. And, to our credit, brainpower was part of the equation (seriously).

Duke PG turned Michigan QB?

2009-04-16T10:52:00.000-07:00

Duke point guard Greg Paulus is contemplating joining the Wolverines and competing for the starting quarterback position, as reported by Adam Rittenberg.

Paulus is a former high school quarterback standout who eventually chose basketball and the opportunity to play for Duke and coach Mike Krzyzewski over the chance to play college football. From Rittenberg's blog:

Paulus was a former Gatorade high school football player of the year at Christian Brothers Academy, where he was a four-time all-state player, set six state passing records and was a starter in the U.S. Army All-American game. Christian Brothers was 42-3 during Paulus' time there, and he had 11,763 career passing yards and 152 touchdown passes in 45 games.

Coach Rich Rodriguez says that Paulus would have a fair shot at competing for the starting spot. Which, Paulus says is a major factor in his decision.

Paulus' competition would be freshman quarterbacks Tate Forcier and Denard Robinson, along with junior Nick Sheridan who is coming off a broken leg.

I would say that right now Forcier has the upper hand, as he has been said to be performing well during spring ball. Sheridan does have the experience having started four games in 2008. But, Sheridan is coming off a broken leg, and really was a square peg trying to be fit in spread offenses round holes.

If Paulus can show he still has the talent, after a four year layoff from football, I would say he has as good of chance as anyone on the Michigan roster to be the starting quarterback in 2009.

For those of you wondering Paulus would be able to transfer to Michigan and play right away without sitting out a year. Since he played four years of basketball at Duke, without a redshirt season, and is earning his degree....he has one year of eligibility in another sport.

Paulus is still considering the transfer to Michigan. He has also garnered attention from Syracuse. Additionally, the possibility of working out for more NFL teams (seriously).

Photo from the AP

Top Five Wide Receivers in 2009

2009-04-13T09:08:00.000-07:00

Like the quarterback position, the Big Ten should have some improved wide receivers in 2009. This crop of players, however, is very top heavy. Some younger receivers are going to be called on, and will be expected to provide some depth. The biggest loss will be to Penn State who lost receivers Deon Butler, Jordan Norwood, and Derrick Williams. These three Nittany Lions combined for 1,932 yards and 17 receiving touchdowns.

5. David Gilreath

2008 Stats: 31 Receptions 520 Yards 3 Touchdowns

Gilreath showed to have some spark in 2008. Defenses always had to keep one eye open for Gilreath who also returned punts, kickoffs, and was always an option for an end-around runnning play. Gilreath racked up 285 yards on the ground, doing just that. At only 5'11", Gilreath isn't going to 'go up and get' too many balls against talented corners but he does use his speed effectively.

4. Mark Dell

2008 Stats: 36 Receptions 679 Yards 3 Touchdowns

Dell seemed to be Michigan State's answer to the replacing Devin Thomas, after a nine catch 202 yard and one touchdown performance against Cal in the opener. He slowed down a bit from there, never again topping the 100 yard mark in a game. Bell, a junior-to-be, will need to play a big role in 2009 and will be instrumental in helping MSU break in a new quarterback.

3. Derrell Johnson-Koulianos

2008 Stats: 44 Receptions 639 Yards 3 Touchdowns

Johnson-Koulianos found himself on the outside looking in when the spring two deeps were announced earlier this month. But, I suspect DJK will be the starting, and premier, WR for the Hawkeyes once September rolls around. Johnson-Koulianos has shown steady improvement over his first two years at Iowa. In 2009, Johnson-Koulianos should show more of a knack for the endzone, after having 82 career receptions and 1,100 plus yards but only five career touchdowns. DJK was rolling at the end of 2008 regular season, coming off a career high 181 yard performance against Minnesota. He should take that momentum into 09. I expect the Iowa offense to mature under second year starter Ricky Stanzi, which should make for a break-out season for Johnson-Koulianos in 2009.

2. Arrelious Benn 2008 Stats: 67 Receptions 1,055 Yards 3 Touchdowns

Benn showed to be explosive with his 15.7 yards per reception average. He also proved that he can be effective against the leagues best defenses by garnering 65, 96, and 110 yards against Ohio State, Iowa, and Penn State repectively. With Benn and four year starting quarterback Juice Williams returning in 2009, the Illinois offense has the potential to be special in 2009. But, it also had this potential in 08, so we'll just have to wait and see. Regardless of the Fighting Illini's success this season, both Williams and Benn should put up lofty statistics.

1. Eric Decker

2008 Stats: 84 Receptions 1,074 Yards 7 Touchdowns

Decker was the Big Ten's leading receiver in 2008, and he should be right near the top again in 09. Decker, at 6'2" and 215, has shown to have impressive physical talents. The Minnesota offense will run through Decker this season, and the Weber-Decker connection will give defenses fits as Minnesota tries to build on their 7-6 season. In order for the Gophers to be successful, Decker, and Minnesota in general, will need to be dominate against both the cupcakes and the tougher opponents this season. Both Arrelious Benn and Decker could have claimed the top spot, but Decker gets the nod for his slightly better stats in 2008.

Gilreath photo from Getty Images, all others from the Associated Press

With the first pick in the 2009 NFL Draft the Detroit Lions select.....Jim Leavitt?

2009-04-10T11:56:00.000-07:00

South Florida head coach Jim Leavitt knows how to keep things refreshing during spring practices. Brian Bennett r eports that Leavitt made a promise to his team that he would run the 40 yard dash in under six seconds. His time? A not so laughable 5.72 seconds.

From ESPN:

But the 52-year-old South Florida coach made good on his promise to run the distance in under six seconds. He was clocked at 5.72 seconds while doing the sprint before practice on Thursday afternoon.

Leavitt's run was part of a promotion tied into South Florida's spring game on Saturday. Students will compete in a mock combine before the game, and those who beat Leavitt's time will get a T-shirt that says "I'm Faster Than Leavitt!" The fastest student will win a pair of tickets to the Bulls' game at Florida State in September.

Not bad for a 52 year old man, considering his time would have only put him .46 seconds slower than quarterback Hunter Cantwell's performance at the combine. But, if Leavitt really wanted to impress scouts he would have to be an offensive lineman. Leavitt's 5.72 was only one-tenth of a second slower than offensive lineman Ramon Foster's combine time.

So, that got me thinking....which college football coaches do you think would beat this? How many coaches 'still got it', years after their playing days?

Here's my unofficial top five:
5) USC's Pete Carroll
4) Florida's Urban Meyer
3) Buffalo's Turner Gill
2) Michigan's Rich Rodriguez
1) Tennesse's Lane Kiffin

And, on the flip-side, your not so speedy coaches:
5) Virginia Tech's Frank Beamer
4) Florida State's Bobby Bowden
3) Penn State's Joe Paterno
2) Notre Dame's Charlie Weis
1) Kansas' Mark Mangino

Photo from Getty Images

I'm sure I overlooked plenty of coaches, so, who makes your list of speedy coaches? Or lack-there-of.

CFN's Lott Trophy Watch List

2009-04-10T11:23:00.000-07:00

Collegefootballnews recently released their Lott Trophy watch list. The Lott Trophy goes to the nations best defensive player. CFN ranks their top 42 defensive players to keep an eye on in '09.

The Big Ten didn't make an overwhelming presence but they did manage to get six names on the list.

It seems as though CFN might be overlooking several Big Ten defensive standouts including another Penn State linebacker in Navorro Brown and several other Iowa stars: AJ Edds and Amari Spievey amongst others. Here are the Big Ten defensive standouts that made their list:

CFN Ranking of the 2009 Lott Trophy Watch List
7. Sean Lee, LB, Penn State, Sr. 6-2, 236
10. Greg Jones, LB, Michigan State, Jr., 6-1, 222
32. Kurt Coleman, S, Ohio State, Sr., 5-11, 188
33. Pat Angerer, LB, Iowa, Sr., 6-1, 232
34. Brandon Graham, DE, Michigan, Sr., 6-2, 270
38. Corey Wootton, DE, Sr., Northwestern, 6-7, 270

Top 5 Quarterbacks in 2009

2009-04-09T14:40:00.000-07:00

The Big Ten loses a lot of talented running backs in 2009, but it does have a lot of returning talent at the quarterback position. Many of the QBs on this list were very young in 08, or took over the reigns under center at mid-season. Therefore, the quarterback position, in the Big Ten, should be much improved in '09.

5. Adam Weber

2008 Stats: 255-410 2,761 Yards 62.2% 15 TDs - 8 Ints 126.93 Rating

Weber was intrumental in leading the Gophers to their 7-1 start in 2008. Weber showed that he can look like an All-Big Ten QB against inferior competition, but on the same hand, he looked incredibly average down the stretch when the Gophers finished 0-5. Weber had a 4-4 touchdown to interception ratio in the Gophers last four games. Weber should steadily improve and will be greatly helped out by the return of all-Big Ten WR Erik Decker.

4. Ricky Stanzi

2008 Stats: 150-254 1,956 Yards 59.1% 14 TDs - 9 Ints 134.85 Rating

Stanzi was the exact opposite of Weber in 2008. When Ricky first took over the job, he was a turnover machine. At times he looked lost in the offense, as if the game was going too fast. However, he really started to show what he was capable of down the stretch. Stanzi came into his own during a last minute drive against Penn State at Kinnick Stadium. I look for Stanzi to have a big year, and expand the Hawkeye's offensive attack more as they won't have Shonn Greene to lean on. You could make an arguement that, given Stanzi's progressive growth, that any of the top four on this list could be number one by seasons end.

3. Terrelle Pryor

2008 Stats: 100-165 1,311 Yards 60.6 % 12 TDs - 4 Ints 146.50 Rating

As mentioned, Stanzi needs to show steady improvement to keep the Hawkeye offense in top shape. Terrelle Pryor faces similar circumstances. The Buckeyes will be without Beanie Wells and their two top receivers in Robiskie and Hartline. Pryor will need to use his legs and show improvement in his passing game in order for OSU to be successful. There is no doubt that Pryor has a whole world of potential, and if he can begin to tap into that, he like Stanzi could be number one by seasons end.

2. Daryll Clark

2008 Stats: 192-321 2,592 Yards 59.8% 19 TDs - 6 Ints 143.44 Rating

Clark had a breakout year in 2008. But, the question still remains of whether or not he can perform in the 'big game'. Penn State's game-winning drive against Ohio State was contrived by the now transferred Pat Devlin. In Penn State's only regular season loss, Clark had a horrible game against Iowa (9-23, 86 Yards, 0 TDs- 1 Int) and didn't do enough in their Rose Bowl loss to USC (2 TDs - 2 Ints). Not to mention Clark loses his top three receivers in Deion Butler, Derrick Williams, and Jordan Norwood. Penn State's defense should be solid, as always, in 2009. But, a lot will be dependent on how Clark can lead the Penn State offense with a new crop of receivers.

