There are only a couple of days until the football season gets underway and there is no shortage of news. So, let's jump right in.

Josh Koeppel hit by truck
First off, the good news: Koeppel is doing "fine" and his injuries are not critical. He was however, hit by a truck that was turning left while Koeppel was on his motorcycle. Koeppel was rushed to the emergency room, but as I said, he's doing just fine.

Koeppel was listed as a co-starter with James Ferentz on Iowa's depth chart. It is unknown at this time if he'll be able to play this weekend against Eastern Illinois. If I had to guess, then I would say that Ferentz will be the starter on Saturday.

Hundertmark leaves team
This is being reported by @HawkeyeInsider on Twitter. We should know for sure later today during Kirk Ferentz's presser. Hundertmark was listed as the 2nd string right offensive guard and was likely to play this weekend in the opener (especially if those ankle injury rumors are true about Gettis). His reasons for leaving the team are currently unknown.

Now, all of the sudden with Koeppel possibly missing some time and Hundertmark leaving, the depth along the offensive line is looking rather slim. A group that I thought would gel early and perform better than its previous year's counterpart now does not look quite as stable.

Ferentz speaks at MMQB Club event in Iowa City
The real credit here goes to @iahawk72 who provided some insight on some of what Ferentz said at the MMQB meeting. Two big pieces of news came out: up to 6 or 7 true freshmen may play this year and the Big Ten division announcement is likely to occur before any football is played (today or tomorrow).

Ferentz specially mentioned that MLB James Morris, OLB Christian Kirksey, and TE C.J. Fiedorowicz are 3 true freshmen that will most likely be playing this season. My guess of the others in the mix are:
  • RB De'Andre Johnson - I'd actually be much more surprised if he did red-shirt. With Jewel Hampton suspended for the first game, there is not much left on the roster behind Adam Robinson. If the coaches want 3 running backs in the rotation this year, I think Johnson will play.
  • S Tanner Miller - there is a lack of depth at safety, so it's a likely spot that a freshman would see the field.
  • K Mike Meyer or Johnny Mullings - Neither of the veteran placekickers have a very strong leg and are capable of putting kickoffs in to the endzone constantly. If one of the freshmen can, then I think they'll play.
  • WR Kevonte Martin-Manley - Iowa has a lot of depth at receiver, but Martin-Manley could go the Keenan Davis route where you play sparingly as a freshman just to work your way into the offense. He has been seen a lot in the camp practice photos.

The Big Ten Decision
Seriously, read this. It is long, but totally worth it. The article is an amazing piece on the events that went down that ultimately led to Nebraska joining the Big Ten.