Links For Iowa: The Rhabdo 13 is out

All of the Rhabdo 13 have be been released

Great news. Yesterday evening a statement was released that all 13 of the Iowa football players suffering from rhabdomyolysis had been discharged from the hospital. Just two days before only 5 had been released.

Gary Barta (finally) and Kirk Ferentz also had statements as part of the University's release. Probably the biggest thing to come out from the statements is that Ferentz absolved the players of any responsibility in the events that led to the hospitalization. "They trained extremely hard and ended up in the hospital, and there is no indication they did anything wrong."

Barta goes on to say though, that we shouldn't be too quick to judge the strength and conditioning staff. "The staff and coaches who work with these young men are highly respected professionals who are dedicated and care deeply about our student-athletes. I hope those who follow our program will respect this process moving forward and refrain from any further unproductive rush to judgment."
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Ferentz's Statement

Kirk Ferentz has released a statement regarding the Rhabdo 13. The best news is that 5 of the 13 have or will be released from the hospital today. Hopefully we will hear similar news about the other 8 soon.

There has been so much going on with this situation...people calling for Ferentz's head, others giving Ferentz and Doyle their full support, someone likely accessing of some of the players' medical records illegally, and tons of people throwing around baseless speculation. For now I'm just going to post the Ferentz statement and come back to some of the other things when I have a little more time.
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More thoughts on the Rhabdo 13 and the presser

The press conference yesterday was a swing-and-a-miss by the Athletic Department. No Kirk Ferentz, no Gary Barta, not even Chris Doyle, and ultimately no (or very little) answers.

On Ferentz

The big thing that a lot of people were focusing on was Ferentz's absence. It looks bad and like he doesn't care about the kids. I guarantee that is absolutely not the case. Biff Poggi let us know that Ferentz has been calling and talking with the parents (Poggi had talked to him 4 times in the past couple of days). So he does care. Still, this would have been a perfect time to use some of those 35 private jet hours.

Instead Ferentz was on the recruiting trail in Ohio. Which, to me, is okay, I guess. There is a very limited amount of time when Ferentz actually gets a chance to get away from Iowa City and meeting with recruits in person. That's his job too. But that begs the question, why didn't Iowa wait until Ferentz's return to hold the press conference? That would have quelled the Ferentz doesn't care mumblings. Yesterday, they could have sent out a more detailed press release than the mostly information-less one on Tuesday and then held the press conference this morning.
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12 Hawkeyes Hospitalized with Rhabdomyolysis

I learned a new word yesterday: rhabdomyolysis. Twelve unidentified Iowa football players were admitted to U of I Hospitals on Monday with condition (few of the player have been identified though neither the University or the hospital are releasing names). It is "likely" related to a particularly grueling winter workout that players went through sometime in the last week (probably January 20 based on some players' Facebook posts).

First, thankfully all the players are reported responding well to treatment. When treated early, rhabdomyolysis is usually something you can fully recover from. I imagine the 12 will miss some time and be eased back into work outs, but don't think it's career threatening.
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Links for Iowa is busy in the off-season

It was actually a really big Iowa Football news weekend for the off-season. With signing day just over a week away and the NFL draft around the corner, most of the news has to do with players that haven't yet started their Hawkeye career or just had it end.

Klug and Donahue in the Shrine Bowl

Ryan Donahue had the play of the night. Donahue punted 5 times, averaging 38 yards a kick and had 2 downed inside the 20. His big play however, was just a 22-yard punt. The snap sailed over Donahue's head and he was able to run down the ball, avoid the oncoming rush, and punt the ball away rugby style down the field. Though the punt went just 22 yards, his effort probably change the field position by 40-50 yards.

I couldn't find much mention of Klug. He was playing DE though, which makes sense based on his size.

