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

[Hellisan]

2024 Iowa Hawkeyes Offensive Preview


Rudy Geiland, Staff Writer

"Call me Josh" Mack will see more responsibility this year.

Vessel (top) and Polk (left) should be the lifeblood of the offense this year. Nathan Malone has worked his way out of total obscurity. Fullback J.J. Harris Jr. is back and should be a bigger part of things than ever.

Just call me Josh!

Nobody really asked, but Joshua Mack showed up at spriong practices and announced he'd like to be called, just, "Josh." Not Joshua. The national championship winning quarterback will have his choice of first name with a media that's all too happy to please, but Mack will have a lot on his plate this year. With Larry Lloyd now gone, the team is expected to spread the ball around more this year. That could be hard, due to the fact that the isn't a real established wide receiver room. There's a clear cut number one as we understand it with Nikolai Vessel, but after that it really falls off. The line has some question marks as well. Mack will be in charge of winning despite everything being different, so wish him luck.


Malone much improved - But Mack named starting QB

Iowa QB Nathan Malone has impressed the coaching staff in camp, but he's always been pretty good at gunning the ball around an indoor practice facility. Despite the coaching staff seeing him as greatly improved this year, he was never given too much consideration for the starting role. After all, Joshua, I mean, Josh Mack won a national championship last year. It would be ludicrous not to name Mack the starter .So that's what Coach Clark has done.

"Josh has proven he knows the offense. He had over 300 attempts last year and was able to get better as the year progressed. We expect he'll improve again this year as the season goes along," said Coach Clark. "I wasn't necessarily happy with how he looked in Spring Ball compared to the way he looked at the end of last season. We're installing new offense and he's going to have to pick up the rest of it later. He's probably going to need to work a little harder moving foward, but here and now, he's my starter," said Clark. "We know he can get the job done.".


Can Polk win the Mackey Award this year? Can Vessel take a step forward?

Even with Nick Vessel around, Hayden Polk is probably Iowa's most consistent performer catching the ball. As a freshman last year, the 6'4", 249 lb Polk caught 58 passes for 855 yards and 8 touchdowns, dropping only one pass all season. That compares to 52 catches for 768 yards and 4 touchdowns for Vessel. Most onlookers think Iowa will pass the ball at least 70 more times this year than they did last year, which would mean more targets for both players.

Vessel has been impressive in camp, showing off the hands, route running, and running after the catch ability that makes him so unique. Polk has continued to show off sure hands and great route running, although he needs work as a blocker.

Other than those two, it's anyone's guess who will be productive catching the football downfield.

The team has good options this year in the dinking and dunking game. Running back Shakur Becton has sure hands and can run routes out of the backfield. Fullback JJ Harris Jr. has once again caught the eye of coaches, manhandling defenders at times with a massive stiff arm, and retaining his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield at will. The Hawkeyes will need everyone at their best this year without the all-consuming ball carrier known as Larry Lloyd around.

2024 Offensive Preview

Vessel pulls off an animation I've never seen before in practice

[Hellisan]

2024 Iowa Hawkeyes Defensive Preview


Rudy Geiland, Staff Writer

Will the D be Dominant again in 2024?

The Hawkeye defense lost a lot of production in the offseason, with four names checking out that signal a seismic shift in how the defense may operate this year. David Bryant who was the heart and soul. Khayman Chia the all-time sack leader. Jay Cook, the insanely talented free safety who was in charge of dragging down the stray that got through the first 10 which led the nation in run defense. And DJ Halloway, who Coach Clark named team MVP even after Larry Lloyd ran for well over 2,000 yards. Those may be the players they miss most, but they will miss the depth of Joe Gibson and Jaivonn Bender at cornerback, as well. The secondary is where I think a crack opens up following those departures. They have two great cornebacks that remain, and strong safety Drew Farmer keeps improving year in and year out to where he is a top-tier player. That's three top guys out of five that will be lining up for the Hawkeyes on a down-in, down-out basis. Can they manage the unknown at those other safety spots? And what happens when they really get spread thin, and need to go to a Dime look?



