The Career of J.D. Clark (NCAA 14)

[Knickerbocker91]

Re: Introduction and Table of Contents

Ok, so I missed a few updates but here we go:

On page 48, you called the Mississippi State Bulldogs the Bullfrogs. I'm still laughing about it now because that's not a bad team name for someone. Like you said, with the Vandals not having a season last this long they simply ran out of gas. Which is rough, but understandable. I would dream of being able to get the CPU to run the ball that often, though having them put up those numbers may not be as enjoyable.

I really like the article of Clark's departure, because it fits close to home. I'm worried that even though I'm an offensive coordinator, I can't be ok with leaving until I've accomplished something. A bowl win, a conference championship, something. I can see both sides of the coin that a change is needed once in a while, and I think Iowa is a great choice with the tough conference they play in and the good recruiting battles as well.

Good luck with the Hawkeyes, and hopefully Petrino can keep Idaho on that upward trend you started them on.

[LopaKa]

Re: Introduction and Table of Contents

Damn I would have jumped on Michigan State but that's just me. I love the choice of Iowa though, excited to see you build a Power 5 school and I can't wait to see you turn Iowa back into a competitive team in the Big Ten.

[RoundingThird]

Re: Introduction and Table of Contents

Looking forward to the next leg of your journey. I think this has consistently been of the best dynasties on this site for some time.

[Deegeezy]

Re: Introduction and Table of Contents

Hated the way your boys went out at the Sugar Bowl. You guys just looked over-matched out there and I am sure that played a role in Coach Clark's decision to want to jump ship and move on to bigger and better things with better opportunities to bring in top tier players.

I am very excited about Iowa. Those uniforms and stadium are classics and playing in the Big 10 should also be awesome. Can't wait to see what you're working with roster-wise.

Good luck with this next chapter old friend.

[Hellisan]

Re: Introduction and Table of Contents

Nice choice with Iowa. Interesting that they have struggled so much. Should be an interesting challenge to try to bring them back to a respectable level. Good luck!

I think so, and I'm thinking it's going to be a lot of fun. Their pipelines are mostly in place, except for Florida has slipped below 4. We're gonna get those pipelines ready and be ready for when the recruits want to start rolling in to Iowa City.

Iowa fits in with the story nicely. How they have fallen, should be a great challenge to bring them back to contenders in a tough conference. Interested to see what sort of team you have been left with or any gems you managed to snag in off-season recruitment for them.

I'm going to be interested to see that too. I can see they have an exceedingly deep (but lacking in deep speed) WR corps. Seriously, any of those guys would have been superstars with us like Deon Watson was. But that's all I really remember from the initial look at the squad. I think there is one guy on the recruiting list that's a gem but most of the guys they already signed, and they are bad. I might look for one more guy to sign as a news bit

Well, didn't expect Iowa, but good luck with the Hawkeyes!

Thank you sir!

Definitely didn't see that coming but it makes sense. I do like the jerseys and color combinations so that should help for sure. Best of luck!

I've always wanted to do a Hawkeyes dynasty for a number of reasons, i love the iconic stadium with water tower (not done real great in this game). But the #1 reason is they are one of the few teams that sticks with the same basic jersey and it just looks so sweet. I'm definitely hyped.

Ok, so I missed a few updates but here we go:

On page 48, you called the Mississippi State Bulldogs the Bullfrogs. I'm still laughing about it now because that's not a bad team name for someone. Like you said, with the Vandals not having a season last this long they simply ran out of gas. Which is rough, but understandable. I would dream of being able to get the CPU to run the ball that often, though having them put up those numbers may not be as enjoyable.

I really like the article of Clark's departure, because it fits close to home. I'm worried that even though I'm an offensive coordinator, I can't be ok with leaving until I've accomplished something. A bowl win, a conference championship, something. I can see both sides of the coin that a change is needed once in a while, and I think Iowa is a great choice with the tough conference they play in and the good recruiting battles as well.

Good luck with the Hawkeyes, and hopefully Petrino can keep Idaho on that upward trend you started them on.

Yeah love the Bullfrog reference. I have to recommend a podcast to anyone reading if you like college football and especially if you like betting. I'm really not much of a betting man at least not for big bucks and I listen to this podcast mostly for the college football banter and to see if they're right (seems like they have started slow this year) but the name of the podcast is "The Crazy Sheet" - they're both from the south and one of them played college football and they both seem to be in the know. And they have all these crazy names they call teams and cities that I had never heard but you guys probably have. Just living in SoCal and previously in the Northwest you don't hear about "Bert Bielema," coach of "Fayettenam" and things like that. It's funny, they know their stuff, and I just enjoy the hell out of it. So check that out.
I appreciate the compliment about the article; Let's be real, if a coach could do what fake Coach Clark did with Idaho, just give him a damn Super Bowl trophy, but there are other ways to look at it.