The Senior Bowl is next

First off, Adrian Clayborn has decided to withdraw from the Senior Bowl. It's not really an uncommon thing to do for players worried about injuries (which I still think he has been nursing some sort of leg injury since the Wisconsin game) and are expected to be drafted high. It would have provided him with a good opportunity to showcase his skill to some scouts, especially after a somewhat lackluster season. However, he should have no issues landing a spot in the 1st round with a good combine.
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DJK is always in the news

DJK has drug house charges dropped

While he still has a handful of possession charges (marijuana, cocaine, and some prescriptions drugs), DJK had the charge for keeping a drug house dropped yesterday. That is good news for DJK as the drug house charge was the most serious and carried up to a 2-year prison sentence if convicted. He is scheduled to be arraigned on the other charges February 3.

DJK loves to tweet

I have been critical of DJK in the past and he's still not one of my favorite players, but I will say that I do appreciate his unwavering loyalty to the Iowa Hawkeyes. I've seen nothing but positive comments from him on Twitter and he interacts a lot with Hawkeye fans. Anyway, on to my point. A large majority of the stuff DJK says on Twitter, you'll want to ignore. However, he has recently been offering up his opinions on some players to watch in 2011. And that is at least an interesting look into how players are performing at practice--something we don't get see very often.

On James Morris:

James Morris is every coaches dream. He would gladly practice 6hrs a day if KF asked. He wants to be great but not 4 himself.but for everyone else in the program. He is the next greenway. 4year starting. God willing!

On James Vandeberg:

In10' his practices were practically flawless.startin caliber.

On Kevonte Martin-Manley:

Kevonte is the new DJK minus the delusional antics.he has my senior skills as a freshman. no bs. I know talent when I c it.

On Keenan Davis:

If Keenan Davis can convert his freakish abilities to on the field production.... He will be the best WR Iowa has ever seen. TRUST THAT!

On Brad Herman:

Herman is my standout in 2011.I watched that dude go from 0tohero in a years time. Complimented his efforts everyday in the shower#trueStory

On the defensive line:

The dl won't b our strong point next year aside from MichaelD. We lose two 1st rounds ends. That is inreplacable in a years time.

Okay, that's enough for now, though there are probably more...this guy tweet a lot. If you want to try sifting through his stream follow him @DJ_Koulianos.

Links for Iowa comes and goes

Cyrus Kouandjio is visiting Iowa this weekend

A few days ago, word spread that Kouandjio was considering dropping his planned visit to Iowa to travel to USC (or a couple of other schools). Yesterday, however, it was confirmed that he will be traveling to Iowa City on Saturday with teammate Darian Cooper.

Kouandjio is one of the top (if not the top) offensive lineman recruit in the country. He is a universal 5-star and recently participated in the Under Armour All-American Game. His brother currently attends Alabama and it is expected by many that he will follow in his brother's shoes and sign with the Crimson Tide on February 2. He does also have ties to Iowa though. He and Marcus Coker were teammates last year at DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, MD. It also wouldn't hurt if Cooper picks the Hawkeyes.
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Adam Robinson speaks

Adam Robinson met with the media over the weekend. He wanted to publicly apologize and announce that he wants to earn his way back on to the team. I admire the way he is going about this. He's not whining about it or just transferring to another school that may not have the same academic or character standards. Instead he's taking responsibility for his action and is going to stick it out at Iowa and try to right the ship.

Right now it's all talk, but he is at least saying the right things. He wants to stay at Iowa because he's "always wanted to be a Hawkeye." And, he wants to get his act together starting with his academics and wants to "really attack [his] studies and get on top of it and totally turn this thing around."
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Links For Iowa follows former running backs

Wegher to transfer to Oklahoma

This is one of the more surprising stories of the day. Brandon Wegher has decided to walk on at Oklahoma. Every rumor I had ever read about Brandon Wegher pointed to him staying somewhere close to home (for various reasons). He was linked to South Dakota State, Northern Iowa, etc... Oklahoma is not close to home and is not a FCS school. That means he'll be far away from his family and will have to sit out another year leaving just 2 years of eligibility. I think he can be a good player for Bob Stoops if he gets his heart back into football. However, I would have predicted a move to a smaller school where he could be the star player and play immediately. I was wrong, though. So best luck to Brandon as a Sooner.

