Four-star recruits generally don't land at Iowa after the start of a new year. For whatever reason (gameday visits, general mentality of "Iowa guys"), until yesterday, Iowa's top-rated recruits commit during the fall. In fact, until yesterday, Iowa had gone five years since landing a four-star commitment in January or February (Cedric Everson).
Until yesterday. Late last night, Iowa landed the commitment of Alex Kozan, offensive guard out of Castle Rock, Colorado. Kozan (4* Rivals, 4* ESPN, 3* Scout, 3* 24/7) chose Iowa over Michigan and Auburn; he also held offers from a long list of BCS programs, including Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon, South Carolina, and most of the rest of the Big 12 and Pac-12. He's already 6'4" and 295 pounds, and is a definite interior lineman despite playing tackle in high school.
Kozan's commitment not only comes at a time when Iowa usually doesn't get players of his caliber, but also from a region where Iowa doesn't usually go. In fact, Kozan is Iowa's first four-star commitment from west of the Great Plains during the Kirk Ferentz era, and the first non-JUCO commitment from the American West since Casey McMillan in 2008 (I say "American West" because Johnny Mullings is here from the Outback, which I suppose is west of everything). Reese Morgan, who is usually deployed in Iowa and eastern Nebraska but didn't have much to do this year once Amara Darboh had rejected Iowa, was the primary recruiter here. This had a dual effect: It gave Iowa the advantage of having one of its best recruiters dedicated almost exclusively to Kozan (and fellow Coloradan Joey O'Connor) down the stretch, and it put Kozan in direct and constant contact with his eventual position coach. It was Iowa putting its best foot forward in every conceivable way, and it worked despite all historical evidence to the contrary. It's a huge commitment for this class (now with more four-star prospects than any class since 2007) and a much-needed win for the coaching staff in a month of bad news.
0 recs | 106 comments
This is super great.
Johnson, Ekakite, Ward, Kozan…
I wouldn’t mind getting 4-star DB’s, WR’s, QB’s, but if you’re only going to get a handful, I like getting them on the lines.
(Garmon is another good get, of course, I still have hope for Lambert)
tyger1147 - January 30, 2012
Also, Garmon is a consensus 4-star that committed in January.
tyger1147 - January 30, 2012
So was Cooper last year
HoyaGoon - January 30, 2012
yeah, so boooo Patrick's misinformation.
tyger1147 - January 30, 2012
I'm a little worried
about the lack of WRs in general in this class, especially given the dearth next year and even more so after that with the departure of Marcus Grant and Keenan Davis (after this year)
HoyaGoon - January 30, 2012
I kind of agree, although they have recruited 3 in this class so far (Mabin, Wilson, Smith)...
And might get a 4th (Thomas). It would be nice if Shumpert or Cotton would breakout in 2012. If not, we’re going to be relying on true freshmen or a walk-on (Staggs, Nielsen, Haluska?) to be productive.
RossWB - January 30, 2012
This is the make or break year for Cotton and Shumpert
as both will be juniors (Cotton a RS). Losing Grant really hurt as it seems like the coaches were high on him, I hope Hillyer comes through, as he is the only one with prototypical size for a WR.
I was under the impression that Thomas was a defensive back. Am I wrong on this?
HoyaGoon - January 30, 2012
Ian Thomas?
The Iowa Rivals site is considering him a WR. He might be one of these athlete-types that could go either way. I’d say the need is slightly greater at WR right now.
RossWB - January 30, 2012
Good point about the need
didn’t realize he was listed that way (as a WR).
This is going to end up a rather large class by Iowa standards (but tiny by SEC standards).
HoyaGoon - January 30, 2012
I think they're going to wind up with a full 25 commits (or very close).
Which is kind of interesting since we technically don’t have room for all those guys at the moment according to the scholarship charts. Leads me to believe that the coaches are aware of some impending attrition, so I might want to dust off the ol’ Gone Baby Gone template…
RossWB - January 30, 2012
Well, you figure we're going to lose AT LEAST one more RB
and that 25 figure doesn’t include Andre Dawson and Malloy being brought in as walk-ons.
HoyaGoon - January 30, 2012
With Kozan (and, apparently, Nate Meier too), it looks like we're at 85/85 scholarships right now.
