Iowa's offensive line has been heavily praised in the preseason. The o-line has been rated the fourth best line by Athlon, CFN ranks it the best in the Big Ten, and left tackle Bryan Bulaga has been getting a ton of preseason recognition. I do think the offensive line will be good this year, especially later in the season. However, with practice starting in just a couple of days, there are still a few questions that I have.
Who will start at center?
The most experienced center on the roster is clearly Rafael Eubanks who started 9 games at center as a red-shirt freshman, all 12 games as a sophomore, and 4 games at left guard as a junior. His performance in 2007 somewhat lacked (though he was name Honorable Mention All-Big Ten that year), but to be fair he had lots of injuries around him and the all important "gel" factor never really set in. At this point, I'll give him the nod as the starter simply based on his experience.
Another possibility is junior Josh Koeppel. Koeppel has seen some action, but it's predominantly been in cleanup time (Maine, FIU, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Minnesota games last year). He is currently listed as the second team center, but Kirk Ferentz said at the Big Ten Media Days that "Josh has elevated his play quietly." Generally it’s a good thing when Ferentz mentions your name.
The most intriguing prospect is James Ferentz. He definitely put himself at a disadvantage this year, however, with his second alcohol related incident that got him suspended from the second half of spring practice and the first game of the year. It would be thoroughly impressive if he can ascend the depth chart to win the starting job after missing all that time, but not overly surprising.
One player no longer in the mix at center is Julian Vandervelde. In the spring, the Hawkeyes toyed around with Vandervelde snapping the ball trying to get the best 5 guys on the field. At this point though, his recent injury has thwarted that idea.
What happens when Vandervelde is back?
During the summer, Julian Vandervelde sustained a bicep injury that required surgery. He will not be ready for the beginning of practice and it is likely he won't be ready for the first game of the year, though it hasn't been ruled out yet. Vandervelde was expected to be the starter at one of the 3 interior line spots after starting the final 9 games of the 2008 season at left guard. Currently, he is listed as the first team right guard in the 2009 Media Guide with Dan Doering and Adam Gettis right behind.
I’m going to guess that while Vandervelde is out, Doering wins the starting spot based on his experience; Gettis and Andy Kuemple have a shot as well. When Vandervelde is healthy again, however, I'm not sure what's going to happen. If Doering is playing well, then will the coaches try to fix something that's not broken? I'm guessing no. That's exactly what happened to Doering last year, who was expected to be the starter at left guard before being injured. Once he was healthy again the line was already in a groove and he never got the spot back.
The other possibility is that Vandervelde could take over at left guard, the position he played in 2008. Right now, Dace Richardson is listed as the starter. Richardson has had terrible injuries and has seen very little playing time since midway through the 2006 season and did not play at all last year. Guard is also a new position to Richardson, who previously was a left tackle. Reports from spring were that Richardson was a little rusty, but that he's making progress. He is definitely a player to watch this fall.
When will the line gel?
The previous two questions, really point to this gel question. I am quite confident in the players Iowa has competing for offensive line spots. The tackles are excellent (especially Bulaga) and there is a copious amount of experienced guys vying for a starting spot on in interior. If you look at last year, the offensive line did excellent plugging in players when necessary (the whole next man in philosophy), so that gives me hope. However, in 2007 things did not go so well and the line never did come together despite having some good players.
Julian Vandevelde's injury could also impede gelling and depending on how the center situation comes together, it is conceivable that we may see as many as 3 different starting centers in 2009 (maybe in the first 3 weeks). Another factor is Kyle Calloway's 1 game suspension for his moped OWI which shouldn't have a large impact, but could has some as he won't have a tune up game before Iowa State. Look at the all possibility Marc Morehouse came up with along the o-line in just the first 3 weeks. My hope is by week 4 (at Penn State), the coaches have settled on the starting 5 and the offensive line lives up to its expectations and potential.
How many returning starters will there be for 2010?
This last one if just for fun. I know 2010 is a long ways out, but in thinking about all the possible combination on the line, 2 extreme scenarios jumped out at me.
1. There are no returning starters on the o-line for 2010 -
2009 Starters: Bulaga - Richardson - Eubanks - Doering - Calloway
What happens: Bulaga decides to skip his senior year and turns pro, Richardson does not get granted another year, Eubanks is a senior, Doering is a senior, and Calloway is a senior.
2. There are 4 returning starter on the o-line for 2010 -
2009 Starters: Bulaga - Richardson - Koeppel (or Ferentz) - Vandervelde - Calloway
What happens: Bulaga decides to stay, Richardson is granted another year of eligibility, Koeppel is a junior and Ferentz is a RS freshman so they come back, Vandervelde is a junior so comes back, and Calloway is the only 1 who leaves.
Anyway, it'll probably be somewhere in the middle and I'm pretty confident we'll have a good set of linemen for 2010. Plus, like I said, it's way in the future, so let's not worry about it too much yet.