The Hawkeye Defense
It’s Desmond King’s world and we’re just living in it. This is King’s defense for sure but he won’t have to do it all himself. LB Josey Jewell looks to build on his breakout sophomore season in the middle of the Hawkeye defense and he lines up behind behemoth DT Jaleel Johnson who also had a great year last year as a first time starter. The Hawkeyes also returns starters DT Nathan Bazata, LB Ben Niemann, CB Greg Mabin and SS Miles Taylor giving the Hawkeyes a solid foundation on the defensive side of the ball. The loss of DEs Drew Ott and Nate Meier, LB Cole Fisher and FS Jordan Lomax will be felt but the team has some players ready to step up.
Let’s get into it.
Defensive Line
Starters
Defensive End: Parker Hesse (So) Matt Nelson (So)
Hesse stepped in last season as the starter when Drew Ott went down with his injuries and for a guy that has only switched from LB to DE late the year before and was still undersized he played pretty well. He wasn’t Drew Ott but he held his own and his future looks bright. He’s put on some more size, which is good, and hopefully he will advance with his pass rush skills and bring a little heat off the edge. Matt Nelson was a big get in recruiting a few years ago and at 6’8 he brings an intriguing frame to the position. That 6’8 frame is part of the reason it has taken him a few years to get on the field as he needed to add weight and strength and learn how to use leverage before getting out there against college competition. My sincere hope is that Nelson has learned some ideas about getting his hands in the passing lanes if he can’t get to the QB because with his height and wingspan batting down passes should be quite natural.
Defensive Tackle: Jaleel Johnson (Sr) Nathan Bazata (Jr)
Johnson waited his turn behind previous DT stalwarts Carl Davis and Louis Trinca-Pasat and he didn’t miss a beat once he took over the starting role last season. He is a beast on the interior not just plugging up running lanes but collapsing the pocket. Johnson has made a name for himself and he’s made life easier on the LBs playing behind him and the guys next to him. Speaking of the guys next to him Bazata wasn’t the first name people thought of a year ago that would start next to Johnson but he earned his starting spot. He’s not the biggest bull in the shop but he’s one of the strongest. Bazata doesn’t give ground and when Johnson isn’t collapsing the pocket Bazata is. They make for a very effective duo in the middle of the defensive line and that’s where it all starts for this defense.
Backups
Defensive End: Anthony Nelson (RS Fr) Sam Brincks (So)
That’s right people the two deeps at DE are three sophomores and a redshirt freshman. To say there isn’t much help in the upperclassmen ranks is not true…there is NO help because there are no junior or senior DEs on the roster. Anthony Nelson (no he’s not Matt’s brother) faces the same problem Matt faced in getting ready to play, he’s 6’7 so he still needs to add bulk and learn a few things but he’s hopefully going to help out as a pass rusher while he learns. Sam Brincks is a walk-on that has earned his spot in the two deeps going into fall camp but he’s got a whole host of youngsters that will be nipping at his heels by the time camp is over. Brincks has a little more size to him at 6’5 and around 270 lbs. so that and his practice experience gives him an advantage over some of the incoming freshmen for sure.
Defensive Tackle: Faith Ekakitie (Sr) Jake Hulett (Jr)
Ekakitie got plenty of playing time last year and he should be a really good third DT in a rotation with Johnson and Bazata, he has the ability to backup both of them and that’s helpful. He hasn’t blossomed into the dominant defensive lineman many hoped he would be when he was a four-star recruit so many moons ago but he’s a player and he’s a solid talent for a backup. Much like DE the DT depth chart isn’t exploding with upperclassmen talent and Jake Hulett is another walk-on that has worked his way up the depth chart and earned a place in the two deeps. Like Brincks, Hulett has a physical and experience advantage over the youngsters but that might not stop them from breaking through.
The Future:
Michael Slater (RS Fr), Brady Reiff (RS Fr), Garrett Jansen (RS Fr), Cedric Lattimore (Fr), Chauncey Golston (Fr), Austin Schulte (Fr), Brandon Simon (Fr), Romeo McKnight (Fr)
I was going to break these guys down into DE and DT but the other than Garrett Jansen almost certainly being a DT I’m not sure the decision of where to play any of these guys is a certainty. There is a very high likelihood that a couple of these guys play on the line this year but it’s up to them to beat out the others. Jansen is a natural fit at DT but he’s still a little light, not that that has ever stopped a DT at Iowa. The other two redshirt freshmen Slater and Reiff could earn some time but both are still growing and they could contribute as DEs or they could be quick, undersized players inside at DT. Schulte, Simon and McKnight are all incoming freshmen that missed their senior seasons in high school because of injury so they are looking to come in and continue their rehab but any one of them could surprise and earn some time. Lattimore and Golston are high school teammates from Michigan and either could contribute but Lattimore has a size advantage and could help out at either DE or DT. If I were a betting man I would put my money on Lattimore making some noise in camp and probably not redshirting.