So technically we would have no room for anyone else in this class. Since it seems like they’re still looking to add at least 1-2 more recruits, they must be confident that a few someones on the team now are going to jet.
RossWB - January 30, 2012
Who's Nate Meier?
and is Kozan the last of the Oline recruits were going to take?
Personally, I’m just relieved that Jaleel Johnson is back to being solid with Iowa.
HoyaGoon - January 30, 2012
Meier's an 8-man kid from Iowa.
Projects at FB/LB/DE, I guess.
And, yeah, I think Kozan is it at OL.
RossWB - January 30, 2012
Did not know that about Johnson, good to hear
I’m glad y’all are tied in enough to recruiting so that I don’t have to be.
therealCatnuts - January 30, 2012
I try not to be
but it’s kind of hard for me to avoid during January as I need my college football fix and that’s about all that is going on.
As for Johnson, he had an in-home meeting with the MSU coaches last week but then cancelled his as-of-then scheduled official visit to MSU that was supposed to take place this past weekend and has re-iterated his commitment to Iowa.
HoyaGoon - January 30, 2012
And then presumably had a long shower to wash off the Dantonio stink
/avoids putting in picture from Crying Game or Ace Ventura
therealCatnuts - January 30, 2012
Meier's a walk-on, though, isn't he?
So he shouldn’t count against the 85 this year.
The Mexican't - January 30, 2012
According to MasCasa
no, he’s on scholarship
He sounds like a good kid and a possible diamond-in-the-rough type, but this makes me a little nervous
This could mean he’s versatile, or it could mean that he really doesn’t fit in anywhere (jack of all trades, master of none).HoyaGoon - January 30, 2012
Lets be honest
That template has collected no dust.
SaturdayMorningKegStanzis - January 30, 2012
/laughs
/has a sad
RossWB - January 30, 2012
I hope Haluska becomes a star
Otherwise, my Haluska jersey (which is to say, my repurposed Sash jersey) is kind of dumb.
The Naked Bootleg - January 30, 2012
Just say it's a vintage Mo Brown jersey.
(This is why my #7 jersey is so great: it can represent McNutt AND Banks. Win-win!)
RossWB - January 30, 2012
And Reggie Roby! Win-win-win for you!
The Naked Bootleg - January 30, 2012
That's true.
That’s a nice hat trick of Hawkeye greats.
RossWB - January 30, 2012
Jermire Roberts!
What?
SomeJerkPoster - January 30, 2012
I'm still bitter at him because it always bothered me to see him in 2002 and think Brad Banks was on kick coverage.
RossWB - January 30, 2012
Yes, they really needed to give that second #7 to somebody different
somebody that didn’t look almost exactly like Banks in pads.
therealCatnuts - January 30, 2012
Staggs seems to have great hands.
So he might not be too bad an option, I guess.
Bucketochicken - January 30, 2012
I hope so
though with only 5 career catches, he is not what one could called “proven”
HoyaGoon - January 30, 2012
Yeah, but he caught all five!
Bucketochicken - January 30, 2012
Not to mention the big-star OLs from the last couple years as well
And I agree entirely that if we’re going to only get a few stud recruits, I want them on the lines.
therealCatnuts - January 30, 2012
Agreed
the past two-three years have seen a LOT of highly-touted Olinemen sign on. Will be interesting to see our line in 2 years or so (on paper, it should be the most highly-talented line since Kirk got here).
HoyaGoon - January 30, 2012
Hooray for good news in the offseason!
HawkeyeGirleye - January 30, 2012
All glory is fleeting.
WaterlooChazz - January 30, 2012
Wow that's pretty damn pessimistic for you.
therealCatnuts - January 30, 2012
Yeah.
I just wanted to quote “Patton” again.
WaterlooChazz - January 30, 2012
It seems like we haven’t had a class like this in a couple years. 6 4-Star guys according ot ESPN?
waterboy31321 - January 30, 2012
Garmon, Ward, Ekakitie, Kozan, Fleming, Johnson
waterboy31321 - January 30, 2012
Poor Casey Mac...
Signs with Iowa, kidnapped by aliens, never heard from again.
Blackheartnopants - January 30, 2012 via Android app
Still don't know why
he hasn’t been turned into a DT. With that size, and being buried on the depth chart with little hope to seeing the field on O, you’d think he’d be switched over, if only to provide another body in a depleted position.
