Front seven is at fore of Hawk priorities
You’d have to be blind not to see where the focus of Iowa’s recruiting efforts lies this time around.
Before Huxley Ballard quarterback Austin Vier agreed to sign with the Hawkeyes last weekend, all five of their previous commitments came from players projected to play either linebacker or the defensive line.
There’s an obvious push to bolster the defensive front seven since all but one of the projected starters for next season is a junior or senior. Two of the three starting linebackers will use up their eligibility next season and almost all of the other linebackers who will see much action are juniors.
But reinforcements already are on the way. The Hawks have had a good spring, luring several three-star recruits away from Big Ten rivals.
Defensive tackle Anthony Ferguson of Gilman Prep in Baltimore chose the Hawkeyes over Penn State. Defensive end Louis Trinca-Pasat of Chicago Lane Tech chose them over Wisconsin and Michigan State, and he also had offers from Illinois, Indiana, Stanford and Colorado.
Austin Gray of Warren, Mich., is rated the seventh best linebacker prospect in the country. The other two linebacker recruits aren’t rated as highly but they have promise. James Morris of Solon, who committed a year-and-a-half ago, could be the best all-around player in Iowa next fall. And Jim Poggi of Baltimore Gilman was a key recruit since his commitment probably paved the way for the Hawkeyes to get his high school teammate, Ferguson.
And the Hawks may not be done bringing in front seven players. They also reportedly have made offers to at least four others who are ranked among the top 30 in the country at their positions: Defensive ends Matt Hoch of Harlan, Iowa, and Mike Hardy of Appleton, Wis.; 300-pound tackle Beau Allen of Minnetonka, Minn.; and outside linebacker Ishmael Thomas of Detroit.
June 25th, 2009 at 10:53 pm
Great info - thanks for the update. Go Hawks!
June 26th, 2009 at 8:48 pm
[...] The front seven has been a priority for Iowa in its 2010 recruiting efforts. [...]
June 30th, 2009 at 6:59 am
Don,
Maybe the thought is solidify the lines with recruits and some good skill players will see that they have an opportunity for good stats for many years to come and sign.
On a side note, I noticed that you didn’t have a Red Sox fan list their mid-season MVP. It has to be veteran knuckleballer Tim Wakefield at this point. He has been the glue of a pitching staff that has battled injuries and ineffectiveness at points of the season. Wakefield has a shot at his first 20 win season. My runner-up has to be Manager Terry Francona whose calm demeanor has served the BoSox well.
July 1st, 2009 at 12:31 pm
Just to update your blog, Iowa has recieved verbal commitments from both Harday and Hoch
July 6th, 2009 at 12:46 pm
Don Doxsie: As the previous commenter indicated, both Hoch and Hardy have now committed to Iowa. Out of eight current commitments, seven are from players expected to play in the defensive front seven. Most of them are very high quality prospects, too. Hoch’s older brother, Dan, is a starting offensive tackle at Missouri but he still chose the Hawkeyes over the Tigers.