The Hype Train continues for Dez Dillon III



Linebacker Dez Dillon plans to be on the field at all times this year. Coach Clark is more than on board with that.

"Can't take him off. Why would you ever do that? He's been one of our best players since the first time he stopped on the field. Now he's a sophomore. I don't think there will be a slump."

And with that, Clark drifted into his familiar chuckle that makes him so much fun to be around this time of year.

Dillon is making things extra hard on the offense this preseason. Just ask "don't call me Joshua" Mack. Mack has been picked off several times in practice by Dillon, including when he tried to gun a pass to a wide open Dylan Dandy down the left sideline, only to see Dillon jump and grab the pass well above basketball rim height more than 15 yards away from where Dandy was waiting for the ball.

Clark continued: "He can do it all. run defense, cover man, cover zone, and we're going to make an extra effort to blitz him off the edge more than ever this year as well. Stay tuned, because I think Dez is really driven for greatness. As a coach you can't ask for more from the kid."

Brandon Butler (top left) returns for his senior season after spending much of his junior year injured. Lionel Robinson (top center) and Laterion Thomas (top right) are the lockdown corners in the secondary. Drew Farmer (bottom) brings star power to the strong safety position.

Butler is ready to lead the defense in 2024

Brandon Butler could never truly be called the best linebacker on the Iowa Hawkeyes the last few years because someone just as good was lined up right beside him. Nothing has changed, even though David Bryant has moved on. The sequel tandem of Butler and Dez Dillon is expected to be every bit as good as the original. In modern college football, the truth is that it's hard for more than two linebackers to be on the field at all times, but if you had to pick two, in all of college football, these may be the two you'd pick.

No matter how talented the team is or how many new holes there are to plug, they'll need a leader. That, undoubtedly, is Butler. Butler was part of the team that broke through and won Iowa their first championship in the modern era. On a team that has been one of the top defenses in the country, Butler has 232 career tackles, 52 tackles for loss, 9 sacks, and 7 interceptions over threre seasons, including 5 forced fumbles and two defensive touchdowns. That's a good resume for any player. The thing Butler does best is get off blocks, which allows him to put his speed and pursuit ability to great use.

Coach Clark: "Brandon has been a foundational piece to our team. Hoping the difficulties [the injury] is completely behind him. He gives you all the confidence in the world as a head coach, calling the defense."


The Question Mark: The Secondary - "And then there were 3"

Like most collegiate football teams, the Hawkeyes have six or seven players that have the potential to play in the secondary on any given week. The quality of that six or seven is arguably at its lowest point in years in 2024 due to losses to graduation and the draft, but includes three lights-out anchors. What can the remaining players make of it though? The "paper" aspect of it, or what everybody expects, is one thing. But what will reality be?

The Hawkeyes have two cornerbacks expected to be lock-down stoppers in Laterion Thomas Jr., a sophomore, and senior Lionel Robinson. Robinson has played his career somewhat in the shadow of D.J. Halloway, but this year he will be the unquestioned #1 guy. Last year was his best season yet, with 39 tackles, 3 TFL, 4 interceptions, and his first defensive touchdown.

"He's such a complete player," said Clark. "On the defensive side of the ball only, he's just such a complete player that I have to say he may be a pinch better than D.J. He's the defensive back version of Dez, really. Start with the fact that he's up there with (team captain) Alonso Morris in terms of game smarts, and then add in instincts that are just as good as that. Then look at the fact that he has worked for four years and become a really good run defender in addition to the coverage skills. I think you're going to see him have a special year."

Laterion Thomas actually struggled for playing time at certain points last season due to the fact that the team had Robinson and Halloway on the outside last year, and loved Joe Gibson enough as a beat-em-up nickle corner that they started him there, and were loathe to go to the Dime look where they wouldn't have two dominant linebackers. That sounds silly now, as Thomas will obviously take every snap that he's healthy enough to take. It was he that single handedly preserved a win against Penn State with three interceptions in a single quarter. He had six interceptions in limited playing time last year, more than Robinson has had in any season.