1. Juice Williams

2008 Stats: 219-381 3,173 Yards 57.5 % 22 TDs - 16 Ints 138.09 Rating

Juice gets the number one preseason slot strictly based off of experience having thrown for over 6,405 career yards and 48 TDs. Illinois faced a very disappointing season in 08 after a promising year in 2007. While the defense loses some stars, they should have a reliable running back in Jason Ford. And, more importantly, Arrelious Benn returns to the Fighting Illini. Benn is the most talented receiver in the Big Ten heading into 2009. And, with Juice's physical skills and experience as a senior, both should put up gaudy numbers. Now, whether that transfers into wins on the field is up to Ron Zook. (Don't hold your breath)

All photos from the Associated Press

I'll be back tommorow with my wide receiver rankings!

The Inevitable Strike of '94

2009-04-09T08:15:00.000-07:00

Owner-player relations in Major League Baseball were bad far before they reached their boiling point in 1994. It was during the great strike of ’94 that baseball lost its World Series, and the trust of many fans, for the first time in ninety years.

The strike of 1994 was inevitable due to the rocky relations between the union and the ‘Lords’.

The players had been worked over by the owners on many occasions. The testy relationship can date back to the days of collusion. Under Commissioner Peter Ueberroth’s control, the MLB owners made a pact to not sign free agents without notifying one another. This effectively downsized the free agent contracts signed that year. This is just one example of the owners and players having an all but smooth relationship.

Relations amongst the owners even began to deteriorate as they fought over revenue-sharing. The ‘have-nots’, or small market teams, in baseball were fighting to get a piece of the television contracts owned by the large market teams. In general, baseball was in panic mode as the 1994 season began to wind down.

With the faxed-in signatures of 26 of the 28 MLB owners, baseball officially went on strike. The main reason being that the owners were pushing for a salary cap and the players, rightfully so, stood their ground.

The players didn’t want to be caught in the same predicament as NFL players. Due to the NFL’s salary cap veteran players were just a piece of property. Phil Simms was abruptly cut by the New York Giants after he was told his 2.5 million dollar salary wouldn’t fit under the team’s salary cap.

The players had seen their salaries and contracts tinkered with all the way back to the days of the reserve clause and collusion, they weren’t about sign on with the Lord’s salary cap idea.

The owners did attempt to keep the season going without a salary cap. They proposed the idea to the union of a luxury tax. This graduated luxury tax would tax those teams who were a certain percentage (20 percent and above) above the average payroll.

While this would have effectively avoided the salary cap, it could have very well had the same results to the players. The larger market teams would be hesitant to sign that big name free agent knowing that they would be taxed up to 75 percent for their spending.

This would have driven down player’s salaries once again as teams wouldn’t be as willing to outbid each other, in fear of getting taxed. This is why union leader Don Fehr shot down the idea.

The players even tried to compromise with the greedy owners. They offered a plan that would tax the sixteen richest clubs at 1.5 percent each. This would generate around 50 million dollars for the small-market teams. The Lord’s own plan derived 70 million dollars for the have-nots. The Lord’s shot it down.

This was the last straw for the union. “We made a good offer,” union lawyer Lauren Rich said in Lords of the Realm. “If you want something from us that gives you a substantial deterrent to signing players, you don’t get it.”

And with that, baseball gave up on the 1994 season, a season that had potential for record-breaking greatness. But, due to the Lord’s unwillingness to compromise, selfishness, and greed, baseball fans were left with a bitter taste in their mouth as a major blow was suffered to the national pastime.

Derrell Johnson-Koulianos Feature Story and Q&A

2009-04-02T16:17:00.000-07:00

For most people a hyphen is just a simple punctuation mark. For Derrell Johnson-Koulianos it signifies much more than that: pride and honor.

Johnson-Koulianos, formerly just Derrell Johnson, was adopted at age nine by the Koulianoses after growing up in the projects near Youngstown, Ohio. The Koulianoses were always close with Derrell, having gone from friends to family after Derrell’s home life got worse.

Upon being taken into Tony and Lauren Koulianos’ home, Derrell has nothing but good things to say.

“I had the best life a kid could have. I had everything I could ever want. I was blessed really,” Johnson-Koulianos said.

Family is something that DJK, the nickname fans have adopted, cherishes. Derrell refers to his father, a gynecologist, as the most amazing man he’s ever known and his mother as an angel on Earth.

“My dad has always busted his ass and that is something that I admire,” Johnson-Koulianos said. “My mom raised my brothers and I and really taught us how to do everything right.”

The choice to officially add Koulianos to his name, and jersey, before entering college was an easy one for Derrell.

“I had to have it. Your last name represents who you are, and it’s something I’m proud of. It represents my entire family, my parents, my brothers, everyone,” Johnson-Koulianos said. “When I put that jersey on, that’s who I represent.”

Respect is nothing new to DJK. He learned the value early on and has lived his life by it.

“Derrell came from a great family,” childhood friend Rich Tisone said. “He is one of the most respectful kids I know, and he has always been that way. He’s a very unique guy.”

You don’t have to spend much time with Johnson-Koulianos to realize he’s cut from a different cloth. He has very eccentric tastes.

“A lot of people say if they didn’t know me they would never know I was a football player. I don’t carry the typical athlete demeanor outside the locker room or off the field,” Johnson-Koulianos said.

DJK’s interests include fashion, home interior design, music, and film.

“I feel like if you live well, you dress well, and that inspires me to do well,” Johnson-Koulianos said.

All of these interests play into his future plans. Johnson-Koulianos said he would like to break into the restaurant business or be an interior designer of hotels. But, Derrell’s first love remains football.

“I love the game. Some people are in it for different reasons, but me, I love football,” Johnson-Koulianos said. “I would play in the league (NFL) for free, that’s how much I love football.”

Johnson-Koulianos, a redshirt sophomore, will be the Iowa Hawkeye’s top returning receiver heading into his junior year in 2009. It’s apparent that DJK possesses the physical skills, at 6’2” and 205 pounds, but Johnson-Koulianos’ most valuable asset might be his mental game. He carries himself with a certain swagger. He knows what he’s capable of and when he’s on his game he believes no one can stop him.

“I feel like every time I break the huddle, and it’s a pass play, I can score. When I lineup against a defensive back, I’m not intimidated, because I know my abilities and what I’m capable of,” Johnson-Koulianos said. “If I stick to the fundamentals, no one can stop me. And, if I do drop a pass, I forget about it five seconds later.”

Johnson-Koulianos’ 1,121 career receiving yards already place him in the top 30 in Iowa history, with two years of eligibility remaining.

Additional Q & A With DJK

Dylan Nelson-Sease: What has been your proudest moment in life so far?

Derrell Johnson-Koulianos: Enrolling in college. When I was a young boy it was my dream to become a college football player, but I never thought I could accomplish that. But, I did it with the help of my mom, who pushed so hard. I was kind of behind in a lot of areas, but she kept reminding me ‘that’s your dream, that’s your dream’. And, now it’s just a matter of taking this opportunity and doing it big.

DNS: Why did you choose Iowa?

DJK: I paid a lot of attention to college football in high school and I was always a Big Ten guy, primarily an Ohio State guy. I watched guys like Michael Jenkins, Teddy Ginn, and Santonio Holmes. (However) Once it came time, throughout recruiting, I felt like coaches and the people at Iowa were right for me. It’s a long ways away, even now I still don’t believe I came this far. But, this place is a perfect fit for me for a lot of reasons. Everyday I find more reasons why it’s a perfect fit. Mostly, the sincerity of the coaches. The coaches thought I could make an impact early, and even though I redshirted, I have the chance to start four years in a row, and thats become a personal goal of mine.

DNS: How did you deal with the hype coming out of High School?

DJK: Yeah, it was wild. Before I even got here people knew so much about me. I had a nickname before I even jumped on campus. I hadn’t played a down, but people were treating me like I was all-Big Ten two years in a row already. Which gave me more motivation, I feel like it’s my responsibility to live up to it.

DNS: What was the transition like from high school quarterback to Big Ten wide receiver?

DJK: It was harder than I expected. I do feel there are some advantages. You get a feel for an offense as a quarterback, but there is a certain craft to being a wide receiver. There are small details to being a wide receiver that I was lacking at first, but now I’m at the point where I’ve embraced those details, and I’m at the point of my career where I’m not thinking about it, I’m just reacting. It’s time, my time is now. In 2009, I should be a premier guy, and I’m ready to step into a leadership role.

DNS: How has wide receiver coach Erik Campbell influenced or impacted your game?

DJK: (He has been a) major, major influence. I can’t even put it into words. He’s basically taken over my entire life as a football player, a student, a role model to others, and being a good citizen. He’s always preaching to me, if you live well and do well as a student, then you will play well. There are so many examples of that from this last year, and it all goes hand-in-hand with what he says. Not to mention the guy has proved it all the way across the board. He’s one person I can honestly say wants to see me do well. He’s one of the best things to ever happen to me. I’m just embracing the opportunity, and feel blessed to be able to work with him.

DNS: What was the highlight of your season in 2008?

DJK: Hands down, Penn State. Beating the number three team in the country, that was huge for us. It was a big momentum booster going into the later portion of the season and the bowl game. It was also a confidence booster. After that we felt like we could play with anyone. I feel like a played a huge role, I didn’t do anything spectacular but really just did whatever it took to help the team win.

DNS: What are your goals heading into next year?

DJK: Even the great players can get better, not necessarily saying I’m a great player yet. But, there’s never a point when you should feel like you’ve arrived. There are a couple things I need to do to take my game to the next level like high pointing balls and running after the catch. These are things that I see I can improve on after watching film on myself.

DNS: Do you still keep in touch with the Johnsons?

DJK: Yeah, they have recently tried to get in contact with me. I’m okay with it, it’s all good. I talk to them occasionally.

Photos courtesy of the Associated Press and Frank Oliver/Journal & Courier, respectively

Top 5 Big Ten Running Backs in 2009

2009-04-01T14:53:00.000-07:00

Today, will start my position-by-position breakdown of each position heading into 2009. These top five lists put into consideration past success and future potential. We'll start with the pride of last season's Big Ten conference: running backs.

Honorable Mention: Brandon Minor, Stephfon Green, Jason Ford

Top Five:
5. Boom Herron

2008 Stats: 89 Rushes - 439 Yards - 6 Touchdowns
Having a catchy nickname must be a requirement to play RB for Ohio State. Daniel 'Boom' Herron filled in adequatelyfor the oft-injured Chris 'Beanie' Wells in 2008. Boom's shining moment was the 2008 regular season finale against the rival Michigan Wolverines. Herron ran for 80 yards on only eight carries, and two touchdowns. I look for Herron to become the main option on the ground (besides Terrelle Pryor) for the Buckeyes in 2009. Boom was a four star recruit coming out of high school, and will only be a sophomore this season.

