I’m far more optimistic about the potential for a good season out of the Hawkeye defense than I am the offense. The defensive line has some very good players led by DEs Drew Ott and Nate Meier. While replacing starting DTs Carl Davis and Louis Trinca-Pasat won’t be easy Jaleel Johnson and Nathan Bazata bring a lot of talent and drive inside. The secondary is led by three returning starters; CBs Desmond King and Greg Mabin and FS Jordan Lomax and an upgrade at SS with Miles Taylor taking over. The performance of the defense will hinge on the play of the linebackers. Last season the inexperience of the LB corps was evident again and again but there is talent there. Three sophomores will start and they will need to play considerably better than they did last year. Defensive Coordinator Phil Parker needs to be more creative like he was two years ago and less like he was last year with his play calling. It will be easier given the playing experience this defense now has under its belt and he shouldn’t have to be so worried about inexperienced mistakes.
Defensive Line
The defensive line is interesting as last year’s line was built around DTs Davis and Trinca-Pasat while this year’s will be built around the strength of DEs Ott and Meier. The depth behind Ott and Meier is suspect at this point because it’s made up of two redshirt freshmen Matt Nelson and Parker Hesse. Much like Iowa’s offensive tackle position the Hawkeyes had some very lean years in recruiting at DE. Having two seniors backed up by two redshirt freshmen means you have too many years in between where you’re devoid of talent.
Defensive End
Starters: Drew Ott Senior Nate Meier Senior
Backups: Matt Nelson Redshirt Freshman Parker Hesse Redshirt Freshman
Ott is a beast and has been an All-Big Ten selection so there are a lot of expectations for him in his senior year. He’s big and powerful but he needs to refine his pass rushing technique and while he’s been solid against the run he could pick it up a bit there too. Ott will be a marked man on this defense but he’s been in the lineup since his freshman year so there isn’t anything he hasn’t seen. He could be a top notch NFL prospect if he lives up to his ability and shows improved pass rushing skills.
Meier has always been an undersized DE but he makes up for his lack of size with heart and a motor that never quits. He was supposed to be a situational pass rusher last year but he was good enough to win the starting job outright and he proved very capable. He loses battles when he gets overwhelmed by size but he never quits on a play and he’s usually in position. Both Ott and Meier struggled at times last year against the outside running game and they need to do a good job of setting the edge and keeping the linebackers clean to make plays against the run.
Matt Nelson was a top flight prospect coming into Iowa last season and if he had been a bit bigger he may have seen playing time. At 6’8 it has taken a lot of hard work and time for his body to catch up to his height so he didn’t look like he could be broken in half. He is up to 270 lbs. and there is a good chance he is going to be a terror off the edge once he gets some experience. Parker Hesse came to Iowa as a LB but made the move to DE last year after he grew out of the position and other LBs took over. He is raw and undersized and the fact that he’s in the two-deeps doesn’t say much for the classes above him.
Hope for Health: If the reports that Terrance Harris has moved inside to DT are true and he doesn’t end up at DE than the DE depth after the top 4 is made up of a senior that has never played a meaningful snap and three true freshmen. Senior Melvin Spears isn’t going to do anything more than give someone a quick breather and even that’s a stretch. True freshmen Anthony Nelson, Brady Reiff and Michael Slater are all undersized and need a redshirt year but if there are injuries at the position the Hawkeyes may have no choice but to call on one of them whether they are ready or not.
Defensive Tackle
Starters: Jaleel Johnson Junior Nathan Bazata Sophomore
Backups: Faith Ekakitie Junior Kyle Terlouw Junior
Johnson got playing time last season backing up Carl Davis and while he did plenty to show his ability he has very large shoes to fill. Davis was an athletic big man that made plays all over the line while Johnson seems to be a bit more of an anchor. That could be good news given Iowa’s poor run defense last season and perhaps Johnson’s less attacking style will keep him in position to stop the run.
