Iowa football: Latest coaching hire has current family ties to Hawks

The Iowa football team has filled the void left by the retirement Reese Morgan, and he’s got some family ties to the Hawkeyes.

The retirement of longtime assistant coach and top recruiter Reese Morgan was a huge blow for the Iowa football team, but it appears the Hawks have finally settled on a replacement just a few days after spring practice has concluded.

The new man who will be manning the defensive line as an assistant to the recently promoted Kelvin Bell just so happens to be current starting linebacker Nick Niemann’s dad, Jay Niemann.

Do not underestimate the importance of this hire.

Hiring father Niemann makes perfect sense for the Iowa football team too. He has experience in the Big Ten (last year he was the defensive coordinator for a dreadful Rutgers team), and he is originally from the state of Iowa. His ties with our great state don’t stop there though.

Niemann played for Iowa State before embarking on a 35-year coaching career which included stints as the head coach at Simpson College, the defensive coordinator for Drake University, and the defensive coordinator at the University of Northern Iowa.

He’s also got a son in the NFL and one playing D-1 football for the Iowa football program, so I would say the guy knows defense pretty well, but what can’t be understated is the wealth of knowledge he brings to the table on the recruiting trail. His wealth of knowledge and experience recruiting the state of Iowa will allow the Iowa football team to somewhat soften the blow left behind from the great Reese Morgan.

I realize the state of Iowa doesn’t produce as much D-1 talent as a Texas or Florida, but winning the in-state recruiting battle is instrumental to the success of the program and with a plethora of small 8-man and 1A football schools, finding the diamond in the rough could be the difference between a great Iowa football team and a good Iowa football team.

Guys like Dallas Clark and Robert Gallery came from small schools in the state of Iowa and went on to best first round draft picks. Niemann can help with that. He knows small towns. After all, he did grow up in Avoca, Iowa with a whopping population of 1,500 residents.

And if you are worried at all about his ability to coach considering just how bad Rutgers was, just remember, both of his sons have gone through the Iowa football program with remarkable success. Some of that credit belongs to father Niemann.