2019 Iowa Off Season Thread

[Hawkinole]

Iowa had good fortune in the Outback bowl. An open Mississippi State receiver in the end zone juggled a ball right into the hands of an Iowa D-Back in the waning minutes of the 4th Qtr. who runs the ball out to the 30-yard line. I thought Iowa would win, but this was a game of breaks, and unusual plays on both sides of the ball. Miss. St. had 90-yards in penalties; Iowa had 0-yards penalties, another turning point.

[Hawkinole]

Coming into 2019, it looks dreadful.

Noah Fant - Early NFL bound
Amani Hooker - Early NFL bound
TJ Hockenson Early NFL Decision - 95% decided - but not announced.

I bet TJ Hockenson goes to the NFL too. Iowa is always on the edge of greatness, and on the edge of diminutiveness.

In a competitive 2019 west, with Nebraska coming on or at least getting ready to do so, I suspect Iowa is coming down.

[LittlePig]

For a developmental program, all these early departures for the NFL really hurt more I believe than a team stacked with 4 star recruits.

Nobody can blame the players for going to get the money while they are still young and healthy, but I believe the key to Iowa's potential success is getting a couple of productive years out of its NFL talent.  

[Hawkinole]

I believe the key to Iowa's potential success is getting a couple of productive years out of its NFL talent.  

This is why Hockenson's departure would be extra hurtful. And I didn't see much in the bowl game suggesting another Noah Fant to TJ Hockenson is waiting in the wings. Maybe Marv Cook can coach his son up.

[LittlePig]

Its official.  Anthony Nelson is going pro early too.  
That's Fant, Hooker, and Nelson all declaring early and Hockeson has yet to announce.

How did this team lose 3 games against the Big Ten West with so much young NFL talent?

[Hawkinole]

How did this team lose 3 games against the Big Ten West with so much young NFL talent?

Anthony Nelson is a literally huge loss. 
In answer to your question: Inconsistent offense.

[Hawkinole]

Now there are four early NFL departures:

• Amani Hooker

• Anthony Nelson

• Noah Fant

• TJ Hockenson

I am not sure any college team could duplicate what Noah Fant and TJ Hockenson did for the Hawkeyes in 2018.

Iowa does have serviceable talent at each of these positions in backup roles. But the problem becomes when Iowa loses three 3rd year players to the draft, and one player, Hockenson, with two years eligibility left, combined with graduation, Iowa's roster is decimated.

Iowa loses its entire starting DL. There were a couple competent backups; AJ Epenesa DE will probably be an All American his junior year next year. Iowa has a consistently good defense. But, even the defense will be down a bit. Offense will be more inconsistent than ever in my view. 

I am looking at 5-7; 3-6. Iowa fans thought they were building to a great 2019 team; but no.  C'est la vie.

[fezzador]

I can't recall a year where so many Hawks have declared for the draft early.  One or two is the norm, but four is an awful lot, especially at some of the most important positions.

I think Iowa will be fine, but I think any dreams of going 10-2 have gone out the window.  7-5 is my guess, maybe even 8-4 if Iowa gets a break or two.  I'm not too worried about the TE or DL situation, the Hawks usually have some young talent waiting in the wings that will step up and make a difference. 

This seems to have the makings of a slow start, strong finish.  I can see a 3-3 start, and then going 4-2 or even 5-1 to end the season.

[FearlessF]

Iowa loses its entire starting DL. There were a couple competent backups; AJ Epenesa DE will probably be an All American his junior year next year. Iowa has a consistently good defense. But, even the defense will be down a bit. Offense will be more inconsistent than ever in my view.

so, AJ probably goes early after next season?

[fezzador]

Barring injury or a substandard season, it's a reasonable assumption that he's going pro early. 

Nate Stanley may or may not be pro material, but he's a senior so he's gone regardless.  I hope that Petras, Mansell, or Padilla make some noise this spring, and get some meaningful snaps this year.

This past season, the pass protection has been good (but not great), and the run blocking has been stunningly average.  This needs to improve if Iowa is going to do any better than 7-8 wins.  Defensively I wouldn't be shocked if they took a bit of a step back, at least early on, considering how green it is, but I think it has the makings to be as tough as any Iowa defense late in the season.

And punting, woof.  Quit the rugby style kicks and get some stinkin' air under it.  There's no excuse, Iowa should average at least 40 yards per punt.

[ELA]

I thought Iowa was really building towards a HUGE 2019, but this certainly pumps the brakes on that.

[Hawkinole]

Michael Sleep-Dalton, a punter at ASU is transferring as a graduate student to Iowa. I could find no reason for his departure from ASU. Seems odd. His cousin, Cameron Johnston, punted at Ohio State. I suspect Cameron Johnston, who punted in Iowa City for the Buckeyes, extolled the virtue of playing Big Ten football, over PAC-12 football, although I didn't read an article saying so. It was Cam Johnston who originally encouraged him to move to the U.S. from Australia to punt.

[Cincydawg]

https://247sports.com/college/georgia/LongFormArticle/College-football-2019-season-defensive-rankings-129113473/#129113473_10

Interesting, the top picked team surprised me a bit.

[iahawk15]

https://247sports.com/college/georgia/LongFormArticle/College-football-2019-season-defensive-rankings-129113473/#129113473_10

Interesting, the top picked team surprised me a bit.

I don't think Iowa will be a top 10 D, let alone #1. Had DE Nelson and S Hooker not left for the NFL, this could have been a salty unit. They have holes at MLB and S, and very little depth across the DL. I still think they'll be solid, but certainly not elite. 
Quickly scanning the list, I don't think a lot of effort was put into the article. Miss. St loses DE Sweat, DT Simmons, and S Abrams to the draft. Having seen them up close in the bowl game, those 3 players made that defense.