4. DeLeon Eskridge

2008 Stats: 184 Rushes - 678 Yards - 7 Touchdowns

DeLeon had an impressive freshman season for the Minnesota Golden Gophers. He will be instrumental in helping coach Tim Brewster continue to turn around the program. Eskridge showed some flash, twice going over the 100 yard mark in 2008. But, like the Gophers, he faded down the stretch only rushing for 63 yards in his last three games combined.

3. Jewel Hampton

2008 Stats: 91 Rushes - 463 Yards - 7 Touchdowns

Jewel showed that he has what it takes when he was given the opportunity. His best game of the season, against his home state Hoosiers, Hampton ripped off 114 yards and 3 touchdowns. While, most of his carries were against inferior competition, he did show some promise in the Outback bowl. He was given some early reps, when Greene needed a breather, and racked up 54 yards against a stout South Carolina defense.

2. John Clay

2008 Stats: 155 Rushes - 884 Yards - 9 Touchdowns
John Clay showed all the promise of being a big time bruser running back. Now, the question is whether he can sustain it, unlike P.J. Hill. Clay seems to be in better shape than Hill, and have slightly more breakaway speed. While splitting carries with both Hill and Zach Brown, Clay still managed to be the seventh leading rusher in the conference. With Hill out of the picture, I look for Clay to go well over the 1,000 yard mark.

1. Evan Royster

2008 Stats: 191 Rushes - 1,236 Yards - 12 Touchdowns

2008 was a banner year for Big Ten running backs. One name that might have gotten lost in the shuffle was Evan Royster. Royster didn't get all the attention that Javon Ringer, Shonn Greene, Beanie Wells, and Tyrell Sutton were getting. Royster actually had the highest yards-per-carry average (6.5) amongst the top ten rushers. He finished the year third in the conference in rushing. Royster and RB Stephfon Green should provide Penn State a powerful one-two punch in 09.

Photos: Jeff Gross/Getty Images, blackheartgoldpants.com, Bryan Faust, AP

Recruiting: Wisconsin

2009-03-31T09:19:00.000-07:00

Today we will hop back on the recruiting trail and take a look at my seventh-ranked Big Ten class: the Wisconsin Badgers.

The Badgers were able to land a couple of key recruits who could make an immediate impact. The first of which being WR Kraig Appleton. Appleton was ranked by scout.com as the 19th best overall wide receiver prospect in this years crop of talent. He jumped up a few spots in ESPN's rankings, sitting nicely at number 15. He was also a ESPN Top 150 recruit. This was a big catch for Wisconsin as Appleton also got offers from such powerhouses as Michigan, Notre Dame, and Ohio State. Appleton has good size, 6'3, and seems to have shown good speed on both sides of the ball in high school. As judging by this clip:

Additionally, the UW players and coaches are high on Appleton's abilities:

Wisconsin's second most important recruit was also on the offensive side of the ball. That recruit is quarterback Jon Budmayr. Quarterback was a huge problem for the Badgers in 2008, and one of their focal points this offseason. QBs Dustin Sherer (1,389 yards 6 TDs - 5 INTs) and Allan Evridge (949 yards 5 TDs - 5 INTs) split time struggling through last season. Budmayr isn't going to be the answer to all of Wisky's problems, and will most likely have to wait in the wings, but he is a start. Budmayr was another big time recruit garnering attention and offers from such progams as Nebraska, Notre Dame, Arizona, and Illinois. But in the end, Budmayr decided the best fit for him was at Wisconsin. He may be slightly undersized at only 6 feet but ESPN seems high on him, ranking him the 16th best QB of the class. They also say that he could be cut of the Chase Daniel mold.

Wisky's ability to draw in two four star recruits and plenty of three star caliber players (11) places them seventh in my Big Ten rankings, just ahead of Purdue. They also addressed some key issues, and may have the receipe for more offensive firepower years down the road.

Photo from Scout.com

Kellen Lewis Moved to WR

2009-03-26T12:20:00.000-07:00

Terry Hutchens has reported that Indiana head coach Bill Lynch has announced that Kellen Lewis will be moved to the wide receiver position. This makes room for junior-to-be Ben Chappell to take over the quarterback reigns full-time.

I really question this move. To me, Lewis is without a doubt Indiana's best playmaker. Now he has faced some problems in the past with suspensions, but, in my mind, you want to have the ball in the hands of your best playmaker as often as you can. And, no one sees the ball more than a quarterback. Lewis suffered through an injury and suspension plagued 2008 season, but the fact remains that he can still make plays with his arm and his feet. Lets take a look at each quarterbacks numbers in 2008:

Kellen Lewis: 110-193 57% 1,131 Yards 6 Tds 8 Ints 500 Yds Rushing 3 Tds

Ben Chappell: 80-153 52.3% 1,001 Yards 4 Tds 3 Ints

It's easy to see that neither quarterback had a stellar year. But, you must keep in mind that Lewis is only two years removed (2007) from a 3,000 plus yard, 28 touchdown-10 interception season. Not to mention 700 plus yards on the ground and nine touchdowns. Oh, and he also led the Hoosiers to the Insight Bowl. Now, granted these numbers were drastically inflated by the presence of WR James Hardy, but the fact remains that Lewis can make plays.

The only positive I see out of this move is that it might open up the field for Indiana to run some trick plays. Defenses must now keep an eye out for double passes and end-around throws.

Chappell will give the Hoosiers more of a pocket presence. For Indiana's sake hopefully Lewis' skills can transfer over to the receiver position.

So, what do you think? Good move or bad move?

Photo courtesy of the AP

Top 5 Most Improved Players in 2009

2009-03-25T16:02:00.000-07:00

5. Mike Kafka

The Northwestern quarterback showed his potential in 2008, by occasionally filling in for the injured C.J. Bacher. Against Minnesota Kafta ripped off 217 yards on the ground. If Northwestern wants to have anywhere near the success they had last year they are going to need a huge year from Kafka.

4. Tony Moeaki/Jewel Hampton

A pair of Hawkeyes share the fourth spot. Hawkeye fans hope to finally get a full year out of the once prized recruit Moeaki. Moeaki only had 13 receptions for 144 yards and one touchdown while suffering through another injury plagued season in 2008. Hampton played a limited role in 08 backing up the Doak Walker award winner in Shonn Greene. Jewel showed some promise by scoring seven times and accumulating 463 yards on the ground. Hampton will need to be productive in order for the Iowa offense to be succesful in 09.

3. John Clay

With P.J. Hill moving on, the Badgers will turn to John Clay to be their workhorse. Clay showed plenty of upside in 08 by running for 884 yards and nine scores. He surpasses the 100 yard barrier three times and should have a breakout season in 2009.

2. Sean Lee

The highly acclaimed Penn State linebacker was placed on many preseason watch lists and all-Big Ten teams before tearing a ligament in his right knee last spring. Look for Lee to make a strong comeback and be the next in the long line of great PSU linebackers.

1. Terrelle Pryor

Terrelle Pryor's time is now. Pryor had a respectable freshman season leading the Buckeyes to the Fiesta Bowl. Pryor passed for 1,311 yards on the season. He had an impressive ratio of 12 touchdown to only four interceptions. As expected, he also showed that he was more than capable on the ground racking up 631 yards. For Ohio State to maintain the success of 2008 without key defensive players and Beanie Wells, Terrelle Pryor is going to need to live up to, and perhaps, surpass the hype that was heaped upon him coming out of high school.

Photos courtesy of Getty Images, CR Gazette, AP, Mark Selder, AP

CFN's Teams That Will Tumble?

2009-03-24T09:28:00.000-07:00

Collegefootballnews.com recently had a post on teams that will tumble in 2009. Some of the teams listed were obvious. No one doubts that Missouri and Texas Tech might enter a quasi-rebuilding phase after losing such stars as Chase Daniel, Jeremy Maclin, Graham Harrell, and Michael Crabtree. After I ventured further down the list I was shocked to see the Iowa Hawkeyes on Pete Fiutak’s list.

From CFN:
Iowa Head coach Kirk Ferentz came up with a nice rebound season out
of the blue, but sustaining the success might be hard it he can’t replace the
production in the middle of the defensive line with Mitch King and Matt Kroul
gone. However, the rest of the defense has the potential to be fantastic with
almost everyone else of note returning. Offensively, the most attention will be
paid to the loss of Shonn Greene, but there are good replacements waiting in the
wings. So what’s the problem? The schedule. It’ll be tough to repeat the 9-4
record of last season with road games at Penn State, Wisconsin, Michigan State
and Ohio State.

Once again, no one doubts that the replacing of Mitch King, Matt Kroul, and Shonn Greene is a tough task. However following the 2007 season, one would have wondered how in the world Iowa would replace an all-timer like Albert Young (3rd in career rushing yards) and his back-up Damian Sims. Well, that problem worked itself out nicely. Additionally, remember when there was ‘no way’ Iowa would be able to replace the 2004 defensive line of Matt Roth, Jonathan Babineaux, Derreck Robinson, and Tyler Luebke? While there was a slight drop off (22 sacks in 04 compared to 15 in 05) Kenny Iwebema, Bryan Mattison, Mitch King, and Matt Kroul filled in adequately. Kirk Ferentz is notorious for his 'next man in' philosophy.

The difference between these two situations and the 2009 team is that those were complete overhauls, with the new starters having very little, if any, game time experience.
The 2009 team, however, returns a lot of experience in the two aforementioned positions. Jewel Hampton is ready to take the running back position and well…..run with it. He already has big game experience under his belt and has hit paydirt seven times in his young career. He will be helped out by redshirt freshman Jeff Brinson, who is said to be developing well in practice.

The defensive line has two key returnees in Adrian Clayborn and Christian Ballard. Ready to fill in for the departing King and Kroul is a combination of experienced players including: Karl Klug, Broderick Binns, and Chad Geary. Klug already has one Big Ten defensive player of the week honor under his belt. Although Clayborn may be suspended early on (assault charges), I don’t foresee a drastic collapse for the defensive line.

With the rest of the defense being stacked, and the offense having one more year of experience under them, I don’t see CFN’s prediction being accurate. I’ll give them the Penn State and Ohio State game, yeah those will be tough.

As for the other two games, Iowa should have beaten Michigan State on their home turf in 2008. Heading into 2009, the Spartans lose their starting quarterback and most of their offensive production in Javon Ringer.

And the Badgers? Camp Randall Stadium doesn’t scare me anymore after an under-achieving Wisconsin team needed an overtime session to squeak out a victory against division IAA (I refuse to say FCS) Cal Poly at home.