Robinson pleads guilty

Speaking of former Iowa running backs, Adam Robinson entered a guilty plea today for his possession of marijuana charges. His punishment is one year probation, a $315 fine, and a substance abuse evaluation.
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BlogPoll: Final

It was a little difficult coming up with the final rankings. The main problem is that there aren't really 25 teams that I think deserve to be ranked. A lot of teams near the bottom of the top 25 before the bowls lost and a lot of borderline teams lost too. I ended up putting Iowa at #25 because of their two big wins against Michigan State and Missouri. Most of the other bubble teams don't have any quality wins and all have troubling losses (like Iowa's loss to Minnesota).

The rest is pretty self explanatory I think.

Fight For Iowa Ballot - Week 16

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Auburn Tigers	--
2	TCU Horned Frogs	1
3	Oregon Ducks	-1
4	Ohio St. Buckeyes	1
5	Stanford Cardinal	1
6	Nevada Wolf Pack	3
7	Boise St. Broncos	3
8	Arkansas Razorbacks	--
9	Wisconsin Badgers	-5
10	Alabama Crimson Tide	7
11	Michigan St. Spartans	-4
12	Oklahoma Sooners	--
13	Oklahoma St. Cowboys	--
14	LSU Tigers	--
15	Virginia Tech Hokies	-4
16	Florida St. Seminoles	3
17	Central Florida Knights	6
18	Nebraska Cornhuskers	-3
19	Missouri Tigers	-3
20	Mississippi St. Bulldogs	4
21	Texas A&M Aggies	--
22	Northern Illinois Huskies	--
23	Air Force Falcons	--
24	West Virginia Mountaineers	-4
25	Iowa Hawkeyes	--
Dropouts: South Carolina Gamecocks, Utah Utes, Hawaii Warriors

SB Nation BlogPoll College Football Top 25 Rankings »

McNutt coming back, Sash going pro

A day after Shaun Prater announced that he was returning to Iowa for his senior season, Marvin McNutt and Tyler Sash announced their decisions. McNutt has decided to come back as well. He made a simple announcement on Facebook "I'm going back" that was later confirmed by Iowa. Coach Ferentz said, "I was very happy to learn this morning of Marvin’s intentions to finish his career at Iowa as a senior next fall. Marvin has done some tremendous things for our team the past several years and we anticipate him enjoying a very productive year as both a player and team leader in his senior year."

McNutt coming back is a huge deal for the Hawkeyes next season. He was the leading receiver on the team with 53 receptions for 861 yards and 10 TDs. With a big senior class at receiver leaving (DJK, Sandeman, Chaney, Nordmann), McNutt will likely be the number 1 target again. And, if the Ohio State game was any indication of what McNutt and James Vandenberg can do together, I think the two could put up some big numbers.

Sash on the other hand is not coming back. He's decided to forgo his senior year and enter the draft. Like Prater and McNutt, Sash's decision was announce via social media. He tweeted "After much prayer and deliberation, I've decided now's the right time to go to the next level. Thanks Hawkeyes for all of your support."

While I'm disappointed that he won't be coming back, I think he probably made the right decision. He's had 4 good years at Iowa and has already put up some big numbers on the field with interceptions and tackles. I think he would have been a big part of the defense next year with an inexperienced front 7, but don't know that he could have done much to improve his stock in the draft.

My guess would be that Jordan Bernstine would have the best shot at replacing Sash. Bernstine played a little safety in camp, though played in mostly as a corner/nickel during the season. Some other options might be Tom Donatell, Anthony Hitchens, Jack Swanson, Tanner Miller (if he's not the free safety), or maybe a converted corner like Greg Castillo. Both safety spots will be interesting to watch in the spring and fall.

