Thought that I would go through our list of commits and comment on who they are getting and who I THINK were their top choices (not just the best 5 star guy, but guys who they could have gotten). Granted, this is just my opinion.
QB: Plan A - Wright. No one is committed yet, although they still have a chance at Dart or flipping Keene from UCF. Guess it depends on whether Purdy is coming back.
RB: Plan A - Bruce. I'm still not totally sold on Iowa's plan to play him at WR, but whatever. I feel like Silas was always a Plan A type kid too, although with his ability to play some WR, they would need a bigger back to go with him. I think that they liked Howland and Tyus for that spot, but they lost them to Indiana and NW. Sanders would be a great consolation prize if they can get him.
WR: Plan A - Noel, Michaud, Brecht. They got 2/3, not bad! I feel like with Milton out, Noel could be starting at ISU right now if he were on campus. As bigsag said, Michaud could very well be a future TE. At the very least, he's a Sean Shaw type WR that can block on the perimeter and help in the red zone. They've kicked the tires on Rhone as the 3rd WR, but it doesn't seem like they will pull the trigger there.
TE: Plan A - Llewellyn. Iowa wanted him at DE. Probably not the best fit there in our defense. I think that Moore surprised everyone with his body transformation I don't believe at this point, our staff would trade him for Llewellyn now if they had the option. I do think if they had the chance, they would have taken both.
OL: Plan A - Stephens, Bonifas, Swinney. Close to putting Sauser there...he put on good weight and got the early offer. Maro I'm guessing rocketed up the list and would be a great cap to the class. I think that we're in good shape here if we can get him. But they really liked Stephens. GD hoks.
DT/NG: Plan A - Brown. He was the main guy all along. They seem to fall in love with one guy here every year and have been really successful. Lee, Singleton, Brown. A really nice pipeline, especially with Bankston back next year too.
DE: Plan A - Bowie, Bollers, Nelson. At first glance, they missed out on some pretty good players. But, they also got some pretty good players. Onyedim is the strongside DE that can swing inside like Enyi/Robertson. Gray is pretty much a clone of Jaquan Bailey. Peterson probably doesn't have his brother's frame, but he has the motor and will earn the scholarship that he's getting.
LB: Plan A - McLaurin, Hamilton-Jordan, Malcom. Another spot where they seemed to have missed out on their top guys. But, they have had success evaluating undervalued guys here. I really like Marshall as a tall, rangy OLB. Ralph had no other offers, so either that's a reach or they really found a diamond and his commitment scared all the MAC schools away from offering. Mendeszoon, I just have trouble projecting. He plays DE in HS. Is he fast enough to play LB? Can he play in space? I have no idea.
CB: Plan A - Biglow, Hairston? I think that Biglow was far and away their top choice and we had him until he flipped to Pitt. Fraizer is a risk at CB, as most schools offered him at Safety. But he can always switch positions if it doesn't work out. He'd be a huge CB. Purchase had to be right up there on their CB board. He reminds me of Peavy...not top end speed, but does everything else well and he adds some PR ability.
S: Plan A - Hibbler, Perry. Even though they missed out on who I think were their two top guys, they are going to end up with a great group. Langston will help bridge the gap to the younger players. Freyler is a solid player with good speed. Army is going to be a hitter and he has some ball skills. Verdon is one of the most underrated kids in the class...a lot of schools jumped on him late. With the kids they brought in last year, competition for the open spots is going to be crazy next fall.
K: Plan A - Becker. They got the guy they wanted and getting Kohl's #1 is a good thing. I do have some reservations about bringing a CA Kicker to kick in Iowa, but hopefully it will work out better than Narveson.
QB: Plan A - Wright. No one is committed yet, although they still have a chance at Dart or flipping Keene from UCF. Guess it depends on whether Purdy is coming back.
RB: Plan A - Bruce. I'm still not totally sold on Iowa's plan to play him at WR, but whatever. I feel like Silas was always a Plan A type kid too, although with his ability to play some WR, they would need a bigger back to go with him. I think that they liked Howland and Tyus for that spot, but they lost them to Indiana and NW. Sanders would be a great consolation prize if they can get him.
WR: Plan A - Noel, Michaud, Brecht. They got 2/3, not bad! I feel like with Milton out, Noel could be starting at ISU right now if he were on campus. As bigsag said, Michaud could very well be a future TE. At the very least, he's a Sean Shaw type WR that can block on the perimeter and help in the red zone. They've kicked the tires on Rhone as the 3rd WR, but it doesn't seem like they will pull the trigger there.
TE: Plan A - Llewellyn. Iowa wanted him at DE. Probably not the best fit there in our defense. I think that Moore surprised everyone with his body transformation I don't believe at this point, our staff would trade him for Llewellyn now if they had the option. I do think if they had the chance, they would have taken both.
OL: Plan A - Stephens, Bonifas, Swinney. Close to putting Sauser there...he put on good weight and got the early offer. Maro I'm guessing rocketed up the list and would be a great cap to the class. I think that we're in good shape here if we can get him. But they really liked Stephens. GD hoks.
DT/NG: Plan A - Brown. He was the main guy all along. They seem to fall in love with one guy here every year and have been really successful. Lee, Singleton, Brown. A really nice pipeline, especially with Bankston back next year too.
DE: Plan A - Bowie, Bollers, Nelson. At first glance, they missed out on some pretty good players. But, they also got some pretty good players. Onyedim is the strongside DE that can swing inside like Enyi/Robertson. Gray is pretty much a clone of Jaquan Bailey. Peterson probably doesn't have his brother's frame, but he has the motor and will earn the scholarship that he's getting.
LB: Plan A - McLaurin, Hamilton-Jordan, Malcom. Another spot where they seemed to have missed out on their top guys. But, they have had success evaluating undervalued guys here. I really like Marshall as a tall, rangy OLB. Ralph had no other offers, so either that's a reach or they really found a diamond and his commitment scared all the MAC schools away from offering. Mendeszoon, I just have trouble projecting. He plays DE in HS. Is he fast enough to play LB? Can he play in space? I have no idea.
CB: Plan A - Biglow, Hairston? I think that Biglow was far and away their top choice and we had him until he flipped to Pitt. Fraizer is a risk at CB, as most schools offered him at Safety. But he can always switch positions if it doesn't work out. He'd be a huge CB. Purchase had to be right up there on their CB board. He reminds me of Peavy...not top end speed, but does everything else well and he adds some PR ability.
S: Plan A - Hibbler, Perry. Even though they missed out on who I think were their two top guys, they are going to end up with a great group. Langston will help bridge the gap to the younger players. Freyler is a solid player with good speed. Army is going to be a hitter and he has some ball skills. Verdon is one of the most underrated kids in the class...a lot of schools jumped on him late. With the kids they brought in last year, competition for the open spots is going to be crazy next fall.
K: Plan A - Becker. They got the guy they wanted and getting Kohl's #1 is a good thing. I do have some reservations about bringing a CA Kicker to kick in Iowa, but hopefully it will work out better than Narveson.