Photos courtesy of espn.com and Matthew Holst/Iowa City Press-Citizen, respectively

Fan Support Declining for Iowa Men's Basketball

2009-03-12T08:47:00.000-07:00

With fan support dwindling, Iowa City locals remain cautiously optimistic as their hometown Hawkeyes (15-16 overall) square off against the Michigan Wolverines (19-12) at 1:30 p.m. today in the first round of the Big Ten tournament.

“I haven’t had a whole lot of time to follow this season but in the past I was a huge fan. I’ve caught a few games on the radio this year,” Iowa City local Bill Pitzen said. “But I do hope we can get a win today.”

The recent emergence of Iowa’s sophomore guard Jake Kelly gives one University of Iowa junior a glimpse of hope even though he hasn’t followed as closely this season.

“Last year I went to a lot of games but this year I have stuck to watching them on television,” Greg Pressling said. “I have been impressed with the play of Kelly lately. With Kelly playing like he has I think we always have a chance, especially since we’ve already beaten Michigan once this year. But, beyond that first game I don’t see us advancing much further.”

The men’s basketball fan support has been in decline in recent years due to many factors including: a coaching change, style of play, and the lack of a marquee player.

“In the past I’ve had season tickets, but yet, I haven’t been to a game this season,” University of Iowa senior Nick Comptom said. “When I get out of class I will try to catch some of the game and be rooting for Iowa to pull out a win.”

During 2008-2009 season, Iowa has had to turn to special promotions in order to fill the seats. Such gimmicks included free admission to the January 29th game against Michigan State and reduced admission to most home games.

“I’ve always followed Iowa basketball closely, and I went to a lot of games in the past,” Iowa senior Blake Friis said. “This season I probably wouldn’t have gone to as many games if the tickets weren’t 10 dollars.”

Friis does think the Hawks can pull out a win today thanks to their streaky outside shooting.

The winner of today’s match-up will meet the number two seed Illinois (23-8) in the quarterfinals on Friday.

Photo courtesy of espn.com

The Blogger Challenge - Outrageously Bold Predictions: 2009 College Football

2009-03-10T18:15:00.000-07:00

Here are some more of my OBPs. This time I will cover all of college football. If you missed the last post OBPs are Outrageously Bold Predictions. These aren’t necessarily things that I believe will come true but rather things that I wouldn’t be completely shocked to see happen. I would expect for at least a couple of these top ten to be true. So, here we go…enjoy!

10. The Big Ten will regain some luster
I see the Big Ten getting a little bit of their swagger back after coming off of a multitude of dismal seasons. One of the reasons that the Big Ten has lost its luster is because their ‘top dogs’ continue to get pounded in the big games. Ohio State is 0-4 and has been outscored 138-62 by their last four marquee out-of-conference opponents (08 Texas/USC, 07 LSU, 06 Florida). But, while I’m throwing around outrageously bold predictions I will throw OSU a bone and say they ‘upset’ USC on September 12th in front of a national audience. I look for Terrelle Pryor to come into his own in 2009 and Boom Herron to take over nicely for the oft-injured Beanie Wells. OSU will need some playmakers to emerge at the receiver position, and will also need to reload on defense. But then again, so will USC. A OSU win against the Trojans should/could be all the Big Ten needs to get back into championship caliber discussions. Also, I see the Big Ten as having two other top 15 teams in Iowa and Penn State. All three teams should help the Big Ten save face in 2009.

9. Big 12 defenses will adopt a similar “System” to Grinnell Basketball
If Big 12 defenses don’t stop the opposing offense on the first three downs they will ‘allow’ the other team to score in order to get the offense back on the field. This should lead to games in the mid to upper 100 point range and Sam Bradford will be the first player ever with 200 touchdown passes in a season. Okay, sorry enough Big 12 bashing.

8. USC will lose their bowl game
Pete Carroll and the Southern California Trojans have made a living off of feasting on athletically inferior Big Ten teams. The Trojans lose a staggering amount of talent in 2009. The offense loses QB and leader Mark Sanchez along with his large receiving target Patrick Turner. Unfortunately for USC fans they also lose the majority of their All-World defense. Luckily for the rest of the PAC 10, USC only returns two starters on the defensive side of the ball and Rey Maualuga and company will be terrorizing NFL offenses next season. This OBP could be completely off track for one simple reason. The 2009 USC Trojans are still the USC Trojans and their still coached by Pete Carroll. USC doesn’t rebuild, they reload. When one player graduates, or more commonly leaves early for the NFL, then there’s always a handful of high school All-Americans waiting in the wings for their shot.

7. Gene Chizik will finish 2-10 (again) and then be promoted to the NFL
The Gene Chizik hiring at Auburn left most people scratching their heads. After finishing up 2-10 in 2008 and 5-19 in his two year tenure, he was offered a job at Auburn? The SEC should be a rude awakening for the Chiz-meister. Another 2-10 performance might be stretching it a little bit, but I don’t see the Tigers improving much on their 5-7 2008 season. It should be a long road ahead for Chizik as he tries to prove the doubters wrong.

6. Oklahoma State will win the Big 12
Sure, Sam Bradford is returning in 2009 after winning the Heisman trophy. Sure, Colt McCoy is returning after leading the Longhorns to a one loss 2008 campaign and being name Heisman trophy runner-up. But, the Oklahoma State Cowboys should be right in the mix of the 2009 Big 12 race. The Big 12 should, once again, be brutal this year. While the Sooners and Longhorns will be the clear favorites, don’t sleep on OSU. Oklahoma State returns a staggering amount of talent on the offensive side of the ball. Key returnees include: quarterback Zac Robinson (3,064 yds 25 TDs – 10 Ints), running back Kendall Hunter (1,555 yds 16 Tds), and wide receiver Dez Bryant (87 recs 1480 yds 19 TDs). Hunter was the leading rusher in the Big 12 in 2008 and with Michael Crabtree in the NFL, Dez Bryant will be far-and-away the nation’s best receiver. The Cowboys do lose six players on the defensive side of the ball, but everyone knows the Big 12 doesn’t play defense anyway.

5. There will be no undefeated teams
The 2008 season finished with one undefeated team standing at the end. And that was the national championship winning…….err wait….no, it was the Utah Utes. Utah loses their starting quarterback, running back, and top three wide receivers. Therefore, a repeat is unlikely. The other teams that would be favorites to run the table are Florida, Oklahoma, and USC. USC will usually fall to at least one team that it shouldn’t per year, let alone traveling to Ohio State. They are also not as talented in 09 as they were last year. Oklahoma has a decent chance to go undefeated but they will have to get through both Texas and Oklahoma State. I see the Big 12 being too tough again in 09 to have an undefeated team. Florida has the best chance as anyone to go undefeated. The gators return superman (Tebow) and all eleven starters on defense. They also miss Ole Miss in 2009 (their only loss in 08). If Florida were too lose I would suspect it would be in either the SEC or National Championship games.

4. Tim Tebow will be arrested for a DUI
Only kidding. This is probably the most outrageously bold prediction, as the jury is still out on whether or not Tebow is human and, therefore, capable of wrongdoing.

3. Notre Dame will return to national prominence in 2009
Notre Dame is the team everyone loves to hate. The hating should only get more intense as the Golden Domers have a real shot at returning to the national scene in 2009. Notre Dame returns starting quarterback and emerging star Jimmy Clausen. Clausen is coming off of a 400 yard and five touchdown game in Notre Dame’s blowout victory in their 08 bowl game. Overall Clausen had a decent, although inconsistent, 2008 season. He finished the season with 3000+ yards and 25 TDS. Although, he did throw a fair amount of INTs (17). The Fighting Irish also return their top two leading rushers and a thousand yard receiver in Golden Tate. Additionally they are the beneficiary of a relatively weak schedule in 09 and I could see them rattling off 9 or more wins. Nine wins would be just good enough for the media to begin drooling over the Fighting Irish once again.

2. Florida won’t win the National Championship
Florida will be the odds-on favorite to repeat in 2009. The Gators lose no one on the defensive side of the ball and return their leader and QB Tim Tebow. Also, Urban Meyer is always a recruiting genius and they should be able to fill in their holes adequately. Florida should, and probably will be, the best team in 2009. But, it wouldn’t be an OBP if I were to give them the title in March. Here are some other teams that should be in contention at the end of the year: Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State , Whoever comes out of the Big Ten, Alabama, and Virginia Tech.

1. Archie Griffin will remain the only two time Heisman winner after the 2009 season
The 2009 college football season might be the most talent rich season in college football history. This year we will have the luxury of watching two Heisman trophy winners (Tebow, Bradford) for an entire season with both trying to become only the second player ever to win two Heisman trophy awards. Unless one of them has a remarkable season (which is entirely likely for both) I could see the voters trying to preserve the prestige of the trophy by only having one two time winner. Also, they could lose votes to players with similar stats as people will figure they ‘already have one’. Both Tebow and Bradford will be clear favorites for the most prestigious award in all of sports but there are definitely some other playmakers in college football. The logical third choice would be 2008 runner-up Colt McCoy. Some other players who may get some consideration is Okie State WR Dez Bryant. Also, Terrelle Pryor could have a sleepers chance if number ten were to come true.

So there ya have it, my OBPs for the 2009 college football season. Which ones do you think are most likely to come true and/or least likely to come true? What are your OBPs for the upcoming season? Oh, and...is it September yet?

Photo 10 courtesy of Tracy Boulian/The Plain Dealer, Photo 8 from the AP, Photo 7 from deadspin.com, Photo 6 from AP, Photo 5 from bensaunders.com, Photo 4 from, Photo 3 from midwestsportsfan.com, Photo 2 from photobucket.com, Photo 1 from here

Outrageously Bold Predictions: Iowa

2009-03-04T12:00:00.000-08:00

This is a post where I will throw out some off the wall predictions. These predictions aren’t necessarily things that I think will happen but I wouldn’t be completely shocked if they did. Some of them are more outrageous than others.

Iowa will win the Big Ten Conference
The Hawkeyes face a much tougher schedule in 2009 but, in my opinion, they have the pieces in place to make a run. Iowa should be one of the teams in the hunt for the Big Ten title including Penn State and conference favorite Ohio State. If Iowa can escape with a win either at Ohio State or Penn State and avoid the catastrophic losses (2008 5 Turnovers at home against Northwestern) then they may have a legitimate shot. Losing the likes of Seth Olsen, Matt Kroul, Bradley Fletcher, Mitch King, and Shonn Greene amongst others surely won’t be easy. Hopefully the Hawkeyes can take the ‘next-man-in’ attitude and improve on their 9-4 2008 season. I see Iowa finishing no less than third in the conference, if not higher.

