I thought that, given how much attention is given to "stars", I'd take a look at how actual physical talent matches up between our class, and one more highly rated in Iowa City. I pick the matchups, you draw your own conclusions--as if I had to tell anyone here that anyway. :biggrin:
It is said that the true excitement of build a team begins on both sides of the trenches. With that in mind, let’s start off with a peek at the respective line recruits…and yes, I admit that I played around a bit in an effort to make some more intriguing matchups.
By the way--I was startled at some of the similarities.
Dan Burton OL 6’4†275 vs Mitch Keppy OL 6’5 280
Let’s start off with a decent matchup. Big school class president, versatile lineman versus Hawkeye legacy from a small school. Athletically, not much stands out to tell apart. Edge: Even
Jake Dunning 6’5†275 vs Ryan Ward 6’5†275
This one’s kinda humorous. One of these players is from a relatively new program in a burgeoning city, the other is from a traditional powerhouse that recruiters make a habitual stop. One has been playing football for two years, the other all his life. Other than that, they may well prove to be virtually the same player. Edge: Iowa
Duaron Williams OG 6’4†290 vs Jaleel Johnson DT 6’4†300
Boom! These two big guys are a natural matchup—because they’ll likely be battling each other the next few years. And here we go again. Both elite athletes, same size, and they’ll be going head to head on more than paper. The only real difference? One knee surgery. Edge: Iowa
Pierre Aka DE 6’2†255 vs Faith Ekakitie DL 6’2†255
Yep, another case where these two could almost be the same player. Same general size, same athleticism, one has better experience, polish and exposure than the other. We’ll see how long that lasts. Still, conventional wisdom says one player wins. Edge: Iowa.
Collin Bevins DL 6’5†250 vs Drew Ott 6’4†245
These two are also similar in a lot of ways. Each staff is excited about their sleeper defensive lineman—though I’m still not quite sure why, in one case. Still, to be fair, I’ll call it a draw. The difference isn’t that much. Yet. Edge: Even.
Mitchell Meyers DL 6’4†255 vs D. Venckus-Cucchiara DL 6’5†230
Hey, this one works for me. Neither is highly recruited, yet ISU coaches consider their player a physical phenom, UI coaches theirs a beast. Perfect. Edge: Even
Devlyn Cousin DT 6’2†280 vs Reid Sealby 6’4†250
Once I swapped linemen around for better matchups, that left this pairing. Much better, since Sealby doesn’t really seem to compare to Burton, or Cousin to Johnson. Not close in either case. Cousin is squatty, but has a quick step when he releases from the blocker. Sealby is about as “sleeper†as sleepers get. Edge: Even
Corey Morrissey DE 6’4†240 vs Eric Simmons C 6’2†295
Just as simple to take the two former teammates that their respective coaches are equally excited about, with equal amounts of eligibility—and let them cancel each other out. Edge: Even
Clifford Stokes CB 6’0†180 vs Cody Sokol QB 6’2†215
Ditto. These two will be long gone before some of their signing mates are ready for the field. Edge: Even
Grant Rohach QB 6’2†185 vs C.J. Beathard QB 6’2†180
Seriously. Anyone wanna match up these two any more closely? Only time will tell. Edge: Even
T.J. Mutcherson DB 5’10†190 vs Ruben Lile DB 6’3†200
The similarity here is that both were two-way players who will likely be safeties. Both are very good athletes. Edge: Even
Charlie Rogers CB 6’1†193 vs Maurice Fleming CB 6’0†185
The matchups among the defensive backs were a little more difficult. Here I wound up taking what appeared to be each school’s best corner and pairing them. Guess what? Edge: Even
Damian Lawry CB 6’0†165 vs Sean Draper CB 6’0†165
I could have stuck Buford here, but the similarity in size was just too tempting, From that start, it will be interesting to see how each respective player matures through their career. Edge: Even
Luke Knott S 6’1†190 vs Anthony (Morgan) Gair DB 6’2†195
Another tough choice, since Gair might well have paired with Rogers. Still, a matchup of the cerebral leader Knott, and a player who might be slightly faster and more athletic. I suppose it depends on what you are looking for. Feel free to argue, but: Edge: Even
Adam Pavlenko LB 5’10†210 vs Laron Taylor LB 6’0†210
A matchup between two undersized linebackers who don’t have blazing speed. Sorry, I have to call this one a draw. Edge: Even
Kane Seeley LB 6’1†215 vs Nate Meier ATH 6’2†235
Shoot, Meier might well compare to Jevohn Miller. In any case, this one is yet another draw, between good athletes with their future ahead of them. Edge: Even
Darius White MLB 6’1†235 vs Greg Garmon RB 6’1†200
This is where I got the idea of across-the-line-of-scrimmage matchups. After all, this might be the first time these two meet head to head, but it’ll be far from the last. Cyclone coaches want to groom White as the future Mike linebacker, Garmon may be the Hawk starter when camp starts—and he likes to run up the middle. Edge: Iowa
Quan West WR 6’4†208 vs Cameron Wilson WR 6’1†195
The matchups here at wideout were as tough as with the defensive backs. In this case, I ended up going with “highest rated vs one anotherâ€. Styles completely different, West is a physical receiver (perhaps Krieger-Kittle would have been a more comparable matchup) more like McNutt, Wilson may be another DJK. In a cowardly manner, resorting strictly to rankings: Edge: Slight to ISU.
