Iowa football: Hawkeyes’ five biggest storylines of 2019
By Andrew Wade
Storyline #5: Will Iowa continue to evolve?
One of the things I loved most about last years season was that we saw the Iowa football team evolve, which is something that did not happen often before, and it wasn’t just in one area, it was in all three phases of the game.
The offense got more aggressive on 3rd and 4th down, special teams pulled out their fair share of (successful) trick plays, and the defense unveiled a more modern 4-2-5 defense.
What’s in store for 2019 of #NewKirk?
It sounds like the 4-2-5 is here to stay, and the Iowa football team is having quite a few folks audition for the spot. Given the number of talented candidates and the depth at corner, I could see Phil Parker doing more rotating than normal to get the most talent on the field at one time. Moreover, coming out of spring practice, it sounded like the Hawks were experimenting with Amani Jones as a stand-up edge rusher, which means we could even see some three down linemen looks.
Offensively, the Hawks have been accumulating some great depth at wide receiver, which to me, means they could be looking at the possibility of a spread attack as part of their offensive arsenal.
On special teams, my guess is we will see more of the same, but with a few tricks on tape, the Hawks will need to be a bit more creative and well-timed in their approach in order to be successful.
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Like last year, as we see a few new wrinkles from #NewKirk, we will be providing analysis on what is taking place and why, but for now it’s just one of the five main storylines to follow heading into 2019.