"We've been lucky that the corner's we've landed have turned out great and he's the next in line," said Clark. "I cannot believe how hard he worked this offseason, and his talent just shines day in and day out in practice. He's hard to do anything against down his side of the field."

Drew Farmer stepped up last season and became a dominant player. A zone coverage specialist with good tackling and hitting skills, he shone brightest against the run and Clark will be looking for him to step it up against the pass.

"He wasn't shaky in coverage or anything like that, I htink he had 9 pass deflections last year which is really good for a strong safety," said Clark. "Still, my expectations are very high for this kid. Drew has all the talent in the world and an ideal disposition for the position."

The Rest

The remaining players expected to see significant playing time in the secondary can be compared to each other (for fun, at least) by how far they are away from Iowa City. All are state of Iowa Recruits.

FS Kael Martin - From 30 miles away, in Washington, IA. You'd be hard pressed to find a more different type of player than the departed Jay Cook for the free safety position. Martin isn't a slugger of a hitter. He doesn't have top flight speed. He's a heady, heads up, anything head related type of guy. He knows how to play. He's a solid but unspectacular tackler and probably the biggest worry is that he's not particularly known for his pure coverage skills. His overall brainpower may help those things play up.

CB Ty Veney - From 80 miles away, in Waterloo, IA. The incoming freshman has been selected to start as a slot corner, ahead of fellow freshman Bret Harris. Veney is fast, though not as fast as some of the great recent Iowa corners that have come through, and tends to get off blocks better than Harris, but may struggle in terms of tackling. Robinson would be the ideal piece to come inside and move him outside if that happens. Veney has impressed the coaches in terms of his maturity level and demeanor, allowing him the first crack at the job.

CB Brandon Rockhold - From 85 miles away, in Fort Madison, IA. The business of high level sporting competition has its brutal side, and Rockhold has typicalily been the player on the verge of being cut due to not being as talented as other players. Yet, Rockhold has worked hard over his career and has become a decent player. Blessed with solid speed, he also has a pretty good mind for the game. He won't blow anyone away in terms of his coverage skills and may end up being a weak point if the team has to play dime defense, or he has to move into a more prominent role due to injuries. Regardless, everyone on the team is happy to see him get a real chance at some playing time.

2024 Defensive Preview

[Hellisan]

The 4th Wall



... Or How Shakur Becton Might End up Being Decent!

Only time will tell what the future holds in NCAA 14 Season 2024 of the JD Clark Dynasty for imaginary running back Shakur Becton. This is a player I recruited thinking of just a plow-them-over running back. Sheer power, size, and strength. At 6'0" 221 lbs. he has pretty good size, although he hasn't gained the weight I expected, but has 82 strength, 98 BTK, 90 TRK, 90 ELU. Mind you, he improved a lot over the course of his career and even this offseason. The ratings weren't always quite that great, but the power base and strength was always there.

It was for this reason that I was always surprised when Becton wasn't doing the plowing himself, but rather getting railed. I can't even count the number of times I've run him up the middle and a crushing hit with such a comical animation happened that it looked outside the scope of the game, like his arms would get wrapped around his legs or something.

Over the course of the offseason and some practice time I've realized: He likes animations. Every point of contact he has is going to be amplified. You have to be doing a move and if you're not, he might just get killed. Larry Lloyd on the other hand, you just aim him for a gap, and he's gonna start falling forward. Becton has a surprisingly good juke move, and gets wide and away from defenders with it. Also offers a good stiff arm, and a good spin move. He can string together multiple moves and sometimes not go down.

I'm starting to think he might have a pretty good year. He won't get the crazy carries, but another thing he can do is catch the ball out of the backfield. Which gives me both a running back and fullback that can do that to get those big third and short conversions.

Looking forward to the start of the season, hopefully soon.

[frappuccino]

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

Great pictures as always.