Linebacker
Starters
Outside Linebacker: Ben Niemann (Jr)
Niemann has the thankless job of playing the OLB spot in the Hawkeye defense where he gets to lineup over the TE and cover slot receivers from time to time. He did a fantastic job last year stepping in as a first year starter. He has the length and athleticism to cover down field and yet he’s an excellent tackler and knows how to play the run. Niemann was overshadowed a bit by the spectacular play of MLB Josey Jewell and the great story of fifth-year senior Cole Fisher earning a starting spot and being Iowa’s top tackler but he’s a fantastic player who should only get better with experience.
Middle Linebacker: Josey Jewell (Jr)
“The Outlaw” Josey Jewell spent his sophomore season breaking out and earning his nickname. After a tough redshirt freshman season replacing the Morris, Kirksey and Hitchens LB corps Jewell settled in at MLB last season and was sensational. He found his place and his comfort zone and became a leader of the team even earning the title of captain. Jewell was breaking in with his classmate Niemann on one side and veteran Fisher on the other and this year he’ll take on an even bigger role as a leader with Fisher gone from the position and breaking in a new starter on the weakside. It is Desmond King’s defense but there is no doubt who the defensive quarterback is out on the field, it’s Jewell.
Weakside Linebacker: Aaron Mends (So)
Cole Fisher stepped up big last year as a fifth-year senior and took the WLB spot and made it his own. He had spent years playing special teams and he never stopped fighting for a chance and it paid off. Mends is an undersized LB with speed to burn and fits the mold of the run-and-chase LB. Fisher was a tackling machine in 2015 and it’s up to Mends to fill those shoes, he also has the task of trying to hold off his competition for the job, Jack Hockaday. It won’t be an easy task.
Backups Outside Linebacker: Bo Bower (Jr)
It feels like Bower has been around forever but that’s only because a few years ago he was a walk-on that earned the starting job replacing James Morris at MLB during his redshirt year. He played pretty well for a redshirt freshman walk-on that was replacing a four-year starter but he was never going to live up to that level. Bower moved around some and now he’s settled in behind Niemann and he’s a pretty valuable, versatile backup that can help out all over and play special teams.
Middle Linebacker: Angelo Garbutt (RS Fr)
Out of the 11 backup defensive players this is probably the one the coaches’ least want to see have to play, no offense to Garbutt but he has the unenviable task of backing up Jewell. If Desmond King has to come out of a game the coaches know Josh Jackson can play a little. Garbutt is a redshirt freshman that would have to replace the quarterback of the defense. He is young and he’ll probably get lots of snaps on special teams but unless the Hawkeyes are up by 35 pts in the fourth quarter he probably isn’t lining up at MLB.
Weakside Linebacker: Jack Hockaday (So)
This is still a bit of a position battle but Mends has so far held off Hockaday in the race to replace Cole Fisher. Hockaday brings a little more size to the position but isn’t quite as fast. The coaches played Hockaday last year on special teams to get him some experience and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him get regular playing time replacing Mends from time to time or potentially backing up the other spots.
The Future
Nick Wilson (RS Fr), Barrington Wade (Fr), Kristian Welch (Fr), Kyle Taylor (Fr), Nick Niemann (Fr), Amani Jones (Fr)
The Hawkeyes have three guys in Hockaday, Garbutt and Nick Wilson (they had Justin Jinning too but he left) in the 2015 class and they played Hockaday and redshirted the other two and then decided to load up in the 2016 class with five prospects. It seems highly unlikely to keep 7 players at one position in one class so some of the true freshman are likely to see time on special team’s coverage units. It is unlikely any of them get playing time at LB but stranger things have happened. Barrington Wade was a highly productive RB in high school and he still needs to grow into the LB position but his athleticism could make him a candidate to play. Kristian Welch has the size to play LB or he could eventually move to TE if LB gets too crowded and he gets bigger, I could also see him at DE down the road (although that doesn’t seem like a need position either). Kyle Taylor and Nick Niemann are the younger brothers of two Hawkeye starters (SS Miles Taylor and OLB Ben Niemann) and both need to physically mature but they bring good size and good genes to the position. Amani Jones was a bit of a forgotten man in the 2016 recruiting class but he has good athleticism for the position. I’m going with Wade and Jones contributing on special teams, no good reason just a hunch (that means there’s a 99.1% chance they redshirt, I may have made up that statistic).
Defensive Back
Starters
Cornerback: Desmond King (Sr) Greg Mabin (Sr)
Desmond King was sensational last year and he won the Jim Thorpe Award for the best defensive back in college football to prove it then somehow he made the decision to forgo the NFL draft to return to the Hawkeyes. He has a chance to get his name and number up on the press box at Kinnick Stadium by becoming a two-time consensus All-American and become one of the most decorated players in Iowa history. He’s been a special player since day one and he is the epitome of what Kirk Ferentz has used to build the Hawkeye program, an overlooked recruit that was just a great football player with a great work ethic and fantastic instincts. By the way, no one has ever won the Thorpe Award twice, not even Jim Thorpe, go get it Desmond. Greg Mabin will go down as the most overshadowed three-year starter in Hawkeye history. Mabin is a very good CB with a few issues here and there (he’s a little inconsistent) but he has been up to the challenge of lining up across from one of the most feared CBs in college football. It takes a certain level of confidence to know the other team prefers to throw it your way as much as possible and Mabin has never backed down. He could really get on NFL teams’ radars with a big year because at 6’2 200 lbs. he’s exactly the type of big corner teams like, not as much as they like King but they still like guys like Mabin.
Safety: Miles Taylor (Jr) Brandon Snyder (So)
At this time last year Taylor was holding off Brandon Snyder in a competition to start opposite Jordan Lomax and when he won Snyder slid over to backup Lomax and now he’s the new starter at free safety. Taylor was better equipped to play strong safety and he proved it by being a good enforcer not only in the passing game but in the running game. Taylor knows how to hit people so they remember him and Snyder is better suited to play center field. Snyder is continuing the long line of walk-on safeties to earn a scholarship and a starting job. Everyone just hopes he turns out the way those guys did on the field. The team would be best off if these two remain healthy because the depth behind them leaves a lot to be desired.
Backups
Cornerback: Josh Jackson (So) Michael Ojemudia (RS Fr)
Jackson stepped up last season to become the nickel back and while he was limited in spring practice he showed some nice skills and has matured on the field. Ojemudia came to Iowa as a safety but moved to CB and has found a home. He is still raw but with Greg Mabin missing spring practice with a shoulder injury and Jackson being limited with his own shoulder problem Ojemudia got plenty of reps and the coaches seemed to take a liking to him at CB. The top 4 CBs are solid but after Ojemudia it gets very thin.
Safety: Anthony Gair (Sr) Jake Gervase (So)
Compared to safety the CB position is in great shape. Anthony Gair had a few nice moments last year but he’s a fifth-year senior that has always been just good enough to not be a starter. He’s fine here and there but if Taylor or Snyder go down for any length of time things could get interesting. Gervase is a sophomore walk-on that played well enough in the spring to come into fall camp in the two deeps. I don’t know much about Gervase and I hope we keep it that way.
The Future
CB Manny Rugumba (Fr), CB Cedric Boswell (Fr), S Amani Hooker (Fr-his future is now)
Behind the top 4 CBs the team has incoming freshmen Rugumba and Boswell (fellow incoming freshman Lance Billings already quit the team during the summer and went home). Rugumba is a fantastic athlete that could play WR but with the lack of depth he’s needed at CB. He could play if need be but the team has to be hoping the top 4 hold up all year. Boswell has a little bit farther to go but he could be called on in a pinch. Amani Hooker is the one to watch in defensive backfield. He was a major playmaking safety in high school and I have a feeling he’s going to make his way up the depth chart behind Taylor and Snyder rather quickly. It is possible if the Hawkeyes need him he could play CB especially in the nickel covering the slot. Hooker has immense talent and Phil Parker has never shied away from playing freshman in the secondary (hello Desmond King). I think Hooker brings the type of instincts King showed early in his career just at a different position, they both have an awareness about their positions that can’t be taught. We can only hope he has the same type of impact. The secondary could be quite short if injuries pile up at one position and with Mabin and Jackson having shoulder issues during the spring that is a legitimate concern. I haven’t mentioned the 2017 recruiting class much except at WR (it is coming together quite nicely) because those guys aren’t signed yet and won’t be until February of 2017 but there is a reason Iowa has 4 verbal commitments at DB and isn’t done recruiting the position yet.
Punter
You know I don’t know anything about punting except I know good punting when I see it and bad punting when I see it. Redshirt freshman Colton Rastetter is listed as the starting punter on the depth chart backed up by kicker Miguel Recinos. We can all hope Rastetter can do it or incoming fifth-year senior Central Michigan transfer Ron Coluzzi can take the job otherwise Recinos may be kicking and punting.
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