Burn Breaks Down The Class Of 2014

Today marks the day that recruits can officially sign their letters of intent to attend the school of their choice.  FanSided as a whole is bring you in depth coverage on all of the schools.  Obviously, we at Dear Old Gold will be bringing you all the news for the Iowa Hawkeyes.

It appears as though everything went smoothly for Kirk Ferentz today as all of the commits have signed or will sign their letters of intent today.  So, now that all the guys are signed and are officially Hawkeyes.  I will be breaking down this class in its entirety.

This class will feature 5 athletes, 1 quarterback, 1 safety, 3 offensive linemen, 2 running backs, 3 defensive linemen, 3 linebackers, 1 cornerback, and 2 kickers.  Talk about an array of players.

For starters, Ferentz landed his first ESPN300 recruit in four years.  Jay Scheel, out of La Porte City, Iowa, highlights the class for the Hawkeyes.  Scheel is listed as an athlete, but did play quarterback in high school.  The chances he stays there transitioning into the college game are slim to none.  At 6’1″ 170 pounds, Scheel likely moves to wide receiver.  He’ll still need to tack on some weight to that frame, but beefing him up should be no problem.

When you look down at the rest of the class, it’s nothing too flashy.  But then again that’s how most of Ferentz’s classes look.  If you take a look back at the last five years, a lot of the productive players that have come through Iowa weren’t rated very high.  A good example is just last year; Desmond King was rated 73 overall by ESPN and he came in and had an outstanding true freshman season.

In 2011, Damon Bullock, wasn’t even rated by ESPN and he’s come in a been an effective runner for the Hawkeyes.   In 2010, the trio of linebackers that graduated this year, weren’t rated highly either.  James Morris and Anthony Hitchens were rated 74 and Christian Kirksey was not rated at all.  Then in 2009, current Green Bay Packer corner, Micah Hyde, was rated a 72 and recruited as a quarterback out of high school.

That’s why I don’t really buy into the fact that you need these top guys to be successful.  I also think it’s sad that a lot of people do.  Don’t get me wrong, it helps, but you don’t need to bring in guys like that to win football games.

Other big names coming in for the Hawkeyes are, Tyler Wiegers, Miles Taylor, and Lucas LeGrand.  Wiegers committed just before Christmas after his decommittment from Rutgers.  He is a pocket passer type with good size at 6’3″ and a solid arm.  He’ll fit in nicely when Jake Rudock’s career is over.

Taylor has good size for a safety and could replace Tanner Miller.  Taylor was originally committed to Georgia Tech, but would decommitt and pick Iowa.  He’ll need some time to develop I believe, but does possess good athletic ability.  He’s particularly good in run support and zone coverage.

LeGrand is a home grown boy from Dubuque, Iowa.  Slated to play the offensive tackle position, LeGrand, will probably need to tack on some pounds, he currently sits at 260.  Don’t be surprised if LeGrand redshirts for a year to sure his game up, but I think once he gets there, he could become something of a Brandon Scherff for the Hawkeyes.

After the top guys, there are a couple of other names that jump out at me that I am excited for, four to be exact.

Matt Nelson, Jalen Embry, Aaron Mends, and C.J. Hilliard.

Nelson has great height for a defensive end at 6’7″ and is also a home grown boy from Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  He’s quick off the blocks and has pretty good speed for a kid his size.  Nelson is also very athletic.  He played both ways in high school, defensive end and tight end, and plays power forward for Xavier’s basketball team.  He’s also very tough to block due to his length.

Hilliard excites me because he’s played against a lot of top competition and knows how to compete.  During Hilliard’s senior year, his team went 5-6, but five of those six loses came against the nations top 200 high school teams and three came against the top 50.  Hilliard is also a very explosive player.  After watching some film, he has good vision and will hit the hole when he sees it.  A nice piece for the Hawkeyes.

Mends appeals to me because just by looking up and down his twitter feed, you can tell he’s pumped up and really excited to be a Hawkeye.  That’s what drives guys to be the best they can be.  He’s got the passion on the inside to be a big time player at Iowa.  He’s a strong kid with a decent 40 time at 4.59.  He plays fast and should fit nicely in the middle of the football field in the future.

Finally, Embry, another athletic player out of Detroit.  I see Embry fitting in at the cornerback spot, joining fellow Detroit native, Desmond King, there.  Embry is a good cover guy and has solid speed.  Right now, he’s listed as an athlete, but should fit in somewhere in the defensive backfield.  He’s another player that is very excited for this opportunity.

This class doesn’t likely impact the team a lot next year, but as they progress, I’m really excited to see what this class can do for this team.  Not a lot of Kirk Ferentz classes impact the team the following year, so expectations shouldn’t be too high in Iowa City.