[moose141]

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

Lmao Becton getting railed


Really looking forward to seeing this team run it back! Will be interesting to see if Mack has a leash at all if he struggles early in the season, considering he won a title for you but he doesn't blow you away talent-wise. Expecting to see a LOT of Vessel and Polk this season, they should be the keys for you and I think you could lean a lot more into a West Coast style offense rather than just a ground and pound style. Defense should be stout yet again, always so much talent on that side of the ball for you; those linebackers should rack up the tackles.

[Hellisan]

2024 - Around the Nation Preseason Edition


Around the Nation - Preseason Edition

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2024 Week 1 Preview - #1 Iowa Hawkeyes at #20 Texas Longhorns

Week 1 - Longhorns Host Homeless Hawkeyes

The Haweyes made a minor renovation to Kinnick Stadium over the offseason, but due to bad weather and lagging construction, the Hawkeyes will travel to Austin, Texas, to face the Longhorns, who are facing an insane crucible to begin the year. Their first four games will include (in order) - #1 Iowa, #2 Ohio State, and #3 Oklahoma.

And as a result of traveling to Austin for the opening game, Iowa will have just five home games this season.

The Longhorns have a very talented team. They are exceedingly skilled, but not fast, on offense. They will attempt to put together long drives against the Hawkeyes. The Hawkeyes will have to be content with containing them at times, because Texas have the ability to pick them apart. It's just less likely they will hit the big play.

Iowa QB Josh Mack faces a very difficult task this week facing a fast, talented secondary that has a lot of tall athletes. They could be vulnerable to the running game of the Hawkeyes, assuming that Shakur Becton and Quincy Lowery are up to the task. And don't forget Joshua Mack, FB JJ Harris Jr., and backup fullback Nathan Richardson on the ground.

A notable factor for the Hawkeyes is that kicker BJ Harrison will miss the first half due to conduct. Punter Tilor Deangelo will step in for him in the first half.

[studbucket]

Re: 2024 Week 1 Preview - #1 Iowa Hawkeyes at #20 Texas Longhorns

Do highlighted teams in the top 50 rankings mean Big 10? If so, when did Idaho and Iowa State join the B1G? (I may have missed that as I caught up).

And boy, Michigan has really fallen.

[Hellisan]

Re: 2024 Week 1 Preview - #1 Iowa Hawkeyes at #20 Texas Longhorns

Great pictures as always.

TYmate

Lmao Becton getting railed


Really looking forward to seeing this team run it back! Will be interesting to see if Mack has a leash at all if he struggles early in the season, considering he won a title for you but he doesn't blow you away talent-wise. Expecting to see a LOT of Vessel and Polk this season, they should be the keys for you and I think you could lean a lot more into a West Coast style offense rather than just a ground and pound style. Defense should be stout yet again, always so much talent on that side of the ball for you; those linebackers should rack up the tackles.

LOL, I'm telling you, I wish I had kept a compilation of "Shakur Becton trying to run up the middle" clips, you may remember the one after Larry Lloyd got hurt where he immediately was smashed and fumbled in the BCS game but that was bottom of the barrel Becton railing material

You're exactly right about the west coast offense, and we could potentially utilize shotgun more often as well, although I just lost one of my wide receivers to a citizenship rating random roll again. But that's spot on.

I really hope the linebackers do rack up the tackles, we felt a little down in that metric last year probably because the team was so dominant. I can't see that happening this year.

Do highlighted teams in the top 50 rankings mean Big 10? If so, when did Idaho and Iowa State join the B1G? (I may have missed that as I caught up).

And boy, Michigan has really fallen.

Yes, for the most part. Idaho, Clark's first team, and Iowa State, a rival, are often tracked in those lists too. Thanks for checkin in bro!

And... By the way, there's life in Ann Arbor!