P.J. Harris WR 6’1†160 vs Greg Mabin 6’2†190
No, I didn’t pick them out of a hat. In this case, I went with two small school Florida players who both run well. Still, feel free to mix ‘em up any other way, if you want to. Slight Edge: ISU
Dondre Daley WR 6’3†170 vs Tevaun Smith WR 6’2†190
In this case, I tried to go with the most athletic of the respective groups. It might be a secret to some, but I think that Daley will mature into a tremendous player. I also expect Smith and Wilson will be on the field early in their careers for Iowa. Edge: ISU
Cole Netten PK 6’1†205 vs Connor Kornbrath P 6’6†208
Sure, call the two specialists a draw as well. Check back in a couple of years. Edge: Even
Strays: Iowa is left with Kevin Buford, Barkley Hill and George Krieger-Kittle all unpaired. I like Buford, I think he compares well to Kenneth Lynn from a class ago. They also may still sign a highly touted guard from Colorado. The latter pair? Well, fine. I’m pretty sure that Iowa was winning this matchup already anyway, irrespective of numbers. That doesn’t mean that CPR isn’t catching up quickly.
It is said that the true excitement of build a team begins on both sides of the trenches. With that in mind, let’s start off with a peek at the respective line recruits…and yes, I admit that I played around a bit in an effort to make some more intriguing matchups.
By the way--I was startled at some of the similarities.
Dan Burton OL 6’4†275 vs Mitch Keppy OL 6’5 280
Let’s start off with a decent matchup. Big school class president, versatile lineman versus Hawkeye legacy from a small school. Athletically, not much stands out to tell apart. Edge: Even
Jake Dunning 6’5†275 vs Ryan Ward 6’5†275
This one’s kinda humorous. One of these players is from a relatively new program in a burgeoning city, the other is from a traditional powerhouse that recruiters make a habitual stop. One has been playing football for two years, the other all his life. Other than that, they may well prove to be virtually the same player. Edge: Iowa
Duaron Williams OG 6’4†290 vs Jaleel Johnson DT 6’4†300
Boom! These two big guys are a natural matchup—because they’ll likely be battling each other the next few years. And here we go again. Both elite athletes, same size, and they’ll be going head to head on more than paper. The only real difference? One knee surgery. Edge: Iowa
Pierre Aka DE 6’2†255 vs Faith Ekakitie DL 6’2†255
Yep, another case where these two could almost be the same player. Same general size, same athleticism, one has better experience, polish and exposure than the other. We’ll see how long that lasts. Still, conventional wisdom says one player wins. Edge: Iowa.
Collin Bevins DL 6’5†250 vs Drew Ott 6’4†245
These two are also similar in a lot of ways. Each staff is excited about their sleeper defensive lineman—though I’m still not quite sure why, in one case. Still, to be fair, I’ll call it a draw. The difference isn’t that much. Yet. Edge: Even.