Jewel Hampton will rush for over 1,250 yards and be at least second team All-Big Ten
Jewel Hampton finished up the 2008 season with 463 yards on 91 carries. He also scored seven touchdowns and boasted an impressive 5.1 yards per carry. If Jewel Hampton would get as many carries in 2009 as Shonn Greene did in 08 (307), and he hypothetically maintained his 5.1 YPC average, than he would finish the season with 1,565 yards. But, you have to realize that most of Jewel’s carries were in mop-up duty against inferior teams. However, I still think that he is capable of putting up a similar YPC average against stiff competition when given the chance (ex= Outback Bowl). I do think that Jewel will be splitting more carries in 2009 with freshman Jeff Brinson, which will make it harder for him to get the amount of touches needed to put up gaudy numbers. Additionally, true freshman Brandon Wegher could be in the mix. But hey, weirder things have happened…..for example, if I said a year ago Shonn Greene would win the Doak Walker award, I would have been laughed at.

Derrell Johnson-Koulianos will become Iowa’s all-time leading receiver in 2010
Well, this one is more of a two year prediction. Currently, Iowa’s all-time leading receiver is Tim Dwight with 2,271 yards on 139 receptions. Johnson-Koulianos currently has 82 receptions for 1,121 yards over his two year playing career, which means if Johnson-Koulianos were to only match his numbers from his freshman and sophomore seasons than he would finish only 29 yards behind Dwight. Taking into account all factors including: remaining healthy for his final two years, continueing to improve under WR coach Erik Campbell, and gaining a trust with quarterback Ricky Stanzi, I could see this as a not so ‘off-the-wall’ possibility.

Amari Spievey will be 1st Team All-Big Ten and be on the Jim Thorpe watch list
Spievey burst onto the scene after a one year hiatus at Iowa Central Community College. Amari proved that he didn’t miss a beat by coming into camp and earning a starting spot (when most thought it would be Jordan Bernstein opposite Bradley Fletcher). In 2008 Spievey had 66 tackles, one forced fumble, and four interceptions including a 55 yard INT return for a touchdown against Minnesota. Spievey was also named to second team All-Big ten by the league’s coaches. I see him doing nothing but improving on these numbers in 2009, and perhaps gaining some national attention.

Keenan Davis will have a better true freshman season than Dominique Douglas
The sting of losing Dougie Fresh after his true freshman season is still a tough pill to swallow for Hawkeye fans. Douglas showed a lot of promise by grabbing 49 balls for 654 yards and two touchdowns during his true freshman campaign. I think Davis has the opportunity, barring a redshirt, to put up similar numbers in the 2009 Hawkeye offense. I see Keenan coming in and earning a starting spot, opposite DJK, by midseason. With an experienced Ricky Stanzi under center, the Iowa passing game should be even better in 2009.

Those are my outrageously bold predictions for the 2009 Iowa Hawkeyes. Obviously not all of these, perhaps not even one, will turn out to be accurate. But, it wouldn’t shock me if at least a couple were dead on. So, what do you think? Which is most likely to happen/least likely to happen? What are your ‘outrageously bold predictions’? Also, stay tuned for my OBP’s on the Big Ten conference, and all of college football.

Photos by Jim Slosiarek - CR Gazette - Hawkeyesport.com - Associated Press - Blackheartgoldpants.com (Respectively)

Purdue Recruiting

2009-03-04T11:35:00.000-08:00

Today we will step away from the Combine for a bit and take a look at another Big Ten recruiting class. The Purdue Boilermakers were only able to land one four star recruit, but they made up for it by nabbing six three star athletes. This was good enough to place them eighth in my Big Ten recruiting rankings above Iowa, Indiana, and Northwestern.

The focus for Purdue during this recruiting season was on the defensive side of the ball. They landed 11 defensive players and nine offensive recruits. It wasn’t hard to see what holes the Boilermakers were trying to fix as they signed five defensive tackle recruits along with one defensive end. One of the DT was the 6’2” Eric McDaniel. McDaniel was the Boilermaker’s highest ranked recruit grading out at a 79/100 on ESPN’s scale. McDaniel was also ranked as the 26th best defensive tackle in the nation.

Purdue’s second highest recruit was also on the defensive side of the ball. Antwon Higgs is a 6’2” 243 pound linebacker out of Pompano Beach, Florida. Higgs runs a 4.93 forty yard dash and according to scout.com, the Boilermakers may look to move Higgs to defensive end. This would add even more depth on Purdue’s defensive line.

The final recruit that we’ll take a deeper look at is tight end Gabe Holmes. Holmes has the type of size that will have Purdue coaches drooling over his potential in their pass-happy offense. Holmes checks in at 6’6” and 210 pounds. According to scout.com, Holmes grew up playing basketball and didn’t start to play football until his sophomore year in high school. Which means there still could be some untapped potential as Holmes continues to learn the ‘ins and outs’ of the game. Gabe was ranked as the 26th best tight end recruit in the nation and was also recruited by such schools as Florida State, Ole Miss, Rutgers, and South Florida. Holmes may need to add some bulk on his 210 pound frame, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see him redshirt in 2009. But, he may be a name Big Ten fans become familiar with in the future.

All photos courtesy of scout.com

Combine Breakdown: Linebackers

2009-03-03T09:24:00.000-08:00

Wake Forest’s Aaron Curry might have reaped more benefits from the 2009 NFL Combine than any other player, at any position. Curry left the scouts thinking Rey Maualuga who? Curry ripped off a freakish 4.56 forty time. This was easily the tops amongst linebackers (both outside and in) and was faster than the majority of running backs. Curry also showed off some strength by putting up 25 reps on the bench press which put him eighth amongst linebackers. And to round things out, he also tied for the highest vertical jump.

There were four Big Ten linebackers who competed in this year’s Combine. They were Wisconsin’s Jonathan Casillas and DeAndre Levy along with Ohio State’s James Laurinaitis and Marcus Freeman.

It was a ‘ho-hum’ afternoon for the Wisconsin backers (both outside linebackers). The only significant drill that the LB’s competed in was the bench press. Casillas put up a solid 24 reps (good enough for ninth amongst LBs) while Levy only managed 19.

The Buckeye backers faired a little bit better. After being outshined by Laurinaitis for most of his career (by the media) it was Marcus Freeman who was the most impressive of the Big Ten participants. Freeman tied with USC’s Brian Cushing for the most reps on the bench (30) and ran a very solid 4.74 forty yard dash. Freeman also tied with the aforementioned Curry for the best vertical leap. Laurinaitis ran a 4.82 forty and benched 22 repetitions.

My Top Five Linebacker Performers at the Combine:
1. Aaron Curry – Wake Forest
2. Marcus Freeman – Ohio State
3. Jasper Brinkley – South Carolina
4. Brian Cushing - USC
5. Stanley Arnoux – Wake Forest

Photo courtesy of the AP----All stats from nfl.com/combine

Combine Breakdown: Quarterbacks

2009-02-26T10:46:00.000-08:00

It is hard to measure quartberbacks based on their performance at the Combine. Unless you watched it live, you can't really put into statistics how well the quarterbacks did in throwing drills, etc. So, for the time being all we have to base our judgements on are the basic tests that everyone performs at the Combine (40 yard dash, bench press, vertical jump, etc.)

There were only two Big Ten quarterbacks at this years Combine. They were Michigan State's Brian Hoyer and Purdue's Curtis Painter. Neither of them did exceptionally well, or absolutely horrible. Painter clocked in at 4.92 on the 40 yard dash and had a 7.00 three cone drill. Both numbers were right about at the middle of the pack for the quarterbacks.

Hoyer ran a slightly slower 4.97 in the 40 yard dash and had the sixth highest (amongst QBs who participated) vertical jump, with a 32.0 inch leap.

Neither Big Ten quarterback, or any quarterback for that matter, improved their stock too much.

As far as the marquee names, Matthew Stafford ran a 4.84 40 and had a 30.5 inch vertical jump. Mark Sanchez turned in a 4.88 and 32.5. And finally, Josh Freeman ran a 4.97 and had the best broad jump at 9'11".

The real star of the Combine, amongst the quarterbacks, was West Virginia's Pat White. White ran a blazing 4.49 40 and had the highest vertical leap at 35 inches. White's 40 time was faster than 19 of the 23 running backs who ran during the Combine.

My Top Five QB Performers at the Combine:

1. Pat White

2. Matthew Stafford

3. Stephen McGee

4. Rhett Bomar

5. Mark Sanchez

Photo courtesy of scout.com

Combine Breakdown: Wide Receivers

2009-02-25T16:23:00.000-08:00

The story of the 2009 NFL Combine wasn’t who was participating, but rather, who wasn’t. Well, at least at the wide receiver position. Top prospects Michael Crabtree and Jeremy Maclin both went down with injuries during the Combine.

ESPN.com’s John Clayton has since reported that Crabtree will delay his pending foot surgery until after his March 26th workout. Which means scouts will finally get to see how fast Crabtree really is.

Maclin and Crabtree were considered by most to be the top two prospects at the receiver position in the upcoming NFL Draft. Maclin was able to complete some drills and had a pretty impressive workout (4.45 – 40) before hyper-extending his knee. The injuries to Maclin and Crabtree shouldn’t hurt their draft status too much. They are still likely to be the top two receivers taken in the upcoming NFL Draft.

Darrius Heyward-Bey was one marquee receiver who was able to compete, and compete well. Heyward-Bey had the fastest 40 yard dash (4.30) and was also a top performer (top 10 at his position) in the bench press, vertical jump, broad jump, 3-cone drill, and 20 yard shuttle. Heyward-Bey has enough size (6’2”, 210) that scouts will now be drooling over his 4.30 40 yard dash time. He did nothing but help his draft status and should be contending with Percy Harvin to be the third WR taken.

The Combine was a great opportunity for two slightly undersize Penn State receivers to show that they are NFL material. One seized the opportunity while the other would like another chance. Former defensive back and walk-on Deon Butler was the one impressing scouts last weekend, and not the five star ‘do-everything’ athlete Derrick Williams. Butler proved that the Big Ten does have speed as he clocked in a 4.38 40 yard dash. On the other hand, Williams must have left his running shoes at home, running a disappointing 4.58.

My Top Five Wide Receiver Performers at the Combine:
1. Darrius Heyward-Bey, 4.30-40, 38.5 inch vertical jump
2. Mike Wallace, 4.33-40, 40.0 inch vertical jump
3. Mike Thomas, 4.40-40, 40.5 inch vertical jump
4. Deon Butler, 4.38-40, 37.0 inch vertical jump
5. Percy Harvin, 4.41-40, DNP in vertical jump

Photo from Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images

Combine Breakdown: Running Backs

2009-02-24T09:30:00.000-08:00

The strength of the Big Ten conference in 2008 was at the running back position. That is why it was interesting to see how the Big Ten backs compared to the other running backs in the country during the 2009 NFL Combine.

