Since Crystal Ball Run launched two weeks ago, we’ve done our best to cover the entire scope of the college football landscape. One way we’ve done that is by asking the toughest questions of the best bloggers and writers on the ‘net, in a segment we call “Five Burning Questions.”
Well, with one of college football’s best older voices Phil Steele, sharing his thoughts in Five Burning Questions yesterday, it’s only appropriate that we share the opinion of one of college football’s best young voices today, as Adam Kramer of KegsNEggsBlog.com stops by.
Adam is as good as they come, as his website has become a must-stop for serious college football talk, gambling chatter, gaming and more.
But today, he’s here to talk about his favorite subject: The Iowa Hawkeyes.
1) Kirk Fernetz has been at Iowa for over 10 years now. At one point he seemed to be the “next big thing in coaching,” and was even thought to be someone who might try his hand at the NFL. Perception has obviously changed, but how do Iowa fans feel about him after all this time? Especially after an offseason that saw one of the Hawkeyes best players get in trouble for drugs and the whole strength and conditioning program come under scrutiny as well.
I think this will vary a great deal from fan to fan, but those in the know (or so we claim ourselves to be) are still very pleased to have him as a coach. What would the alternative be? Although Iowa has established itself as a relevant Big Ten program – mainly because of Ferentz – it isn’t exactly a job that could attract a long list of marquee coaches either. Recruiting has gotten more difficult as the Iowa pipelines south have closed up to a degree, but players still love the fact that they get to play for a coach and a program that has a reputation for putting together good teams and sending a fair amount of talent to the NFL. Again, Ferentz is the key cog in all of this.
This past offseason, however, was not good for Ferentz and Co. and it didn’t help that the team had a disappointing 2010 campaign. The combination of drugs, academics, and the Rhabdo situation that sent multiple players to the hospital was a PR disaster, but somehow Ferentz seemed to get past this situation unscathed. It’s odd, somewhat unexplainable and perhaps a lesson in geographical marketing, but Ferentz’s job never really felt up in the air.
In the end, Ferentz is paid well, VERY WELL, and will likely need a lucrative offer from an NFL team to leave. I feel that he will eventually leave on his own terms unless Iowa falls down into the Legends’ cellar, which is likely just fine for most Hawks fans. Fact is he does love it at the school, and I think fans are content having him around.
2) What can we expect from new quarterback James Vandenberg?
Although his appearances have been very limited playing behind Ricky Stanzi, Vandenberg has showed some things when given small doses of playing time. His main showcase came back in ’09 when he played on the road at Ohio State while Stanzi battled an injury. He was good, minus a few interceptions, but played well and even took Iowa into OT as a double-digit underdog. This was one game, however, and he only took a handful of snaps last year in blowout contests.
He’s got good size for a quarterback and might possess one of the best arms in the Big Ten. We’ll find out more about accuracy this year, be he’s certainly shown he has the arm strength. In terms of what we can expect from it with actual results, I think it’s still unknown how he’ll work and progress over a full season.
I expect him to improve a great deal throughout 2011, but I also wouldn’t be shocked to see him come out of the gate well. The tools are there, it’s just a matter of when his development comes along now that he has a chance to play every day. He gets Tennessee Tech in Week One (which helps) but then gets thrown into the craziness of the Iowa/Iowa State rivalry in Ames. That will be a very telling tester early on.
3) Regardless of what happens with Vandenberg, Iowa will always be a run first team. Yet incredibly that position seems like it’s been a revolving door of backs the last few years. There was Jewel Hampton, then Brandon Weagher and Adam Robinson. Is Marcus Coker finally a permanent answer (barring injury)?
Absolutely. Although the world doesn’t know about Marcus Coker yet, outside of his 219 yards in the Insight Bowl, I believe this is the most physically talented running back Iowa has had in quite a while.
When Iowa recruited Coker, fans were drooling over his potential before he even showed up to camp. After battling injuries early on, he finally hit the field, showed sparks during the regular season and then absolutely exploded in their bowl game. He’s an aggressive runner and just an absolute monster. Iowa lists him at 230 pounds, although I wouldn’t be shocked if he was even larger than that. And as big as he is, he can also surprise you with his speed. He’ll never be a 40-yard dash machine, but he’s got more burst than former Iowa back Shonn Greene and a similar running style. If he can stay upright and avoid injury, he could put up very big numbers.
I’m curious to see him develop as a pass protector and also get more involved catching the football but the early signs are promising.
4) What about the defense? With guys like Adrian Claybourn, Tyler Sash and Karl Klug all drafted to the NFL, what do we know about the replacements? Has Iowa been able to “reload,” on that said of the football in the past?
Iowa has a knack for reloading, especially when you look at the defensive players they’ve seen come through the program over the last 8 years. With that said, the guys mentioned above won’t be easy to replace, at least right away.
In terms of 2011’s squad, Broderick Binns is someone that most fans are excited about on the defensive line, and Shaurn Prater is one of the best cornerbacks in the Big Ten. Linebacker, however, is likely the strength of the defense and Tyler Nielesen and James Morris should combine to do some serious damage.
Coaches have shuffled up the depth chart from spring to fall practice, which should breed solid competition leading up to game one. With a lot of important pieces to replace, this is critical as the team learns what they really have. In time, they should find players to fill in quite nice but NFL-bound talent doesn’t just grow on trees. Should be interesting to see how the defense handles it.
5) Be honest, which are you looking forward to more: The “James Vanderberg” era? Or the “James Vandenberg’s mom,” era?
When you Google James Vandenberg, “James Vandenberg Mom” comes up before “James Vandenberg Iowa.” If you haven’t already left this page to do just that, and you haven’t seen her on the sidelines already, I imagine you’ll find time to do just that.
Let’s just say I’m excited about the Vandenberg’s.
Remember, be sure to follow Adam on Twitter @KegsNEggs as well as Crystal Ball Run @CrystalBallRun.
And be sure to check back tomorrow, when Five Burning Questions looks at one of the Big East’s most interesting teams, the Pitt Panthers!