Damn I would have jumped on Michigan State but that's just me. I love the choice of Iowa though, excited to see you build a Power 5 school and I can't wait to see you turn Iowa back into a competitive team in the Big Ten.

Well you're big on the color green, lol. Thanks bro! Aloha!

Looking forward to the next leg of your journey. I think this has consistently been of the best dynasties on this site for some time.

Thank you man, that's an exceedingly high compliment and one I appreciate very much. Thanks for checking in.

Hated the way your boys went out at the Sugar Bowl. You guys just looked over-matched out there and I am sure that played a role in Coach Clark's decision to want to jump ship and move on to bigger and better things with better opportunities to bring in top tier players.

I am very excited about Iowa. Those uniforms and stadium are classics and playing in the Big 10 should also be awesome. Can't wait to see what you're working with roster-wise.

Good luck with this next chapter old friend.

Thank you sir. Thanks for the help with "the decision" - I hated the Sugar Bowl too. Kind of took me by surprise a little, but not much. It wasn't very long into the game I knew it was going to be bad. Like when we were still ahead, lol. Also looking forward to digging through the roster, seeing if any of the recruits are good. This transitional segment is a good excuse to do a very basic Offseason with no banners dominating everything, just type face lol. Thanks again bro.

[Hellisan]

Re: Introduction and Table of Contents

Offseason Report

Players Leaving

The Hawkeyes have 11 seniors that are graduating, plus a freshman who decided to transfer to
Texas State because the coach left. Riddance.

Seniors

HB Leshun Daniels Jr. - 6-0, 224 lbs, 96 OVR - He tallied 5395 yards, 6.2 ypc, and 45 touchdowns
in his four years as a full-time player / starter. Projected 3rd Round Pick

OLB Reggie Spearman - 6'3, 236, 91 OVR - Solid all around player, he didn't rack up tons of stats
but NFL teams are seeing more. Projected 4th Round Pick

K Nathan Petty - 5-11, 177, 96 OVR - Incredibly accurate kicker with a strong leg to boot. If you
take away his freshman year when he went 14-24 on field goal attempts, he went 46-50, or 92%.

G Colin Goebel - 6-5, 303, 90 OVR - Road grader specializing in the run game.

DT Brant Gressel - 6-2, 296, 89 OVR - Despite his rating, he didn't see a lot of action until late in
his career, and even then he didn't dominate.

WR Matt Vandeberg - 6-1, 178, 88 OVR - Two-year starter and never saw the field before that.
Had career highs of 534 yards, 8 TD in 2016 as a junior.

CB Malik Rucker - 6'0, 173, 87 OVR - Good rating, very little in the way of production. Starting to
notice a pattern here, and it's pointing to the head coach.

QB Nic Shimonek - 6-4, 202, 84 OVR - One year starter, had a poor season.

CB Sam Massey - 5-11, 189, 79 OVR

FB Tyler Hill - 6-1, 245, 70 OVR

HB Anthony Norman - 5-10, 207, 69 OVR


Transfer
FR DE William McDonald - 6-3, 243, 68 OVR - Transferring to Texas State

Wrapup

In summary, the Hawkeyes are losing the majority of their talent from what was a struggling team
that former coach Bob Cole got nothing out of despite the talent.

The Vandals

It should be noted that SS Marcus Kenney considered following Coach Clark to Iowa, and in fact
informed the new coaching staff he would be doing so. They, with the help of coach Clark, talked
him out of it.

The Vandals lose Vandal HOF DT Eric Mitchell, DE Zach Cable, HB Richard Montgomery, and a host
of solid players. Other than the two defensive linemen, there aren't many losses that worry the
new coaching staff, since by and large the younger players are more talented than their
predecessors were. Guard Brett Thompson is another loss they will not be able to replace,
talent wise, immediately.



Recruiting Summary

Iowa landed the #52 recruiting class. When Clark began looking into the recruiting class it was a
shambles - there are a lot of bust type players with decent ratings on the list. The priority was
DT Antonio Coley, still unsigned, with Michigan, Arkansas, and Nebraska competing with the
Hawkeyes for his services. All those teams probably had multiple battles. Coach Calrk pretty
much just focused on Coley, and was able to land him. Coley is 6'1" 273, so not huge, but looks
like he could be a pretty solid lineman for the Hawkeyes.