Links For Iowa welcomes back Prater

Iowa just misses out on being ranked

The Hawkeyes win over Missouri in the Insight Bowl was not enough to boost Iowa back into the top 25 rankings. In the AP Poll, Iowa received 54 points and missed out of the top 25 by two spots. The coaches were a little less kind to the Hawks and have them 30th. With the losses of seniors at several key positions (namely quarterback, receiver, and the defensive line), I can't imagine Iowa will be ranked that start the next season.

Shaun Prater announces he'll return

Prater initially made his announcement on Twitter and Facebook. It was later confirmed by the school and Ferentz--"I was very pleased to learn of Shaun Prater’s decision to return to the team for his senior season. Shaun has played very good football for us the past few years and I expect him to continue growing both as a player and team leader next season."

Prater is the first to commit to coming back of the 3 juniors who were toying with the idea of leaving early. McNutt and Sash are the other two. Having Prater back will be very helpful for a defense that will be breaking in a lot of new faces along the front seven and potentially at both safety spots (depending on Sash's decision). Prater with Micah Hyde at the other corner spot could give Iowa one of the best duos in the conference at the position.
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Auburn: National Champions

I'm going to keep the Fight For Auburn logo up for one more day because I think they deserve it. It was a very exciting game last night...a lot lower scoring than anyone expected, but still exciting. You can't script it up any better to end the game on a field goal for the win.

It was definitely a fun game to have a huge Auburn fan in the house. My wife was elated. I don't think I've ever or will ever again see her that excited over football.

Anyway, congratulations Auburn. And, War Eagle!

Fight For Auburn

I know the description on this blog says "cheering and fight for Iowa Hawkeyes Football all day, every day" but today I am making an exception. Today is all about cheering and fight for Auburn football as the Tigers try to win a Nation Championship. My wife and most of her family went to Auburn and are all huge fans. My in-laws are actually down in Arizona just to tailgate for the game tonight.

However, despite the large amount of fandom around here, I don't actually know a lot about the Tigers. I've watched a handful of their games and of course know about Cam Newton, but that's about it. So, I had my wife contact one of her friends from Auburn to write about a preview of tonight's game.

---

Full disclosure up front: I am one of those people that is absolutely insane for AU football. I get an almost equal amount of pleasure from a certain other team's losing as I do when we win. Yep. I'm that guy.

My mom grew up in Auburn and my parents met there in college. My grandfather worked there on their first computer, (I think it was 1994). I didn't get to many games growing up but I watched on TV, wore the t-shirts, knew the players' names, and was harassed when we lost. Literally, if they had a surgery that could make your blood run orange and blue, I'd look into it, (they don't have it yet, btw). Okay, let's just keep everything out in the open: I cried when we came back and beat that other team in the Iron Bowl this year. Tears happened. So I have grown up this way.

As I'm sure you can relate in Iowa, we do not have a pro sports team in the state. So 100% of people's passion, love, and hate go into football. You can't talk about football in this state without talking about our rivalry. If both teams (I like to avoid saying their name) were to have losing seasons in the same year, the state economy would crash and we'd slide back down to being the 50th poorest state, (thank God for Mississippi). So if I sound preoccupied with hating “the bad guys” that is just how it goes. I don't try to hide it. (You know they only have eight national championships and not thirteen, right?). We like to point out that we are the "Auburn Family" instead of the impersonal "____ Nation" that other "universities" around here claim.

My thoughts for the game are simple. Number one: we have Cam Newton. Our offensive line is 8x their d-line’s size. We can score in any way possible when we have the ball. From a hail mary to a reverse end-around 80 yard run, anything is possible at any time, (yes, I know their's does too. I'm getting to it). Do you know how many times we came back from MASSIVE deficits this year? I think it was most of our games we were down. Many times by double digits. We were down 24-0 AT tuscaloosa. That does not happen. Sure, we have not played an offense like theirs and our secondary, as everyone on the planet loves to point out, is not great. But they have not played an offense like ours for four quarters and we have played better defenses and made them look silly. We ran for more yards against LSU than they’ve given up. Ever. LSU. The UO defense will be exhausted in the fourth quarter, (thanks to our size and speed and their lightning fast offense) and our defense has been tested by the SEC for 13 weeks. We win.

As a lifelong Auburn fan, I always told myself if we made it to the NC game I’d do anything to be there. (But I can't, because I'd have to sell myself into indentured servitude to afford it, and I've got stuff that can’t be rescheduled). Can I be honest? I thought it might not happen for 30-40 years. After the ’04 Robbery (and then the bad guys winning it all last year) I started to despair a little. But the truth is, while I'm nervous as heck for Monday night and want to win it so badly, if we don’t, I will be okay. We are still Auburn. As the saying goes, "it's great to be an Auburn Tiger," win or lose. Is that cheesy? Absolutely. True? Yep.

Did I mention I thank God I didn't go to that dumpster-fire of a "school" in tuscaloosa? Just wanted to make sure we are clear on that one. Thanks for reading and War Eagle!

AU = 377
UO = -7

-Nick Melton
Class of 2006

McCall fully committed and Hawkeye tweets

Mikail McCall commits to Iowa

McCall was said to have committed to Iowa about a month ago. There was then a not-so-fast-my-friend type of statement and a then a very soft commitment to Iowa. Well, that is over now as McCall has decided to stop taking college visit and is now firmly a Hawkeye ($). McCall is a 3-star running back from Illinois. It makes perfect sense with Iowa's recent situation at running back for McCall to commit. My guess is that he'll red-shirt with Marcus Coker, De'Andre Johnson, and incoming Rodney Coe in front of him, but with Iowa's recent history at halfback, he might be the starter by week 6.
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Links For Iowa: Robinson gone, KOK to UConn?

Adam Robinson dismissed

This is old news already, but I haven't had a chance to write about it yet. Robinson was kicked off the team on Monday following his citation for possession of marijuana (and he incidentally filed his paperwork with the Polk County District today). The pot charges were the final straw as Robinson already sat the bench for the opening quarter against Ohio State and was suspended from the bowl game for "academic indigestion"/"not taking care of business".

Following the chaotic couple of weeks the Hawkeyes had in December, dismissing Robinson was the right move. To get cited with marijuana possession while you're at home serving a suspension with the rest of the team in Arizona is just not very smart. So Robinson is now another running back to add to the list of casualties. It's amazing at this time a year ago Iowa still had Robinson, Brandon Wegher, Jewel Hampton, Jeff Brinson, and Jeff Brown in what looked like a log jam in the backfield. All 5 are now off the team for one reason or another. Thankfully Marcus Coker looks like the real deal.
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Quick look at 2011: Starters

One thing that really stuck out to me during the Insight Bowl was the play of some of the underclassmen. It was exciting to see that there is young talent on the team and that the big senior class may be easier to replace than expected. Anyway, looking forward to next year, here's my first draft of what I think the starters will be for 2011. I cheated a little bit and listed 2 for a couple of positions. At this point too, I'm assuming all of the juniors will come back.

Offense:
SE | Keenan Davis
LT | Riley Reiff
LG | Nolan MacMillan
C | James Ferentz
RG | Adam Gettis
RT | Markus Zusevics
TE | Brad Herman/C.J. Fiedorowicz
QB | James Vandenberg
WR | Marvin McNutt
RB | Marcus Coker
FB | Brad Rogers

Defense:
DE | Lebron Daniel
DT | Steve Bigach/Thomas Nardo
DT | Mike Daniels
DE | Broderick Binns
OLB | Tyler Nielsen
MLB | James Morris
WLB | Shane DiBona/Christian Kirksey
LC | Shaun Prater
SS | Tyler Sash
FS | Tanner Miller
RC | Micah Hyde

Special Teams:
PK | Michael Meyer
P | Eric Guthrie/Jonny Mullings
PR | Mavin McNutt/Keenan Davis
KR | Keenan Davis and Micah Hyde
LS | Casey Kreiter

