Hawkeyes Senior Day: The Legacy of the 2017 Class

Iowa will play its final home game of the 2017 season this Saturday against the Purdue Boilermakers. For 18 Hawkeye seniors, it will be the last time they run through the Kinnick stadium tunnel.

This class is fairly accomplished as far as Hawkeye senior classes go. They’ll appear in four bowl games, highlighted by their 2015 Rose Bowl trip after an undefeated regular season.

They had a 30 point blowout over a highly ranked Nebraska team plus a last second win against an undefeated Michigan team in 2016.

This year, they pulled off arguably  the most surprising win of the entire 2017 college football season when they blew out Ohio State earlier this month. The one thing this class hasn’t accomplished is a bowl win, which they’ll get the chance to do in their final game as Hawkeyes later this season.

Of course, not every player leaves the same mark. There are four year walk-ons just as there are four year starters. Let’s take a deeper look at the 2017 group and how they will be remembered.

The Unheralded Hawks:

DL–Jake Hulett, TE-John Wisnieski, DL- Daniel Gaffey

Gaffey and Hulett were both walk-ons that have spent the last five years working their tails off behind the scenes on scout team. Gaffey is an Iowa City native, and Hulett carved out a special teams role in 2015 before getting a sidelined by injuries. Wisnieski was a 4-star recruit coming out of the prestigious Dowling Catholic high school in Des Moines. Complications from a torn ACL suffered early in his career have kept him from making the impact he was hoping to make.

The Special Teamers

LS- Tyler Kluver, LB- Kevin Ward, TE- Peter Pekar

All three players joined the program as walk-ons, and all of them defied the odds and carved out regular roles for themselves for multiple seasons. Pekar sat on the bench for the first three years of his career before stepping up as Iowa’s primary backup tight end in 2016. This season he’s been used sparingly as an inline blocker and special teams contributor.

Ward started off his career as a defensive back and earned a special teams role as a redshirt sophomore in 2015. He moved to linebacker at the start of last season but was unable to earn a role in the defense. He’s remained a major special teams contributor, earning the honor of special teams captain for the 2017 season. He even started the Northwestern game at outside linebacker.

Kluver redshirted in 2013 and has made every single long snap for Iowa over the last four seasons. Still, many fans might not have known his name until his fake punt reception against Ohio State this season.

The Wounded Soldiers 

OL- Ike Boettger, Boone Myers

Boettger and Myers projected to be Iowa’s starting right and left tackles this year, but injuries have sadly derailed their seasons. Boettger, who was a high school quarterback, and Myers, who spent his first year in the program as a walk-on, both earned starting jobs as redshirt sophomores for Iowa’s 2015 Rose Bowl season. Boettger’s year ended early due to injury, but he came back strong in 2016 and started 12 out of 13 games at three different positions. Myers started the 2016 season at left guard but earned back his left tackle job for the last seven games.

The fifth year seniors expected more of the same in 2017, but their dream did not become a reality. Boettger ruptured his achilles in the second game of the season against Iowa State. Myers was in and out of the lineup for the first five games of the season with an ankle injury before suffering a season ending set back in the end of September against Michigan State.

Both players were major pieces of Iowa’s 2016 Joe Moore award winning offensive line, and they’ve been important role models for their freshman replacements this season. It’s unfortunate that two successful players had their senior season’s stripped from them, but they won’t soon be forgotten by Hawkeye fans. Myers still has hope to play in Iowa’s bowl game, presumably at left guard.

The Transfer

James Butler

The running back transfer from Nevada was a welcomed addition in fall camp, but an injury suffered against North Texas knocked him out of the lineup for four games and has hindered his ability to find a rhythm backing up Akrum Wadley. After rushing for well over 1,000 yards in both his sophomore and junior campaigns at Nevada, Butler has rushed for just 290 yards on only 65 carries so far this season.

The Senior Who Still Has Something to Prove

Miles Taylor 

The safety from Maryland earned a spot on the two deep as well as special teams playing time as soon as he stepped on campus in 2014. He stepped up his game to another level as a sophomore, earning the starting strong safety job while playing well enough to get fans wondering if the NFL would be in his future. Things have certainly changed over the last two seasons.

Taylor recorded 25 less tackles and failed to force a single take away as a junior. When free safety Brandon Snyder tore his ACL this past Spring, the pressure was on Taylor to step up his game. He’s responded by playing so sporadically that he was pulled in the middle of both the Illinois and Minnesota contests, while being pulled out of the lineup altogether against Ohio State.

A foot injury suffered by his replacement  Amani Hooker gave Taylor a second chance last week against Wisconsin, a game that ended in an embarrassing loss. Hooker’s injury appears likely to keep him out again this Saturday, which gives Taylor the opportunity for one last start at Kinnick stadium and the chance to keep his spot for the season finale and the team’s bowl game.

The Ferentz Grinders

FB-Drake Kulick, DT-Nathan Bazata

Kirk Ferentz has a rather particular preference of style. He doesn’t care if the football he oversees is potent, pretty, or even efficient for that matter. If you play for Kirk Ferentz, and you give him energy, effort and discipline, you will more often then not find yourself on the field. Drake Kulick and Nathan Bazata are great examples of that.

When Bazata was a redshirt sophomore, there was a wide open spot alongside future Minnesota Viking Jaleel Johnson in the starting lineup. While many expected Johnson’s classmate Faith Ekakitie to earn the spot considering he was the highest recruited player Iowa had at the position, the 6-2 287 pound Bazata had other ideas.

Bazata won the spot in fall camp and ended up starting 24 of the next 27 games over two seasons over Ekakitie. With 36 tackles and two sacks so far this season, Bazata is turning in his best campaign yet, with one more time to shine in Kinnick Stadium.

Kulick entered the program as a walk on linebacker, and was forced to switch to fullback after redshirting. Kirk Ferentz was quoted in his weekley press conference on Tuesday saying this about Kulick: ” three, four years ago it wasn’t real pretty when he tried to do what fullbacks are supposed to do, and I don’t mind telling you I was more than skeptical that he would be able to make it to where he made it.” Despite his limitations, Kulick entered the 2016 season as Iowa’s starting fullback.

As if overcoming the odds once wasn’t enough, Kulick found himself staring adversity in the face once again during Iowa’s 2016 season finale, when he suffered a gruesome leg injury on the first play of the game.

Kulick missed the entire offseason program, but nonetheless was able to step in by the start of the season and he hasn’t missed a game yet. Few Hawkeyes have earned the right to be honored this Saturday more than Kulick has.

The Outside Linebackers

Bo Bower & Ben Niemann

Two productive players with very different fan perceptions.

Bower was a walk-on who replaced Christian Kirksey as a redshirt freshman in 2014, and struggled mightily. Bower was then beat out the next season by senior Cole Fischer while Ben Niemann stepped in seamlessly as a true sophomore for an undefeated team.

As a result of their early career results, most fans were delighted to have another two seasons of Niemann in black and gold. Bower? Not so much. One of the questions most frequently asked of coach Ferentz during the 2016 preseason was “Is there really no better option than Bower?”

Ferentz stuck with Bower, and credit to both, because Bower was second on the team in tackles last year with 91 and he could break the 100 tackle mark this season.

Over their careers, Niemann and Bower have combined for 355 tackles, 7 sacks and 6 interceptions. Considering Iowa will have three new starters at linebacker in 2018, I suggest Iowa fans not to take the last three games of Josey Jewel, Niemann and Bower for granted.

That leaves five Hawkeyes that will be stepping on the Kinnick Stadium turf for the last time Saturday. Each one of them have had a profound impact at Iowa over their careers, and they will all be missed. I ranked the final five, in order of the impact they made on the program over the course of their career, not just this season.

5- Cornerback Josh Jackson

Jackson is a redshirt junior with a year of eligibility left, but I find it hard to believe that the breakout corner will return for his senior season. With Jackson shooting up the draft boards, he should understand that now will likely be his best chance to make the most possible money coming out of school. His old teammate Desmond King declined the draft after winning the Jim Thorpe award his junior season, and he ended up falling to the fifth round after a less dominate senior year and discouraging senior bowl performance.

Jackson’s rise was quick and unforeseen. After breaking into the lineup as the nickel back on Iowa’s Rose Bowl team as a redshirt freshman, he was beat out by incoming freshman Manny Rugamba last year, forcing him almost exclusively into a special teams teams role. He was penciled in as a starter entering spring ball and he has taken off from there. He has broken up 15 passes this season and intercepted 7, with two returned for touchdowns. It’s highly likely this Saturday will be the last we see of him in uniform at Kinnick, best of luck to him in the NFL.

4- Wide Receiver Matt Vandeberg

Vandeberg is the only player on the roster that saw actual game action when he came to campus in 2013, where he played sparingly. After catching a total of 22 passes his first two seasons in limited playing time, ‘MVB’ broke onto the scene his junior year, as he clearly developed a great on-field relationship with quarterback C.J. Beathard.

Vandeberg had career bests in every statistical category in 2015, numbers he won’t come close to matching this season. He led the team with 65 catches for 703 yards while hauling in 4 touchdowns, and he entered his senior season with high expectations.

After grabbing 19 passes for 284 yards and three touchdowns in non conference play, he suffered a season ending foot injury that ended his season. However, he was lucky enough to earn a medical redshirt for 2016, allowing him to play this year.

While he has been a steady presence and worthy of his starting spot, the numbers and overall impact have not been the same as they were pre-injury. After a career with so many ups and downs, hopefully Vandeberg can provide us with one last memory on the field this Saturday.

3-Offensive Lineman Sean Welsh

The only four year starter in the class. He has been a Big Ten All-Freshman Team selection, an All-Conference honorable mention and a third team All-Conference selection in his career, and he is likely headed to the All-Conference team again this season.

After starting off as a left guard next to Hawkeye legend Brandon Scherff, he moved to the right side of the line as a junior and has played primarily guard with four starts at right tackle. Welsh has conquered every obstacle on the field, and that’s nothing compared to how he  kick’s depression’s Ass every single day. 

The road to the NFL is bleak for a 295 pound lineman, even a four year starter like Welsh. But I wouldn’t put anything past him, all he’s done during his Hawkeye tenure is beat the odds.

2-Running Back Akrum Wadley

The choice for the top spot on this list was tough, Wadley got serious consideration from me as the most impactful Hawkeye senior. At the end of the day, he’ll have to settle for #2.

When the under recruited New Jersey native stepped onto campus in the fall of 2013, he was the #5 running back on the depth chart, and all four players in front of him had at least two years left of eligibility. I firmly believe that if given the chance to play earlier in his career, Wadley could have been Iowa’s second ever 4,000 yard rusher. That’s how talented he is.

Even when he finally cracked the rotation as a redshirt sophomore in 2015, it was still senior Jordan Canzeri’s job, and junior Leshun Daniels was seeing a heavy chunk of playing time as the short yardage back. Wadley only averaged six carries a game, but he showed his game-braking ability with a 6.0 YPC and 7 touchdowns.

Last season, Wadley proved that his small sophomore sample size was no fluke, as he joined his teammate Daniels as a 1,000 yard rusher, while adding 315 receiving yards and 13 total touchdowns.

Wadley had the option to leave early for the NFL, but he elected to stay and has thrived being Iowa’s feature back for the first time in his career. He’s already piled up almost 1,100 yards of total offense this season, and he’s on track to graduate as a top five rusher in the history of the school.

Akrum Wadley’s gorgeous running style will remain in the minds of Hawkeye fans for years to come. It’ll be very difficult to say goodbye to #25 this Saturday at Kinnick.

#1- Middle Linebacker Josey Jewell

Josey Jewell. The Outlaw. Jewell’s story has been told within state borders a thousand times, and it gets more impressive with each passing day.

In case you haven’t heard his story, let me get you up to speed. The night before signing day during Jewell’s senior year of high school, he had no division 1 FBS or FCS offers. Northern Iowa was giving him the chance to walk-on, but he felt it just wasn’t the place for him. He was prepared to head to the DIII Luther College in Decorah, Iowa to play. Kirk Ferentz placed a last second phone call to Jewell and he accepted. The rest is literally history.

The scrawny 180 pound teenager beefed up to 235 by his redshirt sophomore year, and he earned the starting middle linebacker job. From that point on, he has been one of the most productive players in the country.

He recorded 126 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 10 pass deflections and 4 interceptions in his first year as a starter, earning second team All-Conference honors. Jewell didn’t just provide immediate impact, he provided immediate dominance.

He doubled down on that dominance as a junior, recording another 124 tackles in 13 games with a sack and 9 pass deflections, earning another second team All-Conference nod.

He entered this season as a rare third year captain, and has responded yet again with an All-American caliber season. Even after missing the Northwestern game with a shoulder injury, he still has 104 tackles. He has three games left to record 23 tackles to set a career high. Considering He has recorded double digit tackles in 7 of 9 games this season and has a season low of 7 tackles, I’d bet the over on 126 tackles for the year. He’s also thrown in 5 pass deflections, 2.5 sacks and an interception so far, because why not?

As the Hawkeyes come barging through the Kinnick Stadium tunnel for the final time of the 2017 season, expect Jewell to be at the forefront of the charge. He couldn’t have possibly done more to have earned it.