As expected pretty much the whole year (except for when there were some crazy rumors flying around when he was hospitalized) junior left tackle Bryan Bulaga is going to forgo his senior year at Iowa to enter the NFL draft. Bulaga had a great career as a Hawkeye earning a spot along the line as a true freshman. This year, despite missing 3 games he earned All Big Ten honors and was named the Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year. He also capped off his college with an outstanding performance in the Orange Bowl on Tuesday night. Georgia Tech's defensive ends, including star Derrick Morgan, were pretty much rendered useless, and the 2 big runs, including the game sealing touchdown, in the 4th quarter were both to his side.
While I certainly wish Bulaga the best and hope he has a great NFL career, it's hard to see him go...especially with fellow linemen Eubanks, Calloway, and Richardson (who decided to test the pro waters as well instead of trying for a sixth year) also leaving. That leaves question marks all over the line.
Rieff and Vandervelde will be locks probably occupying left tackle and left (or right I guess) guard respectively. Center will likely be James Ferentz, though Koeppel will be a senior and in the mix. Adam Gettis has some experience and could be the other guard. Markus Zusevics is a name the has been brought up by Ferentz as someone making good strides. He has seen very limited action, but was listed as the second string right tackle throughout the year. There are also a handful of freshmen and guys like Kyle Haganman and Cody Hundertmark (who switched over to the offense from a backup defensive tackle).
Anyway, good luck to Bryan Bulaga...I hope you get drafted in the first round and make lots of money.