Tag: Kaevon Merriweather

Athlon Sports ranks Iowa Hawkeyes No. 32 nationally entering 2022

What all did Athlon Sports have to say about the Iowa Hawkeyes that resulted in Iowa outside the top 25 at No. 32 nationally?

Several weeks ago, Athlon Sports’ Steven Lassan released his top 25 rankings for 2022 and the Iowa Hawkeyes weren’t among that list. Instead, five other Big Ten teams were among Lassan’s top 25 rankings for 2022 heading into the summer.

That group included No. 2 Ohio State, No. 6 Michigan, No. 14 Michigan State, No. 19 Wisconsin and No. 25 Penn State. When Lassan’s top 25 was released, he had Iowa in his “next tier” of teams that also included Air Force, Appalachian State, Auburn, Boise State, BYU, Coastal Carolina, Florida, Florida State, Fresno State, Kansas State, LSU, Minnesota, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Purdue, South Carolina, Texas, UAB, UCLA and UTSA.

Now, after Athlon Sports’ release of its 2022 Iowa football preview, there’s a precise number to attach from the outlet to the Hawkeyes. Athlon Sports ranks Iowa No. 32 nationally heading into the 2022 season.

Here’s a breakdown on everything Athlon Sports had to say about Iowa.

22 Iowa Hawkeyes football stats to know entering the 2022 season

Kickoff of the 2022 season is nearing closer every day. Here’s 22 Iowa Hawkeyes stats to know from last season as we inch toward 2022.

By now, you know the drill. The 2021 Iowa Hawkeyes had one of the nation’s stingiest defenses, but the offense left so much to be desired. As a result, a perfect 6-0 start lost its luster with a pair of midseason losses to Purdue and at Wisconsin.

After four straight wins to close the regular season locked down the Big Ten West crown, the Hawkeyes were exposed in the Big Ten championship game by the Michigan Wolverines, 42-3. Iowa followed that championship game loss up with a field goal defeat in the Vrbo Citrus Bowl against Kentucky. Enter the spring and summer of offensive discontent.

A step forward in the Hawkeyes’ quarterback play and Iowa’s offense in general would go a mile in 2022. If Iowa can find that recipe, then fans can start realistically thinking about a return trip to the Big Ten championship game.

With an ongoing quarterback competition still being waged in Iowa City, what’s to come next is really anybody’s guess. There’s optimism that Spencer Petras can elevate his game to the next level. The 6-foot-5, 233 pound signal-caller from San Rafael, Calif., has been working out with quarterbacks coach and trainer Tony Racioppi this offseason to refine his body and his game.

Still, Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz said to end the spring that he and the rest of his offensive staff are planning a long, hard look heading into the fall at each of their three options under center.

Where does that leave us entering the 2022 college football season? Here’s a look back at all of Iowa’s key offensive and defensive numbers from last season to get fans prepped for what may lie ahead in 2022.

Iowa Hawkeyes ranked No. 7 in ESPN’s future defensive power rankings

ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg ranked the Iowa Hawkeyes No. 7 in his future defensive power rankings.

Iowa doesn’t appear to be giving up its tradition of strong defensive football any time soon.

Recently, ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg whipped out his crystal ball to rank the top 25 defenses in college football over the next three years. The Hawkeyes cracked the top 10, finishing 7th in the rankings. Rittenberg was especially impressed with Iowa’s ever-replenishing supply of defensive backs, as well as the immediate impact of the linebackers currently on the roster.

Can we start calling Iowa low-key DBU? Coordinator Phil Parker and his group aren’t the type to ask for labels, but they’ve produced the Big Ten’s Defensive Back of the Year five times in the 12-year history of the award, including four times since 2015. – Rittenberg, ESPN.

The next in line for “low-key DBU” is cornerback Riley Moss, last year’s Tatum-Woodson Defensive Back of the Year. That’s awarded to the best defensive back in the Big Ten.

The senior had four picks last year in his first-team All-Big Ten campaign. The third-team All-American will be returning for his fifth season and is flanked by returning starting safety Kaevon Merriweather and corner Jermari Harris.

While they did lose star safety and newly drafted New York Giant Dane Belton, keep an eye on incoming five-star freshman Xavier Nwankpa. While his playing status is uncertain for this year, it would not be blasphemous to picture Nwankpa as Iowa’s next Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year winner as well.

Rittenberg also had positive things to say about the Hawkeyes’ defensive line entering 2022.

Iowa’s front four also projects well with veterans such as Logan Lee, Noah Shannon, Joe Evans and John Waggoner all back. Lee is the only non-senior, though, and Iowa will look for sophomore tackles Lukas Van Ness and Yahya Black, sophomore end Deontae Craig and others to keep taking on bigger roles. – Rittenberg, ESPN.

The other position highlