Tag: college-football

College Football Coaching Carousel

The college football coaching carousel is already insane and it’s only going to get worse. There are more firings to come and there will be big time coaches moving around opening more jobs as one goes from one job to another.  I’m going to take a shot at predicting who ends up at each spot, I’m aware it’s a fool’s errand but here I am.  A few notes to keep in mind, Curt Cignetti and Matt Rhule have signed extensions with Indiana and Nebraska so they are not leaving their current roles.  I’m not including Joe Brady, the Bills offensive coordinator because I don’t think the top jobs would wait until after Buffalo’s season and he’s going to be an NFL coaching candidate. 

I’m going to start at the bigger jobs to look at how the dominos fall as one coach moving opens other jobs.  There are eight jobs in the Power 4 conferences (Big Ten, SEC, Big 12, ACC) currently open; LSU, Florida, Penn St., Arkansas, Oklahoma St., Virginia Tech, UCLA, and Stanford.  I think Auburn, Kentucky, and Florida St. are all going to also be open eventually.  In this exercise I don’t think Wisconsin or Michigan St. will fire their coaches and I’ll get to them later.  The one other Big Ten job that could come open is Maryland depending on how their season ends, and it could realistically go either way.  The breakdown for me is LSU, Florida, Penn St., Auburn, and Florida St. would be the top five. Kentucky, Arkansas, Virginia Tech, Oklahoma St., UCLA, and Stanford would be the next six. Then I’ll get to the positions that come open from coaching taking some of those jobs.  Hope you like dominos.  There’s a solid group of head coaches from the Group of 6 teams (G6) and there are a few top level coordinators in the Power 4 who will get jobs this cycle.  Let’s get started.

LSU

The is the top job on the market, sorry to Penn St. and Florida but LSU has the advantage.  Three of the last four coaches at LSU; Nick Saban, Les Miles, and Ed Orgeron, all won National Championships.  Obviously, Brian Kelly is the one who didn’t but the fact that Orgeron and Miles did should be proof that LSU has advantages.  Saban is a legend, it’s not strange he won a title there, Miles and Orgeron are not great coaches, I’m not even sure they were good coaches, but they managed to win National Championships at LSU.  Florida has won National Championships but it took legendary coaches like Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer to win there, mere mortals have watched their careers wither in Gainesville.   

LSU has unbelievable instate talent with minimal instate competition for that talent.  At Florida you’re competing with Florida St. and Miami, plus other schools like UCF, USF, FAU, and others are poaching the depth in the state from you.  Penn St. does have some instate competition from Pitt but they also have Ohio St., Michigan, and others trying to pick off talent from Pennsylvania which is not as talent rich as Louisiana.  

Financially, LSU, Penn St., and Florida are not going to be that much different so it comes down to the situation.  The one issue that could hold back LSU is the governor of Louisiana getting involved.  I don’t think he was wrong to want to limit AD Scott Woodward after he’s given out two of the biggest buyout contracts in college football history (Kelly at LSU, and Jimbo Fisher at Texas A&M).  However, Woodward does have a solid track record overall hiring coaches. He poached Kim Mulkey for LSU’s women’s basketball program and hired Jay Johnson as the baseball coach.  They just announced Woodward is out as AD and that’s not going to be helpful.  Firing him was unnecessary, I think I would have just kept him out of the contract negotiations. By the way, he wasn’t the only person who would have had to sign off on the contract for Brian Kelly. 

The Pick: Lane Kiffin (Ole Miss)

I’m going with them winning the Lane Kiffin sweepstakes over Florida.  They will outbid Florida but also offer the highest upside for Kiffin.  There’s a feeling Kiffin wants to get back to Florida after his stint as FAU’s head coach and he does have a certain Florida vibe, maybe it’s the visor.  However, Kiffin has always looked for the next step and I think he will see the path to a National Championship is easier at LSU than Florida and that’s his choice.  This would lead to an opening at Ole Miss; I’ll address that later. 

Runner up: Eli Drinkwitz (Missouri).  If Kiffin takes Florida, LSU pivots quickly. 

Disaster candidate: Jimbo Fisher (currently collecting buyout money from Texas A&M).  If they strike out on Kiffin, Drinkwitz, and a couple of other names, would Woodward have called up his old buddy from Texas A&M?  Fisher was the offensive coordinator at LSU in 2003 when Saban led them to a National Championship.  Somehow, I don’t think the LSU fanbase would be happy with him being the pick.  With Woodward out this is much less likely but he does still have old ties to LSU.

Sneaky Good Idea: Will Stein (Oregon offensive coordinator). Something tells me he’s going to be a good head coach.

Florida

Penn St. and Florida are the next best jobs and I’m addressing the Florida job next because it’s linked to LSU and I don’t think there’s ton of overlap with Penn St.  Florida’s number one choice is Kiffin, if they lose him to LSU, it’s a more wide-open field.  Drinkwitz is a possibility but he’s not a slam dunk and I think they could lose Drinkwitz to another team while they pursue Kiffin.  Drinkwitz might prefer being a different SEC school’s number one choice instead of feeling like he’s taking Kiffin’s leftovers.  I’ll get to Drinkwitz below.  USF Alex Golesh is a name to watch here but I’m not sure he’s a big enough name for the Gators.  They just did the “hire the hot group of five” (or six now) coach with Billy Napier and it didn’t work.  They will aim higher and if they miss on Kiffin and Drinkwitz, there is one major conference coach who will crawl over broken glass for the Florida job and not care if he’s the third choice or the 15th choice. 

The Pick: Jedd Fisch (Washington)

Fisch bounced around in his coaching career as an assistant for many years before finally landing the Arizona job, then he quickly jumped to Washington two years ago.  He rebuilt Arizona quickly; he then took over a decimated roster after Kalen DeBoer left Washington for Alabama and he has them looking pretty good in year two.  He went to school at Florida and started his career as a GA there and he would be ecstatic to make Florida his destination job.  I’m not sure Fisch has ever stayed anywhere more than three years but he would certainly hope to change that with a move to Gainesville.  He’s not the sexiest hire but he might be the right one for Florida.  This would open the Washington job and there’s an excellent candidate out there for that one. 

Runner up: Well, Fisch is really third on my list for them but is it’s not him they could go with Golesh or maybe they make a run at Rhett Lashlee at SMU.  I do think the Florida fans may want to temper their expectations.

Disaster Candidate: James Franklin.  Sorry but Franklin is a great recruiter who isn’t a great coach. There is too much pressure at Florida and Franklin would crumble under it. 

Sneaky Good Idea: Clark Lea (Vanderbilt). He should be high on everyone’s list but I’m not sure Florida would hire Vanderbilt’s coach.   

Penn St.

Curt Cignetti and Matt Rhule already used this job to get extensions and raises at their current schools and other coaches may do the same.  The pressure to win at Penn St. is enormous and the fact they fired James Franklin after he basically won ten games every year is crazy.  However, they weren’t wrong to fire Franklin if they want to truly compete for National Championships, he had taken them as far as he could.  What Penn St. needs is a real coach, not just a guy who can recruit and then tries to hire coaches to coach.  They need the guy who can raise the level of play of the great players they can get.  Great players have gone to Penn St. and played well but they are usually guys who were 4- or 5-star recruits and they don’t actually get better they’re just good players to start with.  Even if you are a top recruit, it doesn’t mean coaching can’t make you better.  Guys like Nick Saban and Kirby Smart routinely get 5-star guys but they also develop them into the best player they can be, that was not Franklin. The guy they need isn’t the flashy name but he’s the right coach. 

The Pick: Matt Campbell (Iowa State)

I hate giving Iowa St. credit in any way but Matt Campbell is an excellent football coach.  He routinely takes two-star and three-star recruits and makes them way better players.  What he could do with the upper-level recruits Penn St. can get would be scary.  He’s always had good coordinators but Campbell is a legitimately good football coach himself.  He’s rebuffed many opportunities in the past but Penn St. is one of the premiere coaching jobs in the country, it’s in an elite conference, and there is no chance Iowa St. can compete financially with the Nittany Lions.  It’s time for Campbell to make the move and competing in the Big Ten is where he belongs.  It would be ripping out the hearts of Iowa St. fans again if Penn St. takes a great coach from them.  To all those Penn St. fans thinking he’s not a big enough name, just look at your wrestling program and remember where Cael Sanderson came from, you’re in good hands. 

Runner up: Jon Sumrall (Tulane) Sumrall is arguably the best G6 coach on the carousel this season, he’s been excellent at both Troy and Tulane.  He’s headed to the SEC in my opinion but Penn St. would be lucky to have him.  I would be more than happy to see him stick around Tulane until Kirk Ferentz retires, he would be at the top of my board. 

Disaster candidate: Brian Kelly (former LSU). There’s a thought that Kelly’s “failure” at LSU (he did win a lot just not enough for them) was because he wasn’t a culture fit.  His terrible Louisiana accent notwithstanding, Kelly’s personality was his downfall. Some would call him gruff, that’s the polite way to put it, he’s a jerk, always has been.  I don’t think his personality would endear him to the Penn St. faithful.  He needs a lower profile place where they can hide his personality.

Sneaky Good Idea: Bob Chesney (James Madison).  He’s a great coach from the region who took over James Madison after Curt Cignetti and has kept them winning.  He won at Holy Cross before that.  He’s not a big enough name but he might just be a really good coach and someone is going to hire him.  They may be missing out.

Auburn

Auburn has high hopes for their football program and they keep grasping at straws trying to find the solution at head coach, it has not gone well.  Hugh Freeze is in over his head and they need another new coach.  They went way outside the box when they hired Bryan Harsin from Boise St. a few years ago, that was a disaster. Then they overcorrected with thinking Freeze was the right fit.  They should try to hit one straight down the fairway, a good coach who can fit anywhere. 

The Pick: Eli Drinkwitz (Missouri)

Remember I said Drinkwitz might prefer to go somewhere that’s he’s the first choice and not the consolation prize.  I think Auburn should put on the full-court press and get him before Florida takes their eye off Kiffin and before Penn St. gets any farther down their list.  Drinkwitz won at Appalachian St and he’s winning at Missouri.  He’s been a great evaluator of talent both with players and coaches and Auburn needs someone to get everything there aligned.  Auburn has a strange history with coaches and I might actually tell Drinkwitz to look elsewhere but Auburn can be a giant and they are going to make it worth his while.  Missouri can compete with the salary but they don’t have the same advantages Auburn has in the SEC since Missouri is an SEC school that’s not actually in SEC country. 

Runner Up: Jon Sumrall (Tulane).  I’m not sure this is really a runner up because I think Sumrall would prefer a different SEC destination, but Auburn can think he would choose them. 

Disaster candidate: Ed Orgeron (unemployed interim coach specialist).  If Drinkwitz goes to Florida, and Sumrall goes to (SPOILER ALERT) Kentucky, maybe baggage at Auburn hurts them with some of the up-and-comers and they end up with Orgeron (this is never happening, Auburn donors are far too involved to let this occur).

Sneaky Good Idea: Glenn Schumann (Georgia defensive coordinator).  Not sure how sneaky it is, his name has come up for openings but he’s a coordinator so I’m not sure they would even consider it.  The last Georgia defensive coordinator to take a head job was Dan Lanning so there’s that.  Auburn could do worse, actually, they usually do.    

Florida St.

The Seminoles are basically letting Mike Norvell finish out the season but he’s a dead man walking right now and it’s understandable.  The last two seasons have been a disaster.  They are going to have to pay a major buyout for Norvell so they won’t likely be shopping for a coach in the same tax bracket as these other schools.  Florida St. doesn’t have the deep pockets of a Big Ten or SEC school but they are a major brand and they hope to be in one of those conferences one day.  They need a good coach that isn’t extra expensive and can turn this program back around. 

The Pick: Clark Lea (Vanderbilt)

This is a tough one because Lea has built Vanderbilt into a real football program and he’s an alumnus.  It’s going to take a special job to get him to move but Florida St. is a very prominent program.  Vanderbilt is in the SEC and Florida St. is not but Vanderbilt isn’t in the business of investing in football the way Florida St. is long-term.  It would suck for him to leave but this is the time to go.  Lea wasn’t exactly lighting it up at Vanderbilt until Diego Pavia transferred in and now Pavia will be done.  It’s the right time to go and he can say he’s leaving Vanderbilt in a better place than where he found it. 

Runner up: Alex Golesh (South Florida).  A very good alternative if they can’t get Lea.

Disaster candidate: Ryan Silverfield (Memphis).  This is not a slight on Silverfield, he’s proven to be a good head coach.  He’s a disaster as a Florida St. candidate only because Mike Norvell was hired from Memphis and Silverfield replaced him there.  No way Florida St. can sell the idea of hiring the next guy from Memphis.  It’s a dumb reason but it does matter to them.  

Sneaky Good Idea: Jeff Brohm (Louisville).  I’ve heard Brohm’s name come up and getting him to leave his alma mater Louisville will be even harder than getting Lea to do so.  However, Brohm is an excellent coach and if Florida St. pulled this off, hats off, that would be incredible. 

Virginia Tech

Virgina Tech needs a reset after striking out with Brent Pry.  They may make a play for Shane Beamer at South Carolina but following in the legendary footsteps of his father seems like a bad idea.  Beamer may want to find a soft-landing spot after his tough year at South Carolina but he would be better off not going back to Va Tech. 

The Pick: James Franklin (former Penn St.)

This one feels like it has been in motion since the minute he was fired.  Franklin is still a young coach and has the energy it will take to fix Virginia Tech and he’s got something to prove.  It would be a solid hire for the school, don’t overthink it. 

Runner up: Billy Napier (former Florida).  I haven’t heard his name for any openings but he’s a good coach and they could do worse. 

Disaster candidate: Brian Kelly (former LSU). He qualifies as a disaster at anywhere that has actual expectations and where he has to talk to people.

Sneaky Good Idea: Bob Chesney (James Madison). Again, a job in this region would be a good fit and he’s a good coach.

Kentucky

This job isn’t open yet but it looks like Mark Stoops could be gone any day now.  It’s a massive buyout but this program is slipping and they can’t afford to let it slip any farther.  Also, they have the opportunity to bring home a homegrown future coaching star and if they don’t act now, he’s getting a different job. 

The Pick: Jon Sumrall (Tulane). 

Sumrall is at the top of any list of coaches coming from the G6 teams.  He was a LB at Kentucky and was an assistant there before he became the head coach at Troy.  He parlayed Troy into Tulane and he’s been excellent there.  If the Wildcats don’t hire him now, someone else in the SEC or Big Ten will and then it will be very hard to get him.  He might be Auburn’s top choice, if Kiffin leaves Ole Miss, Sumrall’s on that list too.

Runner up: Ryan Silverfield (Memphis) or Alex Golesh (South Florida).  I’m not sure Kentucky will be able to spend on a sitting head coach from a Power 4 school so if Sumrall turns them down, they look to the other top G6 guys. 

Disaster candidate: Anyone not name Jon Sumrall.  If they pay Mark Stoops’ ridiculous buyout, they better be sure Sumrall is taking the job.  The owe Stoops something like $38 million and it’s all due within 30 days of his firing, that’s insane.  Kudos to Stoops’ agent.  Sumrall would be a homerun hire for them, anyone else is a disappointment. 

Sneaky Good Idea: Don’t put a one lump sum payment buyout on a coach’s contract like this ever again. Especially for a guy who showed you his ceiling was winning nine games every few years.  Stoops deserves credit for rebuilding Kentucky football but he was well compensated the entire time and now his reward for tanking the program is winning the lottery.  That’s bad business.

Arkansas

It was time to move on from Sam Pittman and Bobby Petrino is not the answer.  Don’t be stupid and go looking for someone outside your comfort zone like you did when you hired Bret Bielema.  Stick to someone you know. 

The Pick: Rhett Lashlee (SMU)

Lashlee is an Arkansas native who built a good SMU team and took them to the college football playoff last year.  He’s an excellent coach and there’s no better fit.  I say it all the time, don’t over think it.  SMU has deep pockets to compete with any offer but let’s not pretend Arkansas can’t beat it. 

Runner up: Eric Morris (North Texas). He’s a Texas guy who could recruit to Arkansas pretty well and he’s a QB savant. 

Disaster hire: Billy Napier (former Florida).  I don’t think Arkansas fans would take too well to Florida’s reject. 

Sneaky Good Idea: Collin Klein (Texas A&M offensive coordinator).  Klein is a young coach who has been an offensive coordinator at Kansas St. and Texas A&M and they would be getting a guy on his way up.  It might be a big jump but he might be worth the risk. 

Oklahoma St.

Mike Gundy was there for a very long time as both a coach and a player.  He defined Oklahoma St. football for a generation, now they need to move on.  A new, young offensive minded coach would look good in Stillwater. 

The Pick: Eric Morris (North Texas)

Morris is only 40 and he hasn’t been coaching that long in college but he’s been a head coach at Incarnate Word and at North Texas, he was also an offensive coordinator at Washington St. when they were still in a major conference.  Oklahoma St. isn’t the most attractive job out there but it has its advantages.  If you get a guy like Morris who can recruit in Texas and find you a QB, that’s a great place to start.

Runner up: Collin Klein (Texas A&M OC).  Same reasons as the Arkansas job although it’s not as big of a leap. 

Disaster candidate: Ben Arbuckle (Oklahoma OC). Arbuckle is 29 and not ready.  He’s had success with John Mateer at Washington St. and some at Oklahoma but he shouldn’t be getting this big of a job. 

Sneaky Good Idea: Just hire Morris, this isn’t hard.   

UCLA

The Bruins are flailing along and trying to find a direction.  Tim Skipper is the interim after they fired Deshuan Foster but they need to look for someone with some real head coaching experience to lead the program.  That’s not going to be easy with an athletic department that isn’t likely to commit a ton of resources.  They could go with a current coordinator but I think they should look for the guy looking for a soft landing somewhere new. 

The Pick: Dave Aranda (Baylor)

Aranda has had Baylor up and down over the years and generally just as soon as it looks like they may fire him, he has a solid year.  Maybe it’s time to get off that particular rollercoaster.  Aranda was born and raised in California and UCLA may just be desperate enough to want a guy needing a lifeline.  Aranda cut his teeth as a defensive coordinator so there’s even the possibility he might be willing to keep Jerry Neuheisel as his offensive coordinator.  Aranda is a good coach needing a reset and UCLA needs a coach who’s willing to accept a job that may not be perfect. 

Runner up: D’Anton Lynn (USC defensive coordinator).  Lynn was formerly the defensive coordinator at UCLA and may have been the guy who replaced Chip Kelly if he hadn’t just left for the USC DC job.  He would also potentially keep Neuheisel so he’s not the worst choice. 

Disaster hire: PJ Fleck (Minnesota).  His name routinely gets floated for this job but I don’t think the UCLA administration would find it fun to have Fleck around complaining about not getting enough support from the school.  He’s not exactly the type of guy to suffer in silence. 

Sneaky Good Idea: Tosh Lupoi (Oregon defensive coordinator).  Great recruiter and a guy looking for a chance to be a head coach.  He too could keep Neuheisel.  It’s not a dealbreaker that a new coach has to keep him but Neuheisel seems to be beloved in that locker room and loves UCLA.  He’s done a good job taking over and making the offense fun again since the purge of Deshaun Foster and other coaches.  Don’t kill the vibe. 

Stanford

Frank Reich is the interim coach that Andrew Luck hired to hold down the fort after they let Troy Taylor go over the summer for non-football related reasons.  I don’t have a good feel for this job because the only name mentioned I’ve seen is Tavita Pritchard who is the Ravens QB coach.  He’s a former Stanford QB and coached there too.  He’s really young and doesn’t have a ton of experience.  Luck is in charge of hiring the next coach and he would be wise to look at UCLA’s hiring of Deshaun Foster and steer clear of hiring a guy just because of his ties to the school.  There are a couple of good coaches not linked to Stanford that Luck should look into. 

The Pick: Sean Lewis (San Diego St.)

Lewis is an offensive mastermind and was an excellent coach at Kent St. and if you know anything about Kent St. football you know how impressive that was.  He made the mistake of leaving there to be Deion Sanders’ OC at Colorado.  That didn’t go well but he was smart enough to get out before it hurt his stock.  He got the San Diego St. job and has done well.  He runs a unique offense and Stanford probably needs to do something a little different to compete.  It a tough situation with their academic standards and the weird placement in the ACC but Stanford can be a good team. 

Runner up: Ken Niumatalolo (San Jose St.). Niumatalolo was once the head coach at Navy and ran the triple option there but now at San Jose St. he runs a wide-open spread offense.  Talk about a guy who could give Stanford something unique.  He’s an excellent coach but he is 60 years old and may not want the headache of a rebuild at a tough place like Stanford.

Disaster hire: Tavita Pritchard (Baltimore Ravens QB coach).  I’m not knocking Pritchard as a coach, by all accounts he’s doing a good job.  However, he’s 36, never been a head coach, and this is a heavy lift.  The Deshaun Foster/UCLA thing would scare me away from this.  Maybe if you hire Lewis, he succeeds and moves on in a few years and then Pritchard comes back after being at least a coordinator in the NFL or college.  Give it a little time.

Sneaky Good Idea: Jonathan Smith (Michigan St.) Smith was a rising star at Oregon St. and now in his second year at Michigan St. he might get fired.  He’s a west coast guy and maybe getting back that way would be good for him.  I don’t think it’s a good idea for Michigan St. to give up on him this early but he may be like Dave Aranda and looking for a soft-landing spot. 

Maryland

This is another job that isn’t open and depending on how they finish, it may not.  Mike Locksley has been a big-time recruiter in his career as an assistant but as a head coach, he’s been hit and miss.  His coaching hasn’t been great at Maryland.  There are a lot of great players in the area and he hasn’t taken advantage.  He has a very good freshman QB this year but they may only go 5-7, 6-6, or 7-5 at best.  He’s had plenty of time and Maryland has a chance to get a good up-and-coming coach. 

The pick: Charles Huff (Southern Miss)

Huff is a Maryland native and he’s coached at places like Alabama, Penn St. and even the NFL.  He was the head coach at Marshall and took over at Southern Miss this season.  He’s won at both places and he would be a great get for Maryland.

Runner up: I don’t think there’s a great second choice.  Huff should be the guy if they move on.

Disaster hire: Brian Kelly (former LSU).  I’m just taking another shot at Kelly. 

Sneaky Good Idea: Bob Chesney (James Madison). Seriously, do I have to say it again? He’s a good coach.

The Domino Jobs (their coach left for a better opportunity)

Ole Miss

Lost: Lane Kiffin

Hire: Pete Golding (Ole Miss defensive coordinator). 

Golding has been a good coach at Ole Miss and was a good DC at Alabama before that.  He would likely have to wrestle with Kiffin to keep some of the staff but he’s their best shot at keeping the Kiffin thing going. 

Other options: Alex Golesh (South Florida), Jon Sumrall (Tulane)

Missouri

Lost: Eli Drinkwitz

Hire: Ryan Silverfield (Memphis).

Silverfield might be the runner up for a number of jobs because he’s good but maybe not ready for the upper level of the Big Ten or SEC.  Missouri is a good next step for him.  Better program, better conference, and working towards the bigger jobs.

Other options: Alex Golesh (South Florida), Colin Klein (Texas A&M OC)

Iowa St.

Lost: Matt Campbell

Hire: Jason Eck (New Mexico).

He has done a great job everywhere he’s been and he does have ties to AD Jamie Pollard.  Eck was an offensive lineman and started his coaching career at Wisconsin when Pollard was there.

Other options: Nathan Scheelhaase (LA Rams Assistant Coach), Tim Polasek (North Dakota St.)

SMU

Lost: Rhett Lashlee

Hire: Will Stein (Oregon offensive coordinator). 

Stein spent a lot of time coaching in the state of Texas and he would be a great candidate to step in and keep the offense humming at SMU.  He’s a future coaching star. 

Other options: Collin Klein (Texas A&M OC), Jason Eck (New Mexico)

Washington

Lost: Jedd Fisch

Hire: Ryan Grubb (Alabama OC). 

Grubb was Kalen DeBoer’s right hand man during Washington’s run to the National Championship Game a couple of years ago.  He’s a great offensive mind for college (his year with the Seahawks went poorly, not all his fault).  And he clearly liked the area so maybe he will stay longer than DeBoer or Fisch did.

Other options: Will Stein (Oregon OC), Tosh Lupoi (Oregon DC)

Tulane

Lost: Jon Sumrall

Hire: Collin Klein (Texas A&M OC)

Klein is a young coach at 36 and while there’s a very good chance, he may end up the head coach at Kansas St. someday, Chris Klieman is only 58 and Klein should get some experience as a head coach.  If Sumrall moves up to a bigger job, that’s the last two Tulane head coaches who moved up (Willie Fritz became the Houston head coach).  This is a good job to have.

Other options: Charles Huff (Southern Miss), Billy Napier (former Florida)

Memphis

Lost: Ryan Silverfield

Hire: Tim Cramsey (Memphis OC)

The last time Memphis lost their head coach they replaced Mike Norvell with Silverfield.  Here they do it again by promoting Cramsey who is their offensive coordinator.  It’s not the sexiest hire but he’s a solid coach. 

Other options: Brian Brohm (Memphis OC), Andy Kotelnicki (Penn St. OC), Brian Hartline (Ohio St. OC) 

Vanderbilt

Lost: Clark Lea

Hire: Bob Chesney (James Madison)

I mentioned Chesney for a couple of jobs but I haven’t given him one yet.  He would be an excellent choice for Vanderbilt.  He isn’t working with the biggest budget at JMU and Vanderbilt would be similar.  Chesney can do less with more.  He should be getting one of these jobs.

Other options: Andy Kotelnicki (Penn St. OC), Mike Denbrock (Notre Dame OC)

Baylor

Lost: Dave Aranda

Hire: Alex Golesh (South Florida)

Golesh should also be getting a promotion and heading to Baylor and bringing his offensive acumen to a place like Baylor seems fitting. 

Other options: Eric Morris (North Texas), Will Stein (Oregon OC)

The 3 Other Jobs (Someone will take them)

Oregon St

They fired Trent Bray after less than a season and a half after promoting him when Jonathan Smith left for Michigan St.  He was a young defensive coordinator and they didn’t give him much time.  Oregon St. is still in the PAC-2 until they get the PAC-whatever back up and running.  It’s not a great job but someone will take it. 

The Pick: Paul Chryst

Chryst wasn’t lighting up the world at Wisconsin but he didn’t deserve to get fired either and they are paying for that mistake now.  He wants to get back into coaching but he isn’t going to be a hot commodity.  He would be an excellent pick to resurrect Oregon St. and get them on track as the new conference gets going. 

UAB

They fired Trent Dilfer and for good reason.  He was a disaster and anyone is an upgrade.  This program deserves a good coach.

The Pick: Billy Napier (former Florida). 

Napier is a good coach.  He was in over his head at Florida but he was an excellent coach at Louisiana.  UAB would be a good landing spot for him. 

Colorado St.

Jay Norvell did okay at CSU but never quite as well as he did at Nevada.  CSU is at best a stepping stone for a good young coach and at worst it’s a last stop for a guy on his way out.  Maybe this is the Brian Kelly stop.  I highly doubt he would swallow his pride enough to take this job but it would be a good place for him, no one is paying attention to Colorado St. 

The Pick: I don’t have a good choice for this one.  I say go for the up-and-coming coach like a Brian Brohm (Louisville OC), Andy Kotelnicki (Penn St. OC), or Tim Polasek (North Dakota St) but I’m not sure they would take it.  It’s possible this is a Mike Gundy spot.   

The two Big Ten jobs that could open but won’t.

Wisconsin

Luke Fickell needs a miracle because even if he survives this year, Wisconsin’s outlook next year can’t be great.  He’s a dead man walking but Wisconsin’s AD doesn’t want to admit his mistake and they really don’t want to pay his buyout.  They are talking about investing more money in the roster and while that would help, Fickell’s inability to keep a QB healthy has killed his team every year.  Wisconsin hasn’t had the offensive line they are used to or the defense they used to have so it’s an uphill climb.  It is possible things change and the Wisconsin AD gets the boot too and both are gone.  If they need a coach, Jason Eck (New Mexico) is a former Badger and if the AD is gone, they could try to mend fences with Jim Leonhard (Denver Broncos assistant).  Neither would necessarily break the bank so they could get it done. 

Michigan St. 

I thought the Jonathan Smith hire was a good one at the time and I would give him more time to right the ship.  With the portal, it’s possible to turn a roster around quickly if you make the right moves.  Maybe Smith is a bad fit but I think Michigan St. should sit out this coaching cycle, give Smith the resources to figure it out, and if he fails next season, maybe the coaching carousel isn’t so tough. They have turned that job into a revolving door since Mark Dantonio retired and it’s not a good idea to continually turn over the job.  They didn’t have a choice with Mel Tucker; he had to go. They have a choice with Smith and they should hold on to him. 

Well, if you made it this far, kudos to you and thanks for sticking around.  I probably got it all wrong and if Lane Kiffin picks Florida or stays at Ole Miss, the dominos may fall in a completely different way.  That’s the fun of dominos.      

Final Preseason Thoughts on Iowa Football 2025

My Iowa Hawkeye Preview was written before fall camp started and as with any preseason preview, it deserves a little update now that fall camp is in the books and the Hawkeyes kick off the season on Saturday.  So here are a few updates, some thoughts, and a look at the season ahead.

The QB position worked out how I saw it coming together, Mark Gronowski is the starter, Hank Brown is the backup and Jeremy Hecklinski is the third stringer.  After watching them at the open practice I’m not surprised.  It wasn’t the most impressive day for Gronowski but you could see the skills he brings to the position.  It’s a huge upgrade at QB, not just the starter, the whole roster at QB.    

At RB, Kamari Moulton and Terrell Washington both missed a chunk of fall camp but they are still listed as the top two RBs on the two-deeps.  That’s who I had and it proved to be true.  One thing to keep in mind is that on the two-deeps Moulton and Washington were listed as co-starters with Jaziun Patterson and Xavier Williams listed as co-backups.  The Hawkeyes have depth at RB and it shows.  I think we will see them use six RBs this year after true freshman Nathan McNeil had a great camp and redshirt freshman Brevin Doll is a talented player too.

At WR, I said Sam Phillips was a wild card and he moved his way all the way to he starting lineup.  Jacob Gill, Seth Anderson, and Phillips were the three listed starters.  Anderson looked great at the open practice and if he can stay healthy, he’s going to have a good year.  Gill is just the reliable target every QB loves.  Phillips is the speed demon this offense needs to give it the big play capability it needs. Last year, almost all the big plays came in the running game from Kaleb Johnson, with Anderson and Phillips, there’s potential for big plays in the passing game.  Kaden Wetjen, Reece Vander Zee, and KJ Parker are listed as the backups so there’s some real depth with Jarriet Buie and Dayton Howard not even on the depth chart. 

The starting offensive line has LG Beau Stephens, C Logan Jones, RG Kade Pieper, and RT Gennings Dunker which we all knew was how it would be for those spots.  LT is listed as Trevor Lauck and Jack Dotzler which means it’s still not decided.  Lauck seems to be trending towards being the starter but I’m sure they will rotate, especially in the first game, to get a better idea. This could be a competition for weeks before they decide on one guy, or they could rotate them all season.  Bryce George is listed as the backup LT but Lauck and Dotzler are both listed as the backups at RT so basically Dunker, Lauck, and Dotzler are the top three tackles.  That doesn’t bode well for Cannon Leonard since he’s not listed on the two-deeps at all.  One other thing to note is true freshman Lucas Allgeyer is listed as the backup RG, that does bode well for his future. 

On the defensive line the one change of note is that Bryce Hawthorne is listed as the starting DT next to Aaron Graves.  Jeremiah Pittman is still working his way back from surgery and while Jonah Pace looked like a potential starter inside, Hawthorne has really impressed the coaches. Also, Brian Allen is recovered from his off season surgeries and is listed as a backup DE while Will Hubert, a walk-on, takes the fourth DT spot.  There will be a heavy rotation in the first game against Albany so we will see plenty of the young guys. 

There were no surprises at the LB spots except that none of the redshirt freshman (Cam Buffington, Preston Ries, Derek Weisskopf) were listed at all. Jayden Montgomery and Landyn Van Kekerix were the only guys listed behind the starters. Jaxon Rexroth is listed as the starting LEO and the backup to Karson Sharar on the weakside. 

In the secondary we got some clarity on some things and a little confusion on others.  Zach Lutmer was listed as the starter at Cash with Koen Entringer set to be the strong safety.  That’s good to know, however, Entringer is listed as the backup at Cash and like a co-starter with Xavier Nwankpa at FS, that’s confusing.  Clearly, Entringer is going to be on the field at all times but it’s going to be interesting to see how Phil Parker uses his safeties this season. 

At CB, TJ Hall and Deshaun Lee are the starters, that’s not surprising.  Jaylen Watson is listed as the co-backup at both spots so that tells me he’s the third CB. Shahid Barros and Rashad Godfrey are the other listed backups so the Hawkeyes have some depth.

That is all the notes I have about the two-deeps but just a few thoughts on the season.  I think Iowa’s passing game is going to be much improved.  It’s not just the upgrade at QB and WR.  It’s the installation of the passing scheme that Lester wasn’t really able to implement last year at all.  McNamara was never healthy enough to really get it going and Sullivan wasn’t the passer you need to run it.  Gronowski has the skills to actually run the offense the way Lester wants to run it. 

The biggest obstacle to the Hawkeyes having great season might be the schedule.  There is some good news, the three toughest conference games are Indiana, Penn St. and Oregon and all come to Kinnick.  The bad news is the road schedule has some hazards in it.  First of all, three of Iowa’s biggest rivalry games are on the road; Iowa St, Wisconsin, and Nebraska.  The Hawkeyes have had good luck lately in Ames and Lincoln and Wisconsin doesn’t look all that good but playing all three of those games on the road, sucks.  It’s losing one of those games that could derail a really good year for the Hawkeyes.  Also, Iowa has to travel to the west coast to take on USC.  I’m not sure if USC will be good or not but going west hasn’t been kind to the Hawkeyes.

The Big Ten slate doesn’t have any gimmes because at Rutgers, Minnesota, and Michigan St. won’t be pushovers.  Not sure why Iowa doesn’t get to play Purdue this season, we could really use a Purdue game this year.  This is the reality of the new Big Ten, there are no easy weeks.  I think this team is going to be pretty good and I’m thinking 9-3 or even 10-2 is possible but if the defense faulters like it did last year against Michigan St. and UCLA, 7-5 might be the reality.  I don’t make predictions on final records because I like to be optimistic this time of year.  Iowa could be fighting for a bowl berth the last few weeks of the season or looking for a potential spot in the College Football Playoff, neither one would surprise me all that much.      

2025 Iowa Hawkeye Offense Preview

The college football landscape has undergone massive changes of the past several years and while Kirk Ferentz had to be dragged into the new millennium on the offensive side of the ball, he seems to be embracing the changes otherwise. Revenue sharing, NIL, and the transfer portal have upended the sport but Ferentz seems to be rolling with it at this point.  Iowa desperately needed to fix the QB position if they are ever going to be good again and the entire position has been reset in the last year.  Not a single QB has been on the roster for more than the last year and every one of the new guys is Tim Lester approved.  It was a microcosm of what was wrong with the offense overall.  Poor recruiting evaluations led to a lack of talent.  Poor coaching of the position led to no development of any talent that was available.  And a bad offensive system highlighted every weakness. 

Tim Lester and his new Shanahan-style offense, plus his ability to find and recruit new talent has turned over the whole roster at QB and remade the offense.  This is year two and now he has the talent to make the passing offense a complement to the running game instead of an anchor.  Throughout the spring the reports were that the offense was playing far better than the defense and that was with the backup QB running the show.  It wasn’t just the QB position that was the problem, the WR group has been an issue for just as long as the QB group.  That position has seen turnover too and looks quite a bit different now.  That’s a very good thing.   

The RB position is stacked even after the loss of one of the most impressive RBs Iowa has ever had, Kaleb Johnson, to the NFL.  The production will more than likely be by the group as a whole as opposed to one guy running wild but the run game will be fine.  That’s because the offensive line returns some serious talent and the new Shanahan offense is built on running the ball.  The line is missing a few key players from last season but they should be able to replace them.  The fullback position has largely been phased out and the TE position took a step back last season but guys like Addison Ostrenga, Zach Ortwerth, and Hayden Large will still be used on offense.  This is the best Iowa’s offense has looked in quite some time and the expectations reflect that.  Let’s take a look at Iowa’s offense. 

Quarterback
Starter: Mark Gronowski (Sr)
Backup: Hank Brown (Soph)
Depth: Jeremy Hecklinski (RS Fr), Jackson Stratton (Jr), Jimmy Sullivan (Fr)

The QB position has been a massive disappointment since Nate Stanley graduated and while the Hawkeyes have tried multiple players, including transfers, to fix the position, it hasn’t gone well. The lack of a legitimate QB coach and the poor evaluations in recruiting were the main issues but the poor offensive system made it all worse. Tim Lester came in last year and tried to fix it but just didn’t have the talent available and implementing his passing offense takes time.
This year, the Hawkeyes overhauled the entire position and that starts with former South Dakota St. superstar Mark Gronowski. Gronowski has over 10,000 passing yards in his college career and was once the National Player of the Year in the FCS. Gronowski is 6’3 230 lbs., he’s a great athlete who can make plays with his legs as well as his arm and he’s the best QB Iowa has seen in quite some time. If the combination of Tim Lester as OC and QB coach and Mark Gronowski at QB doesn’t fix Iowa’s QB problem, all hope may be lost. Gronowski missed spring practice after having shoulder surgery but he’s stepped up over the summer and has taken a real leadership role as the Hawkeyes head to camp.
The Hawkeyes didn’t stop with just a new starter at QB, they overhaul continues down the roster. Hank Brown transferred in from Auburn after starting a few games last year as a redshirt freshman for the Tigers. He was the guy running the offense during spring practice as Gronowski was rehabbing his shoulder and Brown distinguished himself as the backup QB. It would be helpful if he can establish himself as the clear heir apparent so Iowa doesn’t have to go chasing another transfer QB next off season. It looks like the Hawkeyes got a good one and Lester seems to have confidence in Brown.
Jackson Stratton is the longest tenured QB on the roster, he joined the Hawkeyes last summer as a walk-on. Things got pretty rough last year at QB and Stratton actually started a few games at the end of the season. He wasn’t terrible and it’s nice to know the Hawkeyes have some depth but Stratton isn’t guaranteed to be the third QB. I would actually venture to say he loses that spot to Jeremy Hecklinski, the late arriving transfer from Wake Forest. Hecklinski transferred at the end of the spring semester but he started games as a true freshman at Wake Forest and while he’s pretty undersized, he’s a talented QB. True freshman Jimmy Sullivan arrived in December and seems like a solid young prospect but given the way the transfer portal goes, I’m not counting on anything from a freshman QB that likely won’t see the field for a few years at Iowa. If Sullivan is still around in 2027, then we can talk about him.

Running Back
Starters: Kamari Moulton (Soph), Terrell Washington (So)
Backups: Jaziun Patterson (Jr)
Depth: Xavier William (RS Fr), Brevin Doll (RS Fr), Nathan McNeil (Fr)

Kamari Moulton started the first game last season when Kaleb Johnson was serving a suspension for the first half of that game. Johnson took over in the second half and never looked back. That doesn’t mean Moulton isn’t a good RB, he’s actually an excellent talent. He’s most likely the starter to begin the season and he’s going to be productive. The Iowa offense isn’t going to have Kaleb Johnson to lean on and it would be foolish to expect anyone to have the type of year like Johnson had last year. That doesn’t mean the running game is going to suffer. The offensive line should be good and there is a stable of running backs to count on. No one guy will replace Johnson but the group can be great. Moulton also started the bowl game and was quite good. He’s a very good RB who’s going to have to hold off some very talented players behind him.

I listed Terrell Washington as the co-starter with Moulton because I expect big things from him this year. Washington has moved back to RB after spending time last year learning the slot receiver position. Now he brings his skill set back to the RB position and after watching him in the spring and hearing the coaches talk about him, I expect he’ll be a big part of the offense. He’s filled out physically and looks decisive as a runner. He and Moulton should make a good one-two punch.

They won’t be the only guys to get carries but they should get the bulk of them. Jaziun Patterson is the battering ram. He runs hard, he runs low to the ground, and he tries to run through anyone in front of him. He can break a run when he picks the right hole but he doesn’t always have the patience to wait for a hole to open. He takes the handoff and he’s full steam ahead. Patterson isn’t the biggest back but he has solid size.

The true big back would be Xavier Williams if the Hawkeyes decide to unleash him. Williams is 5’10 225 lbs. and has the power that could be really useful if he shows the type of patience we haven’t really seen from Patterson. His running style could be helpful in this offense. Brevin Doll is the other redshirt freshman RB with Williams and he’s the taller, longer, more explosive athlete who will give the Hawkeyes that speed element you want. I’m not convinced we will see Doll a ton this season with so many guys ahead of him but he’s also the type of talent that might force his way on to the field. True freshman Nathan McNeil was an early enrollee who was here for spring practice. He looks like a talented back but he’s going to have to wait his turn.

Wide Receivers
Starters: Seth Anderson (Sr), Jacob Gill (Sr), Reece Vander Zee (So)
Backups: Kaden Wetjen (Sr), Dayton Howard (So), KJ Parker (RS Fr)
Depth: Jarriett Buie (So), Sam Phillips (Sr)

The upgrade at the QB position is clearly the most important upgrade the Hawkeyes have needed to pull off over the last half decade for sure, WR was a close second. Having an offensive scheme that can help WRs get open is really nice but if the guys can’t play, it doesn’t matter. These guys look like they can play. Seth Anderson transferred to Iowa a couple of years ago but has yet to be healthy for any real stretch of time. He finally had a healthy spring practice this year and looked very good. Anderson has solid size at 6’0 187 lbs. and he has excellent speed. If he can add the downfield passing element to the offense, he opens up a lot of possibilities for Iowa. It’s the thing he was brought in to do, now he has to stay healthy and do it.

Jacob Gill was the most consistent WR the Hawkeyes had last year through all of the changes at QB and the shuffling of receivers due to injury. He brings a steadiness and an understanding of the passing game because he probably got the most reps last year during actual games. That consistency will keep him on the field. He may not be a gamebreaker but he’s a guy the QBs can rely on to be where he’s supposed to be.

Reece Vander Zee got off to a hot start in the first few games last season while starting as a true freshman. A true freshman starting at WR isn’t a common occurrence at Iowa so Vander Zee clearly has the talent. He got injured and never got back to full strength so we never really got to see him after those first few games. He steps back in as a starter and he’s filled out his frame so hopefully he can hold up to the rigors of Big Ten football a little better. He gives the Hawkeyes offense a different skill set as he’s the traditional X position receiver who’s 6’4 215 lbs. and he plays to his size. Iowa hasn’t had a guy like that since Brandon Smith graduated.

I can’t remember the last time Iowa had depth at WR, if there has ever been a time Iowa had depth at WR. Kaden Wetjen is the All-American returner who’s hoping to become more of a WR and this one didn’t transfer to Purdue to do it. Tim Lester seems to have a plan to use Wetjen’s game breaking speed and find ways to get him involved in the offense. Dayton Howard was a guy who stood out a bit in spring practice too and he gives the Hawkeyes size like Vander Zee does. He’s 6’5 215 lbs. and started to get some playing time late last season. Lester pointed out that he’s coming around mentally with his game. With his physical gifts, that could make him scary. KJ Parker was the star of bowl prep to end last season and kept it up during spring practice. He’s not overwhelming physically at 5’10 184 lbs. and he’s not just outrunning everyone, he’s got actual WR skills and that’s going to get him on the field.

Jarriett Buie was getting playing time at the end of last year including having a solid showing in the bowl game. At this point it’s not as if he’s not progressing but if seems like other guys are progressing more than he is and standing out. Buie should play this year but his time might be limited if Vander Zee and Howard are filling the big WR role. Sam Phillips is the wild card. He just transferred to Iowa and while he was around for spring practice, he’s still finding his way. He’s undersized but he’s got elite speed and has a lot of reps at WR so his experience should help him. If Phillips adds some more big plays to the offense, things get very interesting. I don’t remember a time when Iowa had eight WRs they could actually play and it wouldn’t be a total disaster. The depth they have is quite nice.

Tight End
Starter: Addison Ostrenga (Sr)
Backup: Zach Ortwerth (Jr)
Depth: Hayden Large (Sr), Michael Burt (RS Fr), DJ Vonnahme (RS Fr)

The TE position has taken a little bit of a backseat to the WR group given the new offensive scheme, it seems to favor three WRs over Iowa’s two TE sets, and even more so, replacing the fullback. That doesn’t mean Iowa doesn’t still have talent at TE. Addison Ostrenga probably isn’t Sam LaPorta or TJ Hockenson but he’s a very good TE. He’ll be a part of the offense he just won’t be featured in it as long as Iowa has some WRs step up.

Zach Ortwerth stepped in last year when Iowa needed some depth at TE and showed he has some skills when it comes to catching the ball down field. He’s next in line after Ostrenga and if teams don’t pay attention to him, he’s going to burn them. Hayden Large will be the third TE and if the team needs a guy to line up at fullback, Large will do that too.

Michael Burt and DJ Vonnahme are two redshirt freshmen who add depth but will hopefully not be needed in any meaningful way this season. Iowa also has three true freshmen TEs; Mason Woods, Thomas Meyer, and Eli Johnson, I wouldn’t expect any of them to play this season.

Offensive Line
Starters: LT Jack Dotzler (Jr), LG Beau Stephens (Sr), C Logan Jones (Sr), RG Kade Pieper (So), RT Gennings Dunker (Sr).
Backups: T Trevor Lauck (So), T Bryce George (Sr), G/C Michael Myslinski (Sr), G Leighton Jones (So), G Kale Krogh (Jr), T Cannon Leonard (So)
Depth: G Cael Winter (So), G Josh Janowski (RS Fr), T Will Nolan (RS Fr), T Bodey McCaslin (RS Fr), T Lucas Allgeyer (Fr)

The offensive line was excellent last year and they return essentially three starters and they should feel pretty good about a fourth. The fifth spot is a question and they may need most of, if not all, training camp to figure out the LT position. The three starters are two guys who are rock solid and one guy they need to stay healthy. C Logan Jones is one of the best centers in the country and he should be a fairly high NFL draft pick. It’s been a journey over his multiple years as a starter; it wasn’t always pretty. However, he’s become a rock and he’s powerful and athletic and works very well in the offensive scheme.

RT Gennings Dunker is the other sure thing on the line. He’s a beast on the right side and he was a big reason Kaleb Johnson had a great year running the ball last season. Dunker missed spring practice after having surgery but he did it then so he would be ready for the season. He’s going to be a guard in the NFL but he’s one of the better RTs in college football. LG Beau Stephens is the other returning starter but he’s a guy who needs to stay healthy. He’s essentially been a starter for two years but he can’t make it through a season fully healthy. The Hawkeyes should have some solid interior backups but the hope is that Stephens can stay on the field because he’s a monster on the interior. They also need him to stay healthy to stabilize the left side of the line as they figure out LT.

The fourth starter the team should feel good about is new RG Kade Pieper. He’s stepping in to the spot vacated by Connor Colby and those are big shoes to fill. Pieper has gotten playing time since he was a true freshman and if you can get playing time at Iowa as a true freshman on the offensive line, you’re good. He’s a great athlete with some serious power to his game; he should be fine.

The LT spot is the big question. Jack Dotzler has been listed as the backup at LT for years but he was never the top backup tackle to come into the game. Nick DeJong is finally out of eligibility so the Hawkeyes will have to count of someone else. Dotzler and Trevor Lauck were fighting it out during spring practice and while Dotzler seems to be listed as the starter for now, that fight isn’t over. Lauck and Dotzler give the Hawkeyes options but clearly the coaches weren’t convinced either is the answer at this point. Enter Bryce George.

George is a transfer from Div. II Ferris State. He was highly successful there as they won multiple National Championships while he was starting on the offensive line. George played RT at Ferris St. but Iowa isn’t looking for a RT, they need a LT and it looks like he’ll get a shot to take that job. He has the size and athleticism to hold his own, it’s the step up in competition that’s going to be hard to deal with. Trevor Lauck is still a young guy the coaches are hoping develops at the position but he may not be ready just yet. Hopefully the coaches can settle on a starter during camp and let the five guys come together as a unit.

The backups at all the positions on the line are inexperienced so hopefully the starters can stay healthy. Michael Myslinski is the only senior among the backups but he doesn’t really have more experience than the younger guys because he’s mostly been injured throughout his career. Kale Krogh is a junior who’s never played in four years. Leighton Jones is a guy the coaches like and he has some versatility as he could play guard or center, so can Mylinski. If Lauck or George don’t win the LT spot they could be viable guard backups as well as RT backups. Cannon Leonard is listed as the backup at RT but it feels like he’s on the Dotzler trajectory of being listed as the backup but not actually getting in to play. He’s going to have to hold off some young OTs as there is some young talent at OT coming up behind him.

Will Nolan, Bodey McCaslin, and Lucas Allgeyer are all young OTs with promise who just need time to develop physically and they can be the future of the offensive line. The Hawkeyes have lost some young offensive linemen before they ever really got going over the past year or two and that’s why they have five verbal commitments in the 2026 recruiting class. They may have to find a few more one-year stopgap starters in 2026 while they wait for the young guys to be ready to contribute.

This offense has everything it needs to finally be a good offense. They don’t have to be a great offense but being above average would be nice. With Mark Gronowski at QB and Tim Lester’s offense I do think the ceiling is higher than just above average. The running game is going to be effective and the passing game is going to be much improved. If they get healthy seasons from the WR group (I’m looking at you Seth Anderson and Reece Vander Zee), and they find a LT (come on Lauck or George), the sky is the limit, relatively speaking. Iowa isn’t going to be Oregon or Ohio St. on offense, but they can be good.

2025 TE Prospect Top 5

This is a pretty good TE class, there isn’t a Brock Bowers type but Tyler Warren and Colston Loveland are going to be first round picks. The WR class isn’t all that great and I could see a few teams grabbing a playmaking TE like Harold Fannin Jr. instead of a WR they aren’t crazy about. There should be some depth here and that will make this class interesting.

Tight Ends

1. Tyler Warren (Penn St.):  Warren had a breakout season with Penn St.  He became Drew Allar’s go-to receiver as Penn St. wasn’t great at WR.  He’s a big target at almost 6’6 and 260 lbs. He has the size and athleticism to be a great receiving TE and still has the strength and bulk to be a blocker.  He’s tough and versatile.  He was a QB at one time and Penn St. used him in the running game, he’s a jack of all trades. 

2. Colston Loveland (Michigan):  Loveland came into the season as the TE1 but Michigan’s less than stellar offense didn’t help him at all.  He also missed a couple of games with an injury and he was simply less productive than he was last year.  However, at 6’5 245 lbs. with the athleticism he has and the production he showed last year, he’s still an elite TE prospect.  Someone is going to get a very good TE in the latter half of round one.  Loveland is going to be a productive NFL TE. 

3. Harold Fannin Jr. (Bowling Green):  Fannin is one of the most unique prospects in the draft.  He’s a 6’4 230 lbs. TE who is basically just a big WR.  He was ridiculously productive at Bowling Green with 117 catches this year but he just won’t fit the typical TE spot.  If you have a plan to use Fannin than feel free to draft him, if you think he’s going to fit into a typical TE role, stay away and draft someone else. 

4. Mason Taylor (LSU):  Taylor is the son of former Dolphins Hall of Famer Jason Taylor and while he’s not the superstar athlete his father was, he’s a pretty good TE.  Taylor was productive for the most part and at 6’5 255 lbs. he has the size to be a good NFL TE.  He’s not going to be an All-Pro but he can be a starting NFL TE for a long time.

5. Elijah Arroyo (Miami):  Arroyo had a breakout season becoming one of Cam Ward’s most dangerous targets.  He’s not the biggest player and he’s not a major blocker at 6’4 245 lbs. but he’s a really terrific athlete and catches the ball well.  He won’t fit every team’s needs but someone will find a way to use him. 

*Other player to mention: Luke Lachey (Iowa):  Lachey has fallen down the draft boards after a tough year.  Coming off a season ending injury the year before, Lachey didn’t look like the player he was before the injury.  It didn’t help that Iowa’s passing game was, once again, terrible.  I would still bet on his talent and his size and the training he had at Iowa and he will outplay his draft slot. 

2025 RB Prospects Top 5

This is a deep group of RB prospects and I actually think there are quite a few guys who will become starters or co-starters (for lack of a better term) pretty quickly. I have 6 guys listed here but I didn’t include Dylan Sampson (Tennessee), Cam Skattebo (Arizona St.), Ollie Gordon (Oklahoma St.), RJ Harvey (UCF), or a number of others. It’s a very good RB class. There’s going to be a 5th or 6th round RB in this draft that plays an important role for his team next season.

Running Backs

1. Ashton Jeanty (Boise St.):  I’ll give Jeanty his due as an excellent running back and he earned the distinction as the top RB in this class, but it’s not as big of a gap as a prospect between him and the next two guys as you might think.  Jeanty is on the shorter side being about 5’9 but that gives him his low center of gravity and makes him really hard to take down.  He bounces off of tacklers because he has great contact balance and then can break away.  He has great vision and does pretty much everything you want a RB to do very well.  My biggest concern is the sheer amount of carries he has taken in his college career and if that might come back to haunt him. 

2. Kaleb Johnson (Iowa):  Patience, vision, and speed.  Kaleb Johnson’s calling cards.  He’s about 6’1 and 225 lbs. and yet he can run away from almost everyone.  Johnson’s upright running style seems like it would make him an easy target to take down in traffic but unless you get to him behind the line of scrimmage, his upper body strength and elite stiff arm make him a terror in traffic.  He also has elite and deceptive speed and absolutely crushes pursuit angles making him hard to catch if he gets the corner on an outside run. If he goes to a zone blocking team in the NFL, his patience to let his blocks set up, his vision to find the right hole, and then his elite speed to the edge are going to make him a dangerous weapon. 

3. Omarion Hampton (North Carolina):  Hampton is ranked ahead of Johnson for a lot of people and it’s understandable.  He’s 6’0 220 lbs. and he has speed and plenty of power.  He was a bit of a forgotten man as North Carolina didn’t have a great year and he didn’t have quite as many big plays like Johnson had.  Hampton is going to be a starting RB in the league for quite a long time.  His contact balance is excellent and he is a really tough runner.  He’s got the speed to make you pay if you let him get the corner. 

4. TreVeyon Henderson (Ohio St.):  Speedy, big play weapon.  Henderson isn’t the guy you’re going to hand the ball off to 25 times in a game, but you want him to touch the ball at least 15.  He has electric speed that can change the game for you.  He is at his best in space with the ball in his hands.  He’s going to be compared to Jahmyr Gibbs a thousand times between now and the draft and the team that takes him is hoping he’s exactly that guy. 

5. Quinshon Judkins (Ohio St.): Is there any wonder Ohio St. won the National Championship.  Judkins transferred in this season from Ole Miss to be the power complement to Henderson’s speed demon.  Go watch the National Championship game and you’ll see what it looks like when Judkins takes over.  He’s 5’11 210 lbs. and uses every last ounce of that size to punish teams, oh, and he’s not slow, he has speed too.  He’s quite the consolation prize if you  miss out on one of the top fours players here. 

*Other player of note: Damien Martinez (Miami) transferred to Miami after having a pretty good career going at Oregon St.  He’s 6’0 230 lbs. and moves really well for a man that size, actually he moves well for a guy 30 lbs. lighter than that.  He didn’t get off to a great start at Miami as he struggled early but he came on later in the season.  He’s big, powerful, and has enough speed to hurt you.  He went to the Senior Bowl and while there weren’t a lot of standout moments for the RBs down there, Martinez looked good.  One thing he did very well that catches the eye is his pass blocking improvement during practice at the Senior Bowl.  If you’re going to be a mid-round RB with the size Martinez has, teams are going to want you to be a good pass blocker.  Martinez looked good doing that.