HoyaGoon - January 30, 2012
I believe Morehouse said that Mas Casa was moved to DT for bowl prep.
I guess we’ll find out this spring if that was a permanent move. It would make sense, though, given the dire need for beef on that line and the fact that he’s likely buried behind several guys at offensive guard.
RossWB - January 30, 2012
Is it a conflict of interest for a reporter to be covering a team for which he plays?
Lycurgus - January 30, 2012
Not if he has an alter ego!
(And… d’oh. I meant Morehouse said that CASEY MAC had moved to DT, of course.)
RossWB - January 30, 2012
I'm just gonna go back to writing my wrestling recap now.
RossWB - January 30, 2012
Good news: WE WON!
And everything Mike Evans. The rest is maybe not such good news.
therealCatnuts - January 30, 2012
Interesting
I missed that. But good to hear, if it’s true. I remember Dochterman, on a number of podcasts with Morehouse, expressing his bewilderment why none of the excess O-linemen (Casey Mac being the prime example) that were unlikely to ever see the field on O not being moved to the D-line given their size and our crippling need. Even if they don’t really pan out there, it would at least give us much-needed spare bodies (Dochterman’s thought was "just teach them to eat up a block or two and it’s a success all things considered)
HoyaGoon - January 30, 2012
Yeah.
I remember when they tried to do that with Rashad Dunn a few years ago… didn’t work out for him, but it couldn’t hurt to try. Removing Casey Mac from the OG mix isn’t going to hurt our depth there too much (there are probably 2-3 guys ahead of him at bot hspots) and, who knows, maybe he’ll take to DT like a, um, bear to honey.
RossWB - January 30, 2012
I just really
really, really, REALLY like the idea of Big Montana bursting through the line for a sack.
HoyaGoon - January 30, 2012
Maybe he can just pick up a corner and throw him at the QB for a sack.
RossWB - January 30, 2012
I like it!
The Human Missile Blitz!
HoyaGoon - January 30, 2012
That may not be legal
But it should be
therealCatnuts - January 30, 2012
How about if he uses the other team's center?
Norm Parker's Amputated Toes - January 30, 2012
It may not be
but the only way to know for sure is to try. That flag would be totally worth it
chitownhawkeye - January 30, 2012
Great idea.
Or, we could convert one of the 80 TEs we have, to DE. It would take forever, but…
WaterlooChazz - January 30, 2012
I realize that could sound sarcastic.
I meant “great idea” in a genuine way.
WaterlooChazz - January 30, 2012
Funny thing is
we’ve lost a few of our TEs over the years (I remember the 2008/9 recruiting class seemed to be made up entirely of TEs and LBs, the irony is sickening).
HoyaGoon - January 30, 2012
Brett Bielema
Is shaking in his red fucking sweat suit.
bornofclay - January 30, 2012 via mobile
That's just some bad cheese.
RossWB - January 30, 2012
I imagine people in Colorado has their own flyover poster (ala the one from NYC)
that looks out across America from the highest peak and when it looks east the first thing you see the Sears Tower. So, yeah, this is a pretty interesting get by Iowa. The thing I have always admired about Ferentz is how effectively he uses battle commander strategy when recruiting. He cannot fight a battle on too many fronts because he just doesn’t have the bodies. So while Ohio State and Michigan and now Nebraska are recruiting nationally and in all likelihood overlooking some very good talent that is right under their noses, Iowa very often finds those unappreciated players. Ferentz one time shared the list of all-pro NFL players that played at MAC schools and smaller and said he sometimes thought he should just sit around and do no recruiting until he’s had the opportunity to see who Northern Illinois and the like have received commitments from and then go try to steal them (in other words, forget about trying to beat out USC for a tackle from Colorado, beat out Central Missouri for a tackle from Independence)
StoopsMyAss - January 30, 2012
It wouldn't be a bad strategy
although it would be kind of dickish. If it works though, and you get better, then you start getting legitimate interest from 5 stars because they want to play where they have a shot at a championship, and you are now one of those places.
Heck, Oregon had Phil Knight build them crazy facilites and recruits started taking visits just to see the buildings. Then, a few said they wanted to go there, they got a little better, and they got a positive feedback loop. All we need is John Pappajohn to stop building academic stuff and hospital wings and give us ebony and gold plated toilets in the locker rooms.. Is he even still alive?