Mitchell Meyers DL 6’4†255 vs D. Venckus-Cucchiara DL 6’5†230
Hey, this one works for me. Neither is highly recruited, yet ISU coaches consider their player a physical phenom, UI coaches theirs a beast. Perfect. Edge: Even
Devlyn Cousin DT 6’2†280 vs Reid Sealby 6’4†250
Once I swapped linemen around for better matchups, that left this pairing. Much better, since Sealby doesn’t really seem to compare to Burton, or Cousin to Johnson. Not close in either case. Cousin is squatty, but has a quick step when he releases from the blocker. Sealby is about as “sleeper†as sleepers get. Edge: Even
Corey Morrissey DE 6’4†240 vs Eric Simmons C 6’2†295
Just as simple to take the two former teammates that their respective coaches are equally excited about, with equal amounts of eligibility—and let them cancel each other out. Edge: Even
Clifford Stokes CB 6’0†180 vs Cody Sokol QB 6’2†215
Ditto. These two will be long gone before some of their signing mates are ready for the field. Edge: Even
Grant Rohach QB 6’2†185 vs C.J. Beathard QB 6’2†180
Seriously. Anyone wanna match up these two any more closely? Only time will tell. Edge: Even
T.J. Mutcherson DB 5’10†190 vs Ruben Lile DB 6’3†200
The similarity here is that both were two-way players who will likely be safeties. Both are very good athletes. Edge: Even
Charlie Rogers CB 6’1†193 vs Maurice Fleming CB 6’0†185
The matchups among the defensive backs were a little more difficult. Here I wound up taking what appeared to be each school’s best corner and pairing them. Guess what? Edge: Even
Damian Lawry CB 6’0†165 vs Sean Draper CB 6’0†165
I could have stuck Buford here, but the similarity in size was just too tempting, From that start, it will be interesting to see how each respective player matures through their career. Edge: Even
Luke Knott S 6’1†190 vs Anthony (Morgan) Gair DB 6’2†195
Another tough choice, since Gair might well have paired with Rogers. Still, a matchup of the cerebral leader Knott, and a player who might be slightly faster and more athletic. I suppose it depends on what you are looking for. Feel free to argue, but: Edge: Even
Adam Pavlenko LB 5’10†210 vs Laron Taylor LB 6’0†210
A matchup between two undersized linebackers who don’t have blazing speed. Sorry, I have to call this one a draw. Edge: Even
Kane Seeley LB 6’1†215 vs Nate Meier ATH 6’2†235
Shoot, Meier might well compare to Jevohn Miller. In any case, this one is yet another draw, between good athletes with their future ahead of them. Edge: Even
Darius White MLB 6’1†235 vs Greg Garmon RB 6’1†200
This is where I got the idea of across-the-line-of-scrimmage matchups. After all, this might be the first time these two meet head to head, but it’ll be far from the last. Cyclone coaches want to groom White as the future Mike linebacker, Garmon may be the Hawk starter when camp starts—and he likes to run up the middle. Edge: Iowa
Quan West WR 6’4†208 vs Cameron Wilson WR 6’1†195
The matchups here at wideout were as tough as with the defensive backs. In this case, I ended up going with “highest rated vs one anotherâ€. Styles completely different, West is a physical receiver (perhaps Krieger-Kittle would have been a more comparable matchup) more like McNutt, Wilson may be another DJK. In a cowardly manner, resorting strictly to rankings: Edge: Slight to ISU.
P.J. Harris WR 6’1†160 vs Greg Mabin 6’2†190
No, I didn’t pick them out of a hat. In this case, I went with two small school Florida players who both run well. Still, feel free to mix ‘em up any other way, if you want to. Slight Edge: ISU
Dondre Daley WR 6’3†170 vs Tevaun Smith WR 6’2†190
In this case, I tried to go with the most athletic of the respective groups. It might be a secret to some, but I think that Daley will mature into a tremendous player. I also expect Smith and Wilson will be on the field early in their careers for Iowa. Edge: ISU
Cole Netten PK 6’1†205 vs Connor Kornbrath P 6’6†208
Sure, call the two specialists a draw as well. Check back in a couple of years. Edge: Even
Strays: Iowa is left with Kevin Buford, Barkley Hill and George Krieger-Kittle all unpaired. I like Buford, I think he compares well to Kenneth Lynn from a class ago. They also may still sign a highly touted guard from Colorado. The latter pair? Well, fine. I’m pretty sure that Iowa was winning this matchup already anyway, irrespective of numbers. That doesn’t mean that CPR isn’t catching up quickly.