Bazata fits the mold of Trinca-Pasat and also former Hawkeyes like Karl Klug, Mitch King and Matt Kroul. Those are lofty standards to live up to and it’s a lot to ask for a guy that has never started before, he won’t be as productive as those guys eventually were, however, Bazata is that type of player, an undersized penetrating tackle that never quits and creates havoc on the interior.
Ekakitie is not as big as Johnson and he’s moved back and forth between DT and DE but he seems to have finally found a home on the interior. He has good size and strength and he should help keep Johnson fresh. Terlouw transferred to Iowa as a walk-on last year from Iowa Central Community College, he redshirted and then earned a spot in the two-deeps in the spring. Iowa isn’t exactly teeming with talent inside but he did overtake Brant Gressel and apparently Terrence Harris for the spot.
The Future: Luckily the Hawkeyes only have one senior DT and that is Darian Cooper who is still recovering from two micro-fracture knee surgeries and may never play again. I say it’s lucky because they only recruited one true DT in Grady Jansen so restocking the position will have to wait for the 2016 recruiting class.
Linebackers
This position was a major issue last year as players shuffled around and the youth movement took over by the end of the season. Josey Jewell and Bo Bower are two young and talented players that forced their way onto the field last year but both needed time to mature both mentally and physically. Jewell was hampered early with an injury and Bower was moved here and there trying to find the best combination of players. Ben Niemann was a true freshman that eventually started to get some time late in the year after only playing special teams early. The coaches seem to have settled on who is going to play where and that is a big help.
Middle Linebacker
Starter: Josey Jewell Sophomore
Backup: Travis Perry Senior
Jewell can play all three LB positions but the coaches have finally decided he’s the best choice in the middle and I think they are right. He’s a good athlete who is smart and he has a little more size than Bower so he should hold up better inside. Quentin Alston was supposed to be the guy to replace James Morris last year but he struggled and even though Jewell moved all around and never really settled into a position he’ll be an upgrade over Alston’s play last year.
Travis Perry was a walk-on that earned a scholarship and he’s played multiple LB positions too but he’s never been great at any one in particular. He’s a very good special team’s player that can hold his own if called upon.
Strongside (Outside) Linebacker
Starter: Ben Niemann Sophomore
Backup: Cole Fisher Senior
Niemann is new to the starting lineup but he brings length and athleticism to a position that needs it. The Hawkeyes were abysmal at pass coverage by the linebackers last season and Niemann takes over the spot where he’ll have to cover TEs and some RBs out of the backfield. He is a little taller and lankier then Bower or Jewell and he certainly can’t be any worse in coverage than they were last season. Niemann played WR in high school so his understanding of the passing game should help him in coverage.
Fisher is another senior that has seen very little playing time on defense but has played on special teams. He has plenty of practice time at LB and can fill in in a moment’s notice so he’s a valuable sub to have.
Weakside Linebacker
Starter: Bo Bower Sophomore
Backup: Aaron Mends Redshirt Freshman
Bower is the fast athletic type that Iowa really likes on the weakside. He plays better in space and he has the speed and athleticism to chase a play down from behind. He was moved around a bit last year like Jewell but his best position is on the weakside. Bower was a walk-on his redshirt year but he earned a scholarship before last season and he’ll prove to be a very good linebacker in time and that time could come this year.
Mends redshirted last year and it took some conviction on the coaches’ part to not play him when he may have helped at LB and certainly would have helped on special teams. Mends is a bit undersized which is why he is playing on the weakside where he will have room to roam.
The Future: The Hawkeyes brought in four true freshmen LBs in this class; Jack Hockaday, Angelo Garbutt, Justin Jinning and Nick Wilson. Much like Niemann last season it’s certainly a possibility that at least one of these players will play on special teams this year. If I were a betting man I’d say Hockaday is the most likely and Garbutt is a close second.
*Redshirt freshman Jameer Outsey has moved to TE this year. It’s likely he saw the glut of underclassmen at the position and the need for more depth at TE and made the switch.