The star of the class may be 4-star ATH Eddie Allen, of Henryetta, OK. He signed before Clark
was hired and appears likely to remain on the team. He likely represents a back end secondary guy
with his solid size, solid speed, and solid all around game. He played QB in high school, but Clark
has yet to evaluate his tape. Just going on what other coaches have said, he's a DB.

The most disappointing aspect of the class was 5-star HB Kenard Goodman, who is a -7 (68 OVR)
bust out of Alabama. Coach Clark isn't writing him off, but he really lacks explosion for a 5-9, 173
lb. running back.


The Vandals

The 5-star Vandals landed the #18 class in the nation, a talent-rich bunch that includes three
4-stars, 17 3-stars, and two 2-stars. Since the list is already done, why not paste it. These
are the majority of the signings, including all the potential stars, which are highlighted in bold.








Position Changes

Eddie Allen - Incoming Freshman ATH
ATH ---> QB (78 OVR) Gem
-Allen was indicated as a 70 OVR and after scouted turned out to be a 77 OVR ATH. Coach Clark
was able to evaluate his tape and felt he would make an excellent QB or free safety. As a QB, he
displays an average to sligthly subpar arm, but very good accuracy for a scrambling QB. His speed
is incredible for a QB and he has the ability to make moves downfield once he gets into the open
field. Speaking personally, I can't remember EVER having a speed QB and always end up making
them defensive backs, so why not change it up with the Hawkeyes? Allen's complete inability to
get off blocks contributed to this decision, although he showed very good coverage ability.

Alex Abrams - Incoming Freshman ATH
ATH ---> SS (68 OVR) - compares to scouted 63 OVR as an athlete
-Strong safety is a position that looks weak in the future, and Abrams is capable in terms of both
athleticism and skill to be a fixture there later, either as a starter or backup depending on how hard
he works at it.

Anthony Reyes - Returning Freshman (RS) FS
FS ---> SS (70 OVR)
-He's a run and hit type who adds some athleticism and chase ability at the new position, with an
ability to get off blocks quite well.


Offensive Line Moves

Multiple solid players were stacked at RG, with complete holes at other spots on the line. Therefore
it was necessary to make moves and spread out the talent. All the players will be listed on the final
roster.



Training Results

Everybody improved by 5 points. Didn't do custom improvement this year, will start again next season.



Cuts

We had to cut a few players with Iowa, because they recruited a lot of (very bad) players. We just
tried to stay away from hurting pipelines wherever possible.

[BookWork123]

Re: Introduction and Table of Contents

Nice to have Texas already as a pipeline. Definitely will give you a bit of a jumpstart on recruiting!


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[Deegeezy]

Re: Introduction and Table of Contents

This is going to be awesome.

I'll never leave my Green Wave, but the thought of stepping into another coach's mess is definitely intriguing. I'll just have to live vicariously through you.

I like that you're still following Idaho's progress. It'll be interesting to see if their new coach can keep the program up.

[Cheese2121]

Re: The Career of J.D. Clark (NCAA 14)

You know I am absolutely loving this. I think Iowa is the perfect fit for you, and just a heck of a great storyline with how far they have fallen. Like Deegeezy mentioned, it is really intriguing to watch you step into someone else's mess and try to start putting the pieces back together.

Love that Petrino ended up following up for you at Idaho. It will be very interesting to see if he can avoid scandal and keep the program on the upward trend you had them on.

I am so excited for the next chapter!

[Hellisan]

Re: The Career of J.D. Clark (NCAA 14)



A couple of weeks ago I made the decision to start another chapter of my coaching
career by taking a job in a bigger and more challenging conference. At the time I
was not sure which conference that would be - the ACC or the Big Ten. A few
teams were kind enough to show interest in me leading up to the offseason, but I
was only able to reciprocate interest to Iowa and Virginia Tech. I had to be honest
with the other teams because if something did not work out with either of those two
teams, I would have been happier than a pig in - well, you know - to come back to
Moscow and coach the Vandals for another season or more.

I loved my time here. I find farming communities to be an absolute joy. I love the
smell, I love the space, and I appreciate and love the down to earth people.

When I began my career, I always intended to become one of the best coaches in
the country. I have bigger dreams I keep to myself. There are a lot of dominos that
would have to fall right for a small school like Idaho to be dominant over the long
haul.

Could this part of the country become as thirsty for football action as those in the
midwest or southeast? Could Idaho eventually get a new stadium built? Those two
things alone appear to be very unlikely at this time.