[Hellisan]

2024 Season Week 1 - #1 Iowa at #20 Texas

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2024 - Around the Nation Week 2

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Hawk Blog

Week 1 Random Thoughts

Feeling Horrible for Harkless

Word is beginning to leak out that Antwione Harkless may be done for the season with his concussion. Or at least a big portion of it. I've seen enough of Harkless on the field to believe that he'll never be Iowa's starting QB, but let's just say I relate to people with limitations. He's got a laundry list of limitations but some real talent too, and he's just someone I've been rooting for. The people I sit near at the games root for him too. He's just likable. Big Hark went 2-2 for 22 yards, made a great read on an option pitch that gained 29 yards, and just got unlucky to hit the ground the way he did. Heal quickly and completely, good sir.


He may be a Dandy, Indeed

Redshirt freshman wide receiver Dylan Dandy had numerous "firsts" in the opening game, including a 27-yard touchdown reception. Watching at practice and in scrimmages previously, the team used him in the slot quite a bit. With the suspension of NeShawn Talley likely to last the entire season, that opens up more of a chance for Dandy to start out wide, where one would think his 6'4" frame would work best. But Dandy was in the slot when he scored his touchdown. Dandy isn't a burner, but he gets up to speed as fast or faster than anybody else on the team. This makes him very difficult to deal with in the slot, where if you're running a route, or just going over the middle, you can get separation more quickly than on the outside, where they can more easily guard you with a safety over the top. And in the case of his touchdown play, with the opposing team playing a cover 2 shell, he cleared the linebackers so quick it put a massive amount of pressure on the safety to pick between the two wide receivers heading his way. Dandy isn't known for having the greatest hands, but he caught everything thrown to him yesterday, catching three passes for 39 yards and the touch. A great first game.


Veney fit in just fine in his first game

True freshman cornerback Tyson Veney was selected between two options, the other being Bret Harris, to essentially start for the Hawkeyes as a freshman. The team chose Veney for one primary reason, that being that he was a lot more competitive in the running game. Not necessarily a better tackler, or a much bigger hitter than Harris, but more competitive. He's more difficult to block inside and reacts more quickly to plays. And the local boy is a little bit more aggressive, to my eye. He played just fine in his first game with 4 tackles and a pass deflection, and wasn't an obvious weakness in coverage despite being greener'n a Mexican tomata. Great job, kid.


Butler for Heisman

I know, I know, I know, I know. The Heisman trophy is only awarded to the outstanding OFFENSIVE "college football player in the United States whose performance epitomizes great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard work." But it really should go to a defensive player again once in a while. Better yet, it should go to a defensive player that's not necessarily known for their stance in a low rider just as much as their defensive abilities. Brandon Butler was as good as I've ever seen him in week 1 against Texas. And although I know he'll never win the Heisman and truthfully, would probably not vote that way, I think we need to recognize in some way that the very best player in the nation may play defense this year. And I wouldn't be surprised if Brandon Butler is that player.

[studbucket]

Re: Hawk Blog

It sure seemed like a warmup game for the Hawkeyes, regardless of what the opening sentence said! What a whooping.

The Talley suspension is wild and unexpected, but coach Clark doesn't mess around and that discipline has paid off for both him and the Hawkeyes.

[Hellisan]

2024 - Around the Nation Week 3

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2024 Week 3 Preview - Iowa State at #1 Iowa

Week 2 - Iowa return to Kinnick against Familiar Foe

The Hawkeyes play their first home game of the season before going on the road for four straight against Tennessee, Minnesota, Penn State, and Wisconsin. Coach Clark has never lost to Iowa State, and 2019 was the last season this affair ended in a close score.

The Hawkeyes are already dealing with some absences, with running back Shakur Becton being the most notable. Becton was an all-around force for the Hawkeyes in their first game, really opening up the passing game with his ability in that area. Stepping up for Becton will be the speedier but less well-rounded Quincy Lowery. Fullback Nathan Richardson will step into the backup role. With their physical advantage, look for the Hawkeyes to feed Lowery a little more than they fed Becton a week ago. Still, the team appear determined to be more well rounded moving forward.

On defense, Iowa have to be careful because this is a team with power running and speed. If Iowa State stick to the run and throw it over the top successfully, this game could be a challenge.