Defensive Backs
There is a very real chance Iowa has an embarrassment of riches at CB this year led by arguably the best CB in the Big Ten Desmond King. King and Greg Mabin return as starters and are backed up by Reese Fleming and Sean Draper two very capable players. Jalen Embry may have played last year as a true freshman if academic issues hadn’t kept him sidelined and now it looks like those are cleared up and he’s ready to get back on the field. Omar Truitt is another talented redshirt freshman that may play CB or safety. Miles Taylor thankfully takes over SS from John Lowdermilk while Jordan Lomax returns at FS.
Cornerback
Starters: Desmond King Junior Greg Mabin Junior
Backups: Reese Fleming Sophomore Sean Draper Senior
I can certainly argue that Desmond King is the best CB in the Big Ten this year and it’s not a tough case to make. He is powerful and physical and he has incredible instincts and coverage skills at his position. He supports the run as well as any CB and the only down side to this upcoming season is that he is draft eligible after it’s over. He locks down one side of the field and makes things easier on the entire defense.
Mabin won a three man race for the starting spot last year over Fleming and Draper even though he had less time at the position than either of them. He played pretty well last season minus a few bumps in the road but they were almost all because he lacked experience. He has fantastic athletic ability and he’s only going to get better.
Mabin has to continue to get better because the two guys backing up the position aren’t slouches either. Reese Fleming and Sean Draper have starting caliber talent and if Mabin regresses at all either of them could step in and play in his place. Fleming is a superior athlete that has been held back at times by injury and Draper has had some rough moments when he’s played but he can hold his own.
Jalen Embry is one of the most intriguing players on the roster because the coaches were ready to give him a chance to play last year until some academic issues made him ineligible. The kid stuck around got his academics in order and now we may actually get to see him play. That isn’t something you see a lot and it’s far more common for a guy to just give up and leave in a situation like that but Embry stuck around and that shows some solid character. Omar Truitt is another interesting athlete that just needs to find where he fits best.
Strong Safety
Starter: Miles Taylor Sophomore
Backup: Anthony Gair Junior
Free Safety
Starter: Jordan Lomax Senior
Backup: Brandon Snyder
The second biggest issue with last year’s defense (after the rough LB play) was the inability of John Lowdermilk to cover anyone. The strong safety is usually one to attack the line of scrimmage but in today’s college game of spread offenses and multiple receiver sets the strong safety has to cover too. Welcome Miles Taylor. Taylor can come up and hit with the best of them but it’s his ability to cover just a little that will improve this defense. He was in a dog fight with Brandon Snyder for this spot but he seems to have won it at this point.
Anthony Gair has been a backup in the two-deeps for several years now and he’s played a little and held his own. The truth is he’s the fourth safety for now and he’s fine being that and playing some coverage teams.
Jordan Lomax is the leader of the secondary and has taken very well to his switch from CB to safety. He should be even better paired with Taylor as they can both cover and tackle. Lomax surprised me last season with his willingness to come up and hit people and he’s really taken to his leadership position as the senior of the group.
Brandon Snyder fought Taylor for the starting spot at SS but the truth is that he’s the backup at both positions, Phil Parker basically uses a third safety when he needs one and that will be Snyder. He has the versatility to play both spots but he’ll get practice time at FS because the expectation is that he’ll take over for Lomax next year so getting him reps there now is good for the future. Snyder is still a walk-on but if someone leaves the team during camp or if DT Darian Cooper can’t make it back from his injury issues my expectation is the first open scholarship will go to Snyder.
The Future: Most of the future is going to have to come from the 2016 recruiting class because the Hawkeyes only brought in one safety in the 2015 class and that was Michael Ojemudia. He is almost assuredly going to redshirt this season.
Punter
Connor Kornbrath is still on scholarship but he won’t be with the team, that’s addition by subtraction. Dillon Kidd was just as inconsistent as Kornbrath last year but he’s still around and the hope is he can handle the job. Placekicker Marshall Koehn has taken up punting and according to reports he’s looked pretty good so he very well could handle all kicking and punting duties if Kidd can’t get it together.
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