2011 Iowa Football Commits

	WR Marcus Grant	Scout:	Size: 6-2, 190
	Groton, MA	Rivals:	Stats: 26 catches, 557 yards, 8 TDs
	OL Austin Blythe	Scout:	Size: 6-3, 275
	Williamsburg, IA	Rivals:	Stats: ('09) 40 tackles, 19 TFLs, 9 sacks
	TE Henry Krieger-Coble	Scout:	Size: 6-4, 220
	Mt. Pleasant, IA	Rivals:	Stats: 35 catches, 612 yards, 8 TDs
	WR Austin Vincent	Scout:	Size: 6-1, 165
	DeSoto, TX	Rivals:	Stats: 16 catches, 327 yards, 6 TDs
	TE Ray Hamilton	Scout:	Size: 6-5, 230
	Strongsville, OH	Rivals:	Stats: 55 catches, 902 yards, 11 TDs
	DE John Raymon	Scout:	Size: 6-5, 235
	Newtown, PA	Rivals:	Stats: ('09) 72 tackles
	QB Jacob Rudock	Scout:	Size: 6-2, 185
	Fort Lauderdale, FL	Rivals:	Stats: 160/231, 2784 yards, 36 TDs, 3 INTs
	TE Jake Duzey	Scout:	Size: 6-4, 215
	Troy, MI	Rivals:	Stats: 38 receptions, 629 yards, 4 TDs
	DE Riley McMinn	Scout:	Size: 6-7, 220
	Rochester, IL	Rivals:	Stats: ('09) 67 tackles, 18 TFLs, 11 sacks
	LB Cole Fisher	Scout:	Size: 6-3, 200
	Omaha, NE	Rivals:	Stats: 136 tackles, 3 INTs
	DB Torrey Campbell	Scout:	Size: 5-11,175
	Napels, FL	Rivals:	Stats: 36 rushes, 253 yards, 4 TDs
	OG Jordan Walsh	Scout:	Size: 6-3, 275
	Glen Ellyn, IL	Rivals:	Stats: --
	LB Melvin Spears	Scout:	Size: 6-2, 220
	Allen, TX	Rivals:	Stats: 105 tackles, 2 sacks, 3 INTs
	DB Nicholas Law	Scout:	Size: 6-3, 190
	Forestville, MD	Rivals:	Stats: 106 Tackles, 6 Sacks, 1 INT
	OL Dan Heiar	Scout:	Size: 6-5, 285
	Council Bluffs, IA	Rivals:	Stats: --
	WR Jacob Hillyer	Scout:	Size: 6-4, 190
	Somerset, TX	Rivals:	Stats: 87 catches, 1648 yards, 18 TDs
	RB Rodney Coe*	Scout:	Size: 6-3, 240
	Edwardsville, IL	Rivals:	Stats: 102 carries, 554 yards, 6 TDs
	RB Mika'il McCall	Scout:	Size: 5-11, 190
	Dolton, IL	Rivals:	Stats: 153 carries, 1,283 yards, 16 TDs
	LB Quinton Alston	Scout:	Size: 6-1, 215
	Erial, NJ	Rivals:	Stats: ('09) 80 tackles, 12 TFLs, 4 sacks
	DB Jordan Lomax	Scout:	Size: 5-11, 190
	Hyattsville, MD	Rivals:	Stats:--
	LB Johnny Lowdermilk	Scout: NR	Size: 6-2, 200
	Kensington, OH	Rivals:	Stats: ('09) 100 tackles, 3 INTs
	RB Damon Bullock	Scout: NR	Size: 6-0, 195
	Mansfield, TX	Rivals:	Stats:--
	RB Jordan Canzeri	Scout: NR	Size: 5-9, 177
	Troy NY	Rivals:	Stats: 222 carries, 2048 yards, 36 TDs
	LB Marcus Collins	Scout: NR	Size: 6-0, 215
	Drexel Hill, PA	Rivals:	Stats:90 tackles, 15 sacks

More information on the 24 Iowa Football Commits including video, stats, and Ferentz quotes.

*Coe did not qualify academically and enrolled at Iowa Western Community College.