It can be argued whether or not we accomplished anything, and Mr. Tracee has
opined within his column space we have not done enough. Luckily for me, it's not
up to Mr. Tracee to determine the fate of my career any more than it is for me to
decide what he does with his.

Recently, ESPN came out with their list of the toughest places to play and have the
Kibbie Dome ranked #34 in the country. That's high praise for a venue that wasn't
known as a tough place to play in the past and wasn't listed in the Top 100 within
the same article 5 years ago. The team has won 8 in a row, and has lost only two
games in the last 20 at home. I made it a priority to protect the Dome and it will
continue to be a great place to see the Vandals.

I couldn't be happier that the school responded by hiring Bobby Petrino, one of the
best coaching minds in the country to fill the head coaching position. He hired his
son Nick as the offensive coordinator, and between the two of them I think you will
see this team be in the right hands for a long time.

For me, I made a tough decision that in the end came down to what kind of
community I wanted to be a part of. Iowa was the community that was most similar
to the one I've enjoyed over the past five years here in Moscow, and it is primarily
for that reason I decided to make the leap. I had the chance to go to compete on a
big stage in the Big Ten conference and I took it. I hope Idaho fans do not look on
this decision disdainfully and can appreciate the hard work we put in to making the
Vandals the program they are today.

Thank you.

[R1zzo23]

Re: Introduction and Table of Contents

Excited to see the first update of Coach Clark being in Iowa!


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[gsutiger]

Re: The Career of J.D. Clark (NCAA 14)

This next chapter will be something to watch for sure. Rebuilding Iowa and taking them to the top of the B1G

[Hellisan]

Re: The Career of J.D. Clark (NCAA 14)

Nice to have Texas already as a pipeline. Definitely will give you a bit of a jumpstart on recruiting!

Good point, good sir.

This is going to be awesome. I'll never leave my Green Wave, but the thought of stepping into another coach's mess is definitely intriguing. I'll just have to live vicariously through you. I like that you're still following Idaho's progress. It'll be interesting to see if their new coach can keep the program up.

I like that you're going to be enjoying it. I will be following Idaho's progress and not sure if anyone caught the note that Petrino hired his son as OC - it's a created OC. I won't be playing all the games though.

You know I am absolutely loving this. I think Iowa is the perfect fit for you, and just a heck of a great storyline with how far they have fallen. Like Deegeezy mentioned, it is really intriguing to watch you step into someone else's mess and try to start putting the pieces back together. Love that Petrino ended up following up for you at Idaho. It will be very interesting to see if he can avoid scandal and keep the program on the upward trend you had them on. I am so excited for the next chapter!

Thanks Cheese. I'm excited about starting with the Hawkeyes. I just need to do it. More on that in a second, lol. I hope Idaho continues to be successful, I'll probably play OC with them most games this season, a few less the next, and by the time there's no players I recruited, let go of them completely.

Excited to see the first update of Coach Clark being in Iowa!

Thanks Rizzo! I hope to get something posted on the new roster / season preview within the next few days. You bumping it might have pushed up the schedule a bit, I was lagging for sure. I have typed in all the ratings and gotten the roster started, the things that don't show on the page but yeah.

This next chapter will be something to watch for sure. Rebuilding Iowa and taking them to the top of the B1G

I hope man! Thanks dude.

So anyway... I'm a gamer that lately doesn't seem to be in a hurry to buy the new systems. NCAA is one reason but games like Skyrim and Borderlands 2 are games I've just never put down because I didn't mob on them like others did. Never had the time. So when I play them I still see new things. I'm on a serious Borderlands kick (now playing Tiny Tina DLC) that may have some mourning of the Vandals mixed in there a bit. It's hard to change teams, you guys said that many times but it's totally true. I've done a few things to give the new team some personality like new names (first and last) for some players on the team from separate current or recent players from the actual high schools they would have gone to etc.

And the team definitely has some interesting players. I've gone from needing a little break to starting to get the itch, and in the next couple few days I think it will grow into actually starting again. Can't wait.

[LopaKa]

Re: The Career of J.D. Clark (NCAA 14)

I hear what you're saying bro. Sometimes you just need a little break in order for the itch to return. Can't wait to see how you compete in the B10!

[R1zzo23]

Re: Introduction and Table of Contents

Nothing wrong with taking a break. I've done it countless times with my dynasties and keeps it fresh when you do come back to it. Skyrim is an amazing game although I've never given it the time it deserves. I still have it on my PC and know that there will be a time where I fire it back up and get hooked in for real.


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