When the NFL guys do their introductions, for every Top 10 program there is at least one guy from Podunk Directional. I’ve thought for a long time that you could build a national powerhouse out of two stars, you just have to find the right two stars.
Flakbait - January 30, 2012
If Pappajohn isn't around, maybe the Carver family will pony up for those blinged out commodes.
Yep. We’ve had plenty of success stories there (Bob Sanders, Jovon Johnson, Mike Daniels to name a few) and you can certainly watch a few MAC games and see a player or three that would look real good in black and gold. (Who wouldn’t have enjoyed watching Chandler Harnish at QB for Iowa? Then again, he probably would have been converted to LB if he’d come here, so… never mind.)
RossWB - January 30, 2012
That's the catch.
Everyone remembers the two-(or less) star players who make good, but forget the many, many more that never pan out.
HoyaGoon - January 30, 2012
Yeah, when you recruit nothing but two-stars you're apt to wind up as, well, a MAC team.
Which would be a bit of a problem seeing as Iowa is in the Big Ten…
RossWB - January 30, 2012
Indiana has been doing this for years
therealCatnuts - January 30, 2012
To smashing success!
RossWB - January 30, 2012
*only against Iowa
/still bitter.
therealCatnuts - January 30, 2012
This
There’s just a much higher percentage of higher-rated guys that make it. To not notice that is fooling yourself.
therealCatnuts - January 30, 2012
ESPN actually has a very good explanation
of what their ratings “mean”. The link is below (not sure if it is behind a paywall or not). But, to summarize, basically a 5-star is a kid that has the ability to play right away, and play at a high level (possible All-American as a freshmen, almost definite AA while in college) while a 4-star is someone who can contribute immediately, but perhaps not as a starter.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/recruiting/football/news/story?id=6635735
HoyaGoon - January 30, 2012
I guess that also explains why 5-star ratings are so heavily skewed towards skill players
If that is indeed their criteria, there are very few guys that can contribute immediately on OL/DL in any big program
therealCatnuts - January 30, 2012
And let's not kid ourselves
even if a guy has the pure size to play on the line as a freshman, he’ll get killed by players who have the skill set to properly block, shed blocks, etc.
chitownhawkeye - January 30, 2012
The Dallas Morning News had a story looking back at the 2007 top recruits from the State of Texas and where all these guys ended up. One was Von Miller, the rest were mostly never-was’s. It made me realize that while Iowa’s attrition is crap, we’re not alone.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/college-sports/headlines/20120129-the-2007-recruiting-class—-five-years-later.ece
txhawkeye - January 30, 2012
The SBNation mother ship
has some interesting articles on recruiting as well, particularly blue-chip QBs
http://www.sbnation.com/college-football-recruiting/2012/1/27/2739750/college-football-recruiting-quarterback-rankings-2012
http://www.sbnation.com/section/recruiting-rankings-in-context
http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/2011/12/28/2666366/what-good-is-a-five-star-quarterback-anyway
HoyaGoon - January 30, 2012
I think the upshot is that the programs that play for national championships and win conference titles are those
that tend to recruit better, more highly rated guys than those programs that do not play or win these things. I would expect the numbers to bear that out.
However, recruiting is a skill regardless of who you are recruiting, and that skill is not merely an accumulation of players with stars but, as mentioned above, an accumulation of the right players with lots of “stars” — yes, there are such a thing as bad 5-star recruits. I am sure there are 5-star talent out there, right under the nose of Mack Brown, that he’s chosen not to actively recruit and the same would be true of Saban I am sure.
It is worth noting too, there is a difference between offering a scholarship and recruiting a guy. I tend to think Iowa rarely just “offers” scholarships while Florida State does that all the time. These guys are offered a scholly and other than the phone call offering it, they have almost no other interaction. Because, at the end of the day, the more players you recruit the less time you have for each player.
StoopsMyAss - January 30, 2012
Based on Texas' recruiting ranksings and results over the last few years
Mack might have plucked a few too many of those “bad” 5-star recruits. They’ve certainly had quite a few guys lately that haven’t panned out anywhere near expectations.
RossWB - January 30, 2012
Yeah, and Iowa hasn't exactly perfected the 5 and 4 star recruit screening process either
I think the whole thing is a function of more complex variables than we often imagine. I mean, there is a locker room, a campus, a campus culture that these super talents have to work their way into and around.
