Quarterbacks for Iowa
Seniors:
Juniors: James Vandenberg*, John Wienke
Sophomores: Wyatt Suess
RS Freshmen: A.J. Derby
Freshmen: Jake Rudock
For 2012: 1
Early Offers:
- Gunner Kiel - Columbis, IN
- Zeke Pike - Ft. Mitchell, KY
Quarterback looks like it is set for the next few years. Vandenberg is the likely starter for the next two, then Derby (if he's still a QB...I think he will be) and Rudock will battle it out. Still, a quarterback per year is important to have. Especially if Derby is looking at switching positions, Iowa will need some depth when Vandenberg and Wienke graduate.
Running backs for Iowa
Seniors:
Juniors:
Sophomores: Marcus Coker*
RS Freshmen: Ellis Jordan, De'Andre Johnson
Freshmen: Damon Bullock, Jordan Canzeri, Rodney Coe, Mika'il McCall
For 2012: 2
Early Offers:
- Cyrus Jones - Baltimore, MD (attends Gilman, same school as Jim Poggi)
- Vonte Jackson - Kenosha, WI
- Dami Ayoola - Fort Lauderdale, FL (attends St. Thomas Aquinas, same school as Jake Rudock)
You can never have too many running backs. Iowa knows this better than anyone. I think we'll see at least one of the four incoming freshmen switch position and possibly more. So Iowa will need to continue to bring in guys to run the ball to provide some immediate depth. Iowa has only been 1 or 2 guys deep the past couple of years, but I think would like to have 3 or 4 players they could rely on to carry the ball.
Full backs for Iowa
Seniors:
Juniors:
Sophomores: Brad Rogers*, Jacob Reisen
RS Freshmen:
Freshmen:
Iowa doesn't typically recruit fullbacks. So there will probably not be any offers at the position. It's more likely an incoming linebacker or tight end will switch positions. There is also a transfer from Air Force, Mark Weisman, allegedly on his way to play fullback. He'll sit out a year, but should have 3 years to play starting in 2013.
Wide receivers for Iowa
Seniors: Marvin McNutt*, Kyle Steinbrecher
Juniors: James Hurt, Keenan Davis*, Steven Staggs
Sophomores: Don Shumpert, Jordan Cotton
RS Freshmen: Blake Haluska, John Chelf, Kevonte Martin-Manely
Freshmen: Marcus Grant, Jacob Hillyer
For 2012: 2
Early Offers:
- Dorial Green-Beckham - Springfield, MO
- Thomas Johnson - Dallas, TX
- Amara Darboh - West Des Moines, IA
- Durron Neal - St. Louis, MO
I thought Iowa might try to get more receivers in 2011's class, but ended up with only 2. The Hawkeyes will use 6 or 7 receivers in a game, which right now would basically be the entire roster.
Tight ends for Iowa
Seniors: Brad Herman*
Juniors: Zach Derby, Jonathan Gimm
Sophomores: Dakota Getz, C.J. Fiedorowicz
RS Freshmen: Austin Vier
Freshmen: Jake Duzey, Ray Hamilton, Henry Krieger-Coble
For 2012: 1
Early Offers:
None
Iowa got a pretty good trio of tight ends in the 2011 class so the immediate need is not high. I am still surprised though that the coaching staff hasn't offered a tight end yet. Usually Iowa is all over these guys in recruiting.
Offensive linemen for Iowa
Seniors: Marcus Zusevics*, Woody Orne, Adam Gettis*
Juniors: James Ferentz*, Dan Heiar, Matt Tobin, Casey McMillan, Riley Reiff*
Sophomores: Drew Clark, Conor Boffeli, Brett Van Sloten, Nolan MacMillan*
RS Freshmen: Brandon Scherff, Andrew Donnal
Freshmen: Austin Blythe, Jordan Walsh
For 2012: 3
Early Offers:
- Jordan Diamond - Chicago, IL
- Jonah Pirsig - Clue Earth, MN
- Evan Boehm - Lee's Summit, MO
- Ty Darlington - Apopka, FL
This is probably Iowa's most veteran unit on the offense with most of the projected starters as upperclassmen. The past couple of recruiting classes have been a little bit lite on offensive linemen, so I think next year's could have a few more.
* = Projected Starter
Note: Early Offers were pulled from Scout.com