Here are the top performers according to NFL.com:

40 Yard Dash:
Cederic Peerman – 4.45
Ian Johnson – 4.46
Kory Sheets – 4.47
Andre Brown - 4.49
Donald Brown – 4.51
Javarris Williams - 4.52
Mike Goodson - 4.54
Scott Bernard - 4.56
Glen Coffee - 4.58
Marlon Lucky - 4.59
Beanie Wells - 4.59

And the bench press:
Tony Fiammetta -30
Rashad Jennings -29
Brannan Southerland -28
Cedric Peerman -27
Ian Johnson -26
Cody Glenn -25
Javarris Williams -25
Beanie Wells -25
Knowshon Moreno -25
Andre Brown -24
As far as the Big Ten goes here are the unofficial results:
Kory Sheets 4.47 40 Yard Dash – 15 Bench Press Reps
Beanie Wells 4.59 25
Javon Ringer 4.60 23
Shonn Greene 4.63 19
Tyrell Sutton 4.66 (DNP in Bench Press)

But what does this all mean, Basil? Well, very little in my mind. There wasn’t one guy who really stood out and this years RB class measured considerably slower than years past. No one ripped off any Chris Johnson-esque 40 times (4.24 in 2008) and none of the marquee running backs turned any head on the bench press.

Naturally, there will be people moving up and down mock draft boards as people begin to breakdown the combine footage. So who gained ground and who lost value in their stock? I was surprised to see Shonn Greene only put up 19 reps on the bench press. No one was expecting Greene to go out and rip off a sub 4.5 40, so his 4.63 probably doesn’t hurt him too much, if at all. He certainly didn’t gain anything from his combine performance, but with the overall lack of eye-popping numbers from the running backs this year at the combine; he probably didn’t lose too much either.

As for RBs who gained some ground at the combine, I look no further than Donald Brown. Brown didn’t participate in the bench press but his 4.51 40 yard dash could be just enough for him to garner some attention. He was considered by many to be among the top five running backs coming off the board (Moreno, Wells, McCoy, Greene, and Brown). Brown may have jumped up a spot or two on that list and made himself some more money.

All in all, it was a less than stellar year at the combine for the 2009 RB class. Only four of them were able to run the 40 somewhere in the 4.4’s and not a single one ran under a 4.45. This means that scouts will have to rely on additional work outs (Pro Day, etc) and more game film to assess this RB class. This is good for the Big Ten backs as they put up some remarkable stats during the season (Greene, Ringer).

My Top 5 RB Performers at the Combine:
1. Cedric Peerman
2. Ian Johnson
3. Donald Brown
4. Andre Brown
5. Javarris Williams

Please note that this list differs vastly from my list of top 5 running backs heading into the NFL Draft (which I will unveil later).

Running highlights from the 2009 Combine

All photos courtesy of Ben Liebenberg/NFL.com

Ferentz Gets Extension

2009-02-21T13:43:00.000-08:00

Photo courtesy of Jim Slosiarek

Kirk Ferentz should someday be the Dean of Big Ten coaches. Ferentz has the second longest tenure in the Big Ten only behind the almighty JoPa. Earlier this month Ferentz was extended from his current contract that ran through 2012, and will now go until 2015.

This is nothing but good news for Hawkeye fans. Sure, Ferentz has had some down years at the beginning of his career, and more recently, the past couple seasons. But, the Hawks seem to be turning over a new leaf after finishing up a 9-4 season in 2008. They also finished the season on a four game winning streak and the forseeable future looks bright in Iowa City.

Ferentz is 70-53 in his 10 years at Iowa. Hopefully, Iowa is able to hold onto Kirk through the length of his contract (if not longer) as the NFL will continue to dangle the bait in front of him. But, with Scott Pioli was unsuccessful (assuming he wanted Ferentz) in getting Ferentz, I would assume that Kirk will retire a Hawkeye.

Photo courtesy of Jim Slosiarek

NFL Combine

2009-02-21T13:06:00.000-08:00

It is that time of year again. The time of year when potential NFL prospects will sell their soul if it means shaving off tenths of a second on their 40 yard dash.

The NFL Combine opened this weekend in Indianapolis, Indiana. So far, the big news of the weekend has been the injured left foot of wide receiver Michael Crabtree. Usually, an injury during Combine week can be devastating to a player's NFL stock. However, I would suspect that this will have little to no effect on Crabtree's draft position. The injury is said to be not serious (stress fracture) and Crabtree is an elite WR in a draft class that really lacks depth at the receiver position.

Most people would argue that the NFL Combine and 40 yard dash numbers are extremely overrated. And, I don't completely disagree. The 40 yard dash is very overrated, as track speed doesn't necessarily always correlate into football speed. But, looking over recent years, you can't deny that the Combine has been a helpful tool in discovering talent.

You don't have to look any farther then last year's Combine for examples. I doubt Chris Johnson (East Carolina) would have been nearly as high of a draft pick had he not shocked everyone with a 4.24 40 yard dash. After the Combine, Johnson shot up the draft boards and was a first round pick. He also had a very productive rookie season for the Titans. I doubt Johnson would have gotten these same opportunities if it wasn't for the Combine, and he was drafted just based off of what he did at East Carolina.

The same can be said for Joe Flacco. Flacco went from division I-AA Delaware to leading the Baltimore Ravens to the AFC Championship.

Of course for every Joe Flacco or Chris Johnson there is a Combine bust who doesn't pan out. So, I ask you....is the Combine over or underrated?

AP Photo

Threet to Transfer

2009-02-18T12:44:00.000-08:00

Sophomore quarterback Steven Threet has decided to transfer from the University of Michigan. Threet led the Wolverines in passing this season (102-200, 1105 yds, 9 Tds - 7 Ints). Although Michigan will be without its leading passer heading into 2009, I don't think this news is going to break to many Michigan fans hearts.

Last season Rich Rodriguez was trying to fit square pegs into round holes, and well, the result was a 3-9 season. There is no question that the quarterback position was going to be open come spring practice, as Rodriguez brings in more players who fit his style of offense.

The quarterback position will now be an open competition between Nick Sheridan and true freshman Tate Forcier and Denard Robinson. It should be interesting to see who will get the most snaps under center in spring ball, and even more interesting to see who Rich-Rod decides to 'throw-to-the-wolves' come opening day.

Threet joins the list of Big Ten quarterbacks to transfer this offseason joining Pat Devlin and Jake Christensen.

Photo courtesy of the Associated Press

Iowa Recruiting

2009-02-12T10:22:00.000-08:00

The Hawkeyes 2009 class hasn’t gotten a lot of respect from the media, perhaps deservingly so. Their average rated recruit is 2.33 stars, which isn’t getting anyone excited. Iowa’s class is ranked last in the Big Ten by both Scout.com and ESPN.com. The Hawkeyes got only four recruits rated three stars or better. The other 14 recruits are all ranked below three stars. But, there is good news. I believe that at least two, perhaps three, of the future Hawks have potential to develop into something special.

Iowa's 2009 Recruiting Class

All three of Hawkeyes top recruits were from the state of Iowa. The 2009 class was heavily focused on the offensive side of the ball.

Jordan Cotton (Mount Pleasant High School) may turn out to be the star of the 2009 class. Cotton, who played time at running back in high school, will make the switch to wide receiver when he steps foot on the Iowa campus. Cotton is athletically gifted and could be a great risk/reward player for coach Kirk Ferentz. I would imagine that Cotton will redshirt in 2009 and take the time to further learn the position and the intangibles of playing WR. This isn’t the first time Iowa has moved a high school running back to the wide out position. Remember that one guy, what was his name….oh yeah, Tim Dwight. If Cotton’s transition can go nearly as well as Dwights or any of their other position-switchers (Clinton Solomon and Derrell Johnson-Koulianos were both high school QBs) then the Hawkeyes are in luck.

Brandon Wegher has all but turned into an Internet sensation without ever playing a snap of college ball. The hype has gotten so out of hand he might as well be Chuck Norris’ long lost lovechild. Now don’t get me wrong the hype is well deserved. Wegher did everything you could ask for out of a high school running back competing against 3A talent in the state of Iowa. All 3A schools around Iowa will be happy to see number 32 move on from the high school ranks. His numbers, well they’re astonishing. From ESPN.com:

Finished high school career with 6,823 yards, third most in state history. 2008:
Rushed for state-record 3,238 yards and 54 touchdowns. 2007: Rushed for
2,334
yards and 34 touchdowns on 286 carries (8.2 average). Made 28 tackles,
intercepted one pass and broke up nine others

While Iowa, is surprisingly set at the running back position, (no one would have thought that following the 2007 season) I can’t imagine how you can keep a talent like Wegher off the field. I think he will make an impact in 2009 (barring a redshirt), either on special teams or as a third down change-of-pace back from the more powerful tandem of Jewel Hampton and Jeff Brinson. Wegher was rated the 16th best running back in the 2009 class by scout.com.

The star of the Hawkeyes class, however, is Keenan Davis. Davis, the more polished of the two WR prospects, figures to get every chance to step in and play from day one. Davis was an Under Armour High School All-American, and was placed on the ESPN 150 list (116). He is ranked as the 16th best WR prospect by ESPN.com. Davis has the size (6’3”, 195) and the speed (4.5 40) to have Hawkeye fans drooling about his potential after working with acclaimed WR coach Erik Campbell. Davis could be the spark that the Iowa passing game has been lacking in the recent past. I see Davis getting the opportunity and making an instant impact in 2009. Oh and he's pretty athletic too:

While Iowa's class wasn't received well by the media (78th overall), I think the top prospects pull the rest of the class up a little bit. The potential for two or maybe three real playmakers positioned the Hawkeyes 9th in my Big Ten rankings, above Northwestern (11th) and Indiana (10th).

All photos courtesty of scout.com

Indiana Recruiting

2009-02-10T15:47:00.001-08:00

Today we will take a look at the Indiana Hoosiers 2009 recruiting class.

When looking over Indiana’s 2009 recruiting class it is hard to find a marquee type player that will step in and make an instant impact. Well, at least on paper. Indiana was able to land six three star prospects but could only get their hands on one four star recruit. Additionally, none of Indiana’s signees cracked the ESPN 150 list. This is why I have the Hoosiers slotted in at number 10 in my recruiting rankings.

Indiana’s 2009 Recruiting Class

It is never a good sign when one of the stars of your class is a place kicker. That is exactly what happened with the Hoosiers. However, this could be one of the most valuable assets of their 2009 class. Indiana will be without their steady placekicker Austin Starr in 2009. Starr was placed on the 2008 Lou Groza watch list and will leave a huge void in the special teams department.

Therefore, it might not be a complete disaster that Indiana’s highest ranked recruit (79/100 on ESPN’s scale) was kicker Mitch Ewald. Ewald was ranked the fourth best kicker of the 2009 class and should get the opportunity to compete for a starting spot as soon as he steps on campus.

If there is one thing the Hoosiers were desperately missing in 2008 it was the threat of a big play receiver. Indiana’s top three receivers from 2008 (Andrew Means, Ray Fisher, and Demarlo Belcher) combined for only 1,160 yards and eight touchdowns. Needless to say, Indiana really felt the loss of 2007’s top wide out James Hardy (1,125 YDS, 16 TDs).

For these reasons it was huge that the Hoosiers one four star recruit was a wide receiver. Duwyce Wilson is the 38th ranked WR prospect of his class. He seems to have the size (6’2 ½”) and runs a 4.44 40 yard dash according to scout.com. Wilson won’t solve all of the Hoosiers passing problems, especially not right away, but a lanky wide out with some speed can go a long way in a spread attack.

Edward Wright-Baker might be a name that Big Ten fans become familiar with in the future. Because, if there is one thing Indiana knows how to do it is turning athletes into quarterbacks. If Wright-Baker can develop into another Kellen Lewis (with talent surrounding him) or, dare I say, Antwaan Randle El, then the Hoosiers are in luck. Wright-Baker is a quarterback prospect out of Jeffersonville, Indiana who was being recruited by most schools as an athlete. He seems to have the quickness (4.5 40) and the size (6’2”) to excel at the next level. But, according to scout.com he will need to work on his accuracy as he develops into a division one caliber quarterback. Wright-Baker was the 45th best QB in his class.

Those are the three players that I believe will have the most impact on the future of the Indiana football program. The Hoosiers class ranked 68th overall by collegefootballnews.com and 9th in the Big Ten. But, because they were only able to land one four star prospect and weren't able to land any really marquee names, they place 10th in my Big Ten rankings. However, they did fill some key positions, which is why they are ranked above Northwestern.

All photos courtesy of scout.com

Northwestern Recruiting

2009-02-09T08:33:00.000-08:00

Today will start off the team-by-team breakdowns of the 2009 recruiting season.

I will be the first to admit that I am not an expert on recruiting. In these team breakdowns I will tell you who each school got and how they are projected by the experts. I will also give you my insight on who I think might make an instant impact, and how important each of the classes is to their school. I will start with the number 11th ranked team and work my way up to the top ranked Big Ten class.

The first team that I’ll be taking a look at is the Northwestern Wildcats.

Northwestern’s 2009 Recruiting Class

When looking at the Wildcat’s class you can see why they were ranked at the bottom of the Big Ten. Northwestern wasn’t able to land a single ESPN 150 prospect and had zero recruits ranked 80 or higher.

There are three players that stand out in this Northwestern class. The first of which is quarterback Evan Watkins. Watkins has a body that appears to be college football ready. Watkins stands in at 6’6” and 230 pounds. Watkins went to Glenbard North High school in Illinois and committed to the Wildcats after his junior year, according to ESPN.com. Northwestern wasn’t the only Big Ten school interested in Watkins. Iowa also made Watkins an offer. Watkins graded out as a 78 out of 100 and the 26th ranked QB in his class according to ESPN’s rankings. According to Scout.com, Watkins is a three star prospect and the 63rd best quarterback in his class. Watkins probably won’t see the field immediately as 2008 back-up and part time starter Mike Kafka still has eligibility remaining but Watkins will definitely fixture into Northwestern’s plans sometime down the road.

The next prospect that deserves a closer look is the 6’5” 220 pound defensive end Davon Custis. Custis seems to have worlds of potential but is currently undersized in his 6’5” frame. According to Scout.com, Custis is great at initially getting off the ball but needs to work on his strength. When looking over Custis’ tape he seems to have all the athleticism you would want for a pass rushing defensive end but it is clear that he will need to fill out before being able to compete at the division one level. Custis, being a four star prospect, was Northwestern’s most prestigious recruit. He was also Scout.com’s 23rd ranked defensive end. Custis is a project that other big name schools were also willing to give a try as he gained offers and interest from such schools as: Boston College, Michigan State, Notre Dame, and Wisconsin.

And finally, that recruit that might have the best shot at getting early playing time is running back Arby Fields. Fields is a three star recruit out of Rancho Cucamonga, California. When viewing his highlight reel it is easy to see that he is slightly undersized (5’8” 187 lbs) but can still run with power. Fields, most likely, won’t step right in and fill the void left by Tyrell Sutton. But, Fields does show some upside and could be a nice weapon if Northwestern decides to use him on special teams. Fields is a three star recruit and the 81st ranked running back in his class.

Overall, Northwestern's class was ranked 10th out of the 11 Big Ten teams by Collegefootballnews.com. But, because of the lack of size (18 commits) and zero ESPN 150 recruits I place them last in my Big Ten rankings.

All photos courtesy of scout.com

Lane Kiffin Puts Foot in Mouth

2009-02-06T11:52:00.000-08:00

Associated Press Photo

Today we will stray away from the Big Ten temporarily to discuss a developing story in college football.

Dear Lane Kiffin, would you like any sauce with that size 12 foot you just put in your mouth? Kiffin was barely off the plane in Tennessee before he was making some serious allegations.

When I first heard this story I thought it was great. I thought it was a great move by Kiffin to call out Meyer. What better way to rally the troops and set a precedent for your tenure at a new program, than to call out the head honcho of the defending national champions? By calling out Meyer, Kiffin was telling the Tennessee faithful that he was here to win games and challenge for SEC titles.

Kiffin said during a Tennessee press conference that Urban Meyer had attempted to call one of his recruits during his official visit to Tennessee. So what, right? Well, according to Kiffin this was against NCAA recruiting policies and was a direct violation on Urban Meyer’s behalf. Kiffin went on to say that Meyer had to cheat and still couldn’t land his recruit (Nu’Keese Richardson who ended up committing to Tennessee).

Now, I am no fan of Urban Meyer and once again I thought it was a good move to try and rally the Tennessee faithful, but Kiffin was left with egg on his face when it turned out that such an action is in fact not an NCAA violation. The SEC has since come out and said that Kiffin broke the SEC’s code of ethics and Kiffin was called out by the Florida athletic director and asked to make a public apology. Kiffin has since issued such an apology, but the damage is done. The real losers in this story are Kiffin’s pride, reputation, and his team. Don’t think Urban Meyer will let Tim Tebow and company forget about this instance anytime in the near future.

Word to the wise, if you’re going to call someone out publicly at least make sure what your claiming is true. And as for Kiffin, he might want to coach at least one down of college football before he makes any more accusations.

Jenkins, Brown choose SEC over Big Ten

2009-02-05T10:55:00.000-08:00

This isn’t the way the Big Ten wanted to start off the 2009 offseason. It goes without saying that national signing day is a huge day in college football. It’s usually the day when the rich get richer (Ohio State, Penn State) but it can also be a day when programs start to get their feet back on solid ground.

In my last post I mentioned how the Big Ten was in the running for two ESPN 150 recruits who had still yet to declare and were going to do so live on ESPNU’s national signing day broadcast. This was a case of the ‘rich getting richer’ but unfortunately for the Big Ten it wasn’t their schools who were benefitting from the wealth of extra talent.

Jelani Jenkins (#9 ranked talent) decided the best place to continue his education was at the University of Florida, where he’ll most likely be in the running to receive a national championship ring early in his career (even if it is as a redshirt freshman).

The many athletic skills of wide receiver Marlon Brown (#24 ranked) had many teams excited about Brown's talents. Ohio State was amongst the final schools on Brown's list but in the end Brown decided he wanted to become a Georgia Bulldog.

That wasn't the end of the bad news for the Big Ten. Ohio State dropped from number four in the recruiting rankings to number nine after signing day. Michigan jumped a few teams to crack the top ten at number ten and Penn State was the last team to make the top 25, according to ESPN's rankings (16).

Once again the SEC was the Big Ten's enemy, this time it was on the recruiting battlefield. However, all was not lost for the Big Ten as they did land two top ten clases (Ohio State, Michigan). After striking gold last year with the signing of high profile recruit Terrelle Pryor, this year's class may need more time to develop.

Recruiting 2009

2009-02-03T09:32:00.001-08:00

Wednesday is the national signing day for high school athletes. Even though my last post commented on the fact that schools like Iowa don't necessarily need your prototypical five star athletes to excel, the fact still remains that elite recruiting can sure help a program. And, no one is ever going to complain about getting too many five and four star athletes (unless your USC and you just don't have the roster space).

Only two Big Ten schools are still in the running for ESPN 150 (a list of the top 150 recruits of 2009) players who are set to declare on ESPNU's signing day show. The names that Big Ten fans should keep a look out for are Jelani Jenkins and Marlon Brown.

Jenkins is ESPN's ninth ranked overall player and second best outside linebacker. Linebacker U (Penn State) is still in the running for Jenkins' services and will have to lure him away from Florida, Notre Dame, Southern California, and Stanford who are also on his radar. Jenkins' received an ESPN grade of 87 out of 100.

Marlon Brown is a wide receiver from Memphis, Tennessee who also excels on the basketball court. He is projected as the 24th ranked wide out and 111th ranked small forward. According to ESPN, Brown hopes to play both sports at the next level. Ohio State is amongst the two sport athletes' final list along with USC, Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, and LSU.

The Big Ten could use a strong recruiting season as the conference tries to get back up on its feet, after several dismal years in a row. Another interesting angle to look for on Wednesday is the type of athletes Michigan is able to land, as they try to put together the puzzle of the spread offense.

Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press and videos from YouTube.

Wishing Upon a Star, Or Five

2009-01-31T11:17:00.000-08:00

Kirk Ferentz has made a career out of turning one and two star prospects into future NFL players. So, when Iowa pulled in an elite recruiting class in 2005 people went from thinking about Big Ten championships to possible national championship contention. Now, four years later, we can look back and see that, once again, star rating systems mean very little when it comes to a Kirk Ferentz coached team.

Collegefootballnews.com recently did a feature on the top 50 five star busts from the class of 2005. Unfortunately, all three of Iowa’s five star players from that class made the list. Here’s what collegefootballnews had to say:

45. OG Dan Doering, Iowa – While Doering has been a valuable and versatile
backup for the last three seasons, that’s not what you expect from one of the
nation’s top-ranked offensive line prospects. Unable to crack the Hawkeye
starting lineup, in part because of injuries, he has one more year to get
noticed, possibly as the replacement for Seth Olsen

33. OT Dace
Richardson, Iowa – For Richardson, the talent has always been there, but the
health has not. After laying the groundwork in 2005 and 2006 for a terrific
career, he was felled by a series of knee injuries that required surgery. The
problems interrupted much of his 2007 season and shelved him for 2008. He
remains cautiously optimistic that he’ll resume his career

4. TE
Tony Moeaki, Iowa – Persistent injuries over the last two seasons have prevented
Moeaki from maxing out his full potential. He’s made 46 career grabs, peaking at
the beginning of 2007 with an eight-catch, three-touchdown effort against
Syracuse. He’s hoping to put it all together next fall, provided the NCAA grants
him a medical hardship for the eight games he missed two years ago.Worth the
Hype? Not quite

So according to collegefootballnews, Iowa had three of the top 45 busts of the class including the fourth biggest of 2005. It is hard to argue against that, as all three haven’t even begun to scratch the surface of their potential. The one point that can’t be overlooked is that all three of these players have been seriously unlucky with injuries. Tony Moeaki has shown flashes of greatness at times but has also turned into Iowa’s very own injury prone version of Ken Griffey Jr. or Grant Hill. Like the article says, all three remain optimistic to make an impact in 2010 and make one final run at reaching that potential.

The 2005 class will always be looked at as a disappointment. But, as long as ranking are around there will always be players who get overlooked. For every Jake Christensen (****, 15th Ranked QB) somewhere there is a Dallas Clark (walk-on, high school QB).

Due to having to take a year of prep school after 2004, Shonn Greene is technically listed as a 2005 recruit as well. From the 51st rated running back to consensus All-American and Doak Walker award winner, I’ll take a handful of three stars the caliber of Shonn Greene any day.

Photo Courtesy of Scout.com

Five Reasons it was Great to be a Hawkeye in 2008

2009-01-27T17:36:00.000-08:00

With the 2008 college football season recently coming to an end, it's the time of year when everyone starts to reflect on the past year and begins looking forward to the 2009 season. Today, I look back on the Iowa Hawkeye's 2008 season and briefly recap five moments that made this season memorable.

Honorable Mention: Iowa beats Iowa State
It’s always nice to beat those pesky Clones. This was the first real test for the Hawks. Iowa State always seems to really get up for this game and Iowa was able to match their intensity. Iowa wins 17-5 while not giving up a touchdown to ISU for the second consecutive year.

5.) The Defense:
The 2008 Hawkeye defense was one of the elite groups in the conference. Iowa ranked 10th amongst all FBS schools in stopping the run, by only giving up 98 yards per game. Iowa also didn't give up an offensive touchdown in its first three games for the second straight year. Iowa fans got the pleasure to watch a Hawkeye ‘all-timer’ in Mitch King finish out his career as a second team All-American and Big Ten Defensive Linemen of the year. Along with King, this defensive unit was a squad that benefitted greatly from senior leadership. There were only three seniors on the first team, but all three played huge roles. Matt Kroul was the unsung hero on the defensive line for the fourth consecutive year, and Bradley Fletcher had one of the most quietly stellar years for a Hawkeye cornerback. Oftentimes, Fletcher was overlooked on a defense full of talented players, but his senior campaign ranks with the likes of Jovon Johnson and Charles Godfrey's for the best of a Ferentz recruited cornerback. Additionally, on the opposite side of the field was Amari Spievey, who provided a huge boost with his solid play. Spievey returned to the Hawkeyes after a year hiatus in community college.

4.) 12 Points
This year will always be remembered as the year that ‘could have been’. I’m not a huge fan of playing the ‘what-if’ game but it’s hard to ignore the fact that Iowa’s four losses were by a combined 12 points. Thirteen additional points in 2008 and Iowa would have had a truly remarkable season. Of course there were reasons they didn’t score those twelve points, but just this once, you have to think about what could have been.

3.) Iowa Blows Out South Carolina in the Outback Bowl
Any of the next three could have been number one. Iowa winning 31-10 against the Gamecocks in the Outback bowl was a huge momentum builder heading into next season. This was a big win for the Hawks as they returned to a January bowl after staying home for the holidays in 2007. The win was also significant as it was the only Big Ten win during the postseason. The reason this checks in at number three is because South Carolina was out-matched by Iowa and was limping into bowl season after terrible finish to the year. Had Iowa jumped Michigan State for a bid in the Capital One Bowl, an Iowa/Georgia match-up would have been more suitable for the Hawks.

2.) Shonn Greene
Shonn Greene turned the 2008 season into his own personal highlight reel. Week in and week out Iowa fans were able to see Greene shredding through Big Ten defenses and rewriting the Hawkeye record book. Greene left his legacy on Hawkeye history as his 1,850 yards and 20 touchdowns are both single season records. When looking back years from now on the 2008 season the one thing that might stick out is the individual performance by Shonn Greene. This also could have been the number one moment of the past Hawkeye season. But, like Shonn Greene has said in countless postgame interviews he didn’t do this alone.

1.) Iowa Upsets Penn State
Everything about this game was memorable for Hawkeye fans. Whether it be Penn State’s three and out on their opening drive to Daniel Murray’s game winning field goal. In a night that Iowa needed everything to go right, it did. Well, at least in the second half. Not only did Iowa upset the number three ranked team in the county while also effectively ending Penn State’s national championship hopes, but Iowa had many more positives coming out of this game. This upset vaulted Iowa onto the national stage and really got the ball rolling as Iowa would win the rest of their games. In addition, Ricky Stanzi was legitimized as the man under center by engineering a game ending drive into field goal range. And, for good measure, Shonn Greene got his 100 yards while the fans showed support with the first ever ‘Greene Out’. This is one that Iowa fans will savor forever.

So there ya it my top five Hawkeye moments from 2008. Do you agree/disagree?

All photos courtesy of Hawkcentral.com

Big Ten or Little Eleven?

2009-01-26T15:04:00.000-08:00

For today's opening post I will take a look back on the 2008/9 Bowl season and reflect on how I thought the Big Ten conference stacked up during bowl season.

As we all know the Big Ten conference has started out the new millennium in a less then stellar fashion. The Big Ten has only managed to make its claim to one national championship and even that was considered a major upset (2002 Ohio State). While, over the same time span, the Big 12 and Pac 10 have each crowned two champions and the SEC has four titles including three straight.

This along with the recent big game choke jobs by Ohio State, the collapse and rebuilding process by Michigan, and USC’s dismantling of every Big Ten team put in its’ way has fans and media alike wondering if the Big Ten is still an elite conference. Every year the thought of the Big Ten lacking true speed and elite athletes is pounded into our heads during bowl season.

Heading into this season’s postseason festivities it was an understatement to say that the Big Ten needed to have a superb bowl season this past year in order to get the conference prestige back to what it once was. Fast forward to now and we are left with a bitter taste of a 1-6 showing and no college football until August. Ouch.

But was it really as bad as the record might indicate? Or could it have possibly been worse? There were some positives to be had, but some bad and ugly games for the Big Ten conference.

The Ugly:
Wiconsin 13 – Florida State 42, Minnesota 21 – Kansas 42, Penn State 24 – USC 38
When Minnesota blazed out to a 7-1 start some people may have been tricked into thinking that they were an above average team. A quick glance at their schedule would show that their four out of conference games were against Northern Illinois, Bowling Green, Montana State, and Florida Atlantic. And then their three Big Ten wins were against 2008 conference bottom dwellers Indiana, Illinois, and Purdue. The Golden Gopher’s true colors began to show towards the end of the year and they finished out losing their last five games. So, while it was still ugly, it wasn’t a shock that Minnesota would lose by three touchdowns to Kansas.

Next, we have Wisconsin, who was plagued by inconsistencies, under-achieving, and poor quarterback play all season long. They ended the regular season by squeaking by an overtime win against FCS opponent Cal Poly. As you can see, Wisky had little to no momentum heading into the bowl season. And, it certainly showed as they were manhandled by an ‘athletically superior’ Florida State team.

Finally, we have the 2009 Rose Bowl. This quintessential dagger to the heart for Big Ten fans every year and this was no different. This one fits into the ugly category because it was the one that Big Ten fans needed the most in order to claim conference superiority. And, the game was long over early on, and was not as close as the 14 point spread indicates.

The Bad:
Missouri 30 – Northwestern 23, Georgia 24 – Michigan State 12
Both of these games weren’t brutally ugly (see Wisconsin/FSU) and may have actually shown some signs of encouragement for the Big Ten. I was a firm believer heading into the bowl season that Michigan State would be dominated by a far superior Georgia team. And, although they did lose by double digits, MSU actually had the lead heading into halftime. And they managed to keep it relatively close against the preseason number one team.

Northwestern, on the other hand, played an excellent game against Missouri. Missouri was another team that had preseason national championship expectations. The Wildcats held Missouri well under their season long offensive averages. Missouri was only able to score two offensive touchdowns including a seven yard touchdown pass on a shortened field in overtime. This effort, in my mind, solidified the Wildcat’s 9-4 season. This could fit into the ‘Good’ category as Northwestern actually led much of the game, but it’s hard to make a claim for a higher conference prestige when you are having too many “good losses”.

The Good:
Iowa 31 – South Carolina 10, Ohio State 21 – Texas 24
The Hawkeye’s managed to nab the only win for the Big Ten via a blowout win against the South Carolina Gamecocks. Iowa was a bright spot in the Big Ten this season and really began to mold down the stretch. The Hawkeye’s outscored opponents by a combined 86-10 over the last two games. This win gives Iowa momentum heading into the 2009 campaign.

It was hard for many to get excited for the 2009 Fiesta bowl. As it looked like another OSU beat down on the national stage. We have all seen that movie one too many times. Texas came into the game with a legitimate argument that they should be playing in the national championship. While the Buckeyes entered the game with a 10-2 record and just barely squeezed into the BCS bowl picture. Ohio State played up to the level of the Longhorns and were beat by a touchdown pass with 16 seconds left in the game. It’s a shame because this was one game that the Big Ten, and Ohio State in general, could have really used to start reshaping the conference perception.

So there you have it. The Big Ten finished with a 1-6 overall record and 0-2 in BCS games. But was it really as bad as it seemed? Hypothetically if Ohio State had not have been chosen to be in a BCS bowl you could have realistically had these match-ups:

Rose Bowl: Penn State vs. USC
Capital One Bowl: Ohio State vs. Georgia
Outback Bowl: Michigan State vs. South Carolina
Alamo Bowl: Iowa vs. Missouri
Insight Bowl: Northwestern vs. Kansas
Champ Sports Bowl: Minnesota vs. Florida State
Motor City Bowl: Wisconsin vs. Central Michigan

While the games would be slightly less high profile for each team besides Penn State, in these situations, I could see the Big Ten finishing with four wins during bowl season (Ohio State, Michigan State, Iowa, and Northwestern). While a 4-3 record certainly isn’t going to blow anyone out of the water it could have very well began talk of the Big Ten’s resurgence heading into 2009.

So, what are your thoughts? Was the Big Ten’s bowl season as bad or ugly as it seemed? How many games do you think the Big Ten would have won had OSU been leapfrogged by say Boise State for the final BCS slot? And, would you be willing to trade a 1-6 record for a 4-3 record knowing that you were playing in less high profile games?