At Iowa, in particular, there is a profoundly distinctive campus culture that I think often requires adjusting to for, say, a black urban recruit. I mean, Iowa has fewer than 800 self-identified black students on the entire campus vs. 25,000 non-minority white students so it is not very much like anyplace they may have ever lived. They need to find a niche in that campus.
StoopsMyAss - January 30, 2012
Fewer than 800?
I just your numbers, I’m just a bit astonished by them.
Blackheartnopants - January 30, 2012 via Android app
the actual number by be 750
StoopsMyAss - January 30, 2012
The number sounds crazy
but looking back and thinking about it, that actually seems about right. There really wasn’t a whole lot of diversity at Iowa. Of course, I was a business major—diversity usually meant an Asian student.
Captain n Diet Coker - January 30, 2012
the website breakdown....
http://www.uiowa.edu/admissions/undergrad/diversity/demographics.htm
StoopsMyAss - January 30, 2012
2009 may seem like an old number but the gathering is usually a year behind at minimum
StoopsMyAss - January 30, 2012
Jinx
but my numbers below are also from 2010
therealCatnuts - January 30, 2012
okay...the number might have dropped
http://www.uiowa.edu/admissions/undergrad/whos-at-iowa/total.htm
StoopsMyAss - January 30, 2012
by .1% (or 21 students, but is still under 800)
StoopsMyAss - January 30, 2012
I'm also slightly stunned
From my memory of the UI Registrar’s office claims, they claimed somewhere around 10% of total student population every year is non-white, which would be somewhere around 2,500 undergrads. I remember thinking that was ludicrous because I never saw any black kids in my classes (and few asians) and it was somewhat rare to see them walking around as well.
Here’s the UI’s current stats:
I still say those numbers are high. SMA is just about dead-on with is estimate per the numbers, FYI
per this link
therealCatnuts - January 30, 2012
I trusted the numbers, this is SMA's line of work
But still, wow.
Blackheartnopants - January 30, 2012 via Android app
Texas usually has a class that is 3/4 full
by the early summer before their kids’ senior season. So the Texas evaluation is based largely on what they did their junior years as well as Texas’ camp. So, if their development is off or they get injured, they end up a little fucked.
HoyaGoon - January 30, 2012
good
StoopsMyAss - January 30, 2012
Not to mention the incredible rash of academic issues they have. UT coddles these guys as much as anyone, but godawful public education is still just that.
txhawkeye - January 30, 2012
Technically Australia is "East of everything..."
Going by timezones anyway. Just sayin’.
Roosevelt - January 30, 2012
I WAS JUST GOING TO SAY THIS.
Dammit. Great minds and all that shit.
EnergizerHawk - January 30, 2012
But technically, Australia is west of us...because it's a shorter trip going west than east.
Cardina1 - January 30, 2012
What is truly West of anything instead of just East of everything?
therealCatnuts - January 30, 2012
Isn’t Australia down and left?
txhawkeye - January 30, 2012
not according to their maps
(and astronomy too)
therealCatnuts - January 30, 2012
It's really more south than east.
Bucketochicken - January 30, 2012
Starting to wonder why no one else has reported him as committed
Aside from 247 and the inference by Coach EJ.
mikjones24 - January 30, 2012
ESPN reports him as committed
but it’s behind a paywall
HoyaGoon - January 30, 2012
Well thank you for stealing food from those poor ESPN reporters mouths
WINK WINK.
mikjones24 - January 30, 2012
Well,
the headline “Kozan to Iowa” or the like is free, but the article is not. So I’m not actually divulging privileged information. thankyouverymuch
HoyaGoon - January 30, 2012
Pat has hack blogger sourcez.
RossWB - January 30, 2012
If the rumor is repeated in more than three parents' basements
it’s true!
HoyaGoon - January 30, 2012
I told my mom
Then she told his mom, who told everyone elses mom’s.
SOURCES.
mikjones24 - January 30, 2012
I'm kind of disappointed the Fake Bleacher Report Twitter account doesn't do a NSD special.
Oh the laughs that could be had!
SomeJerkPoster - January 30, 2012
That's a rec,
Cap’n.
WaterlooChazz - January 30, 2012
Also, they got a QB for this class.
Took him from Ole MIss.
tyger1147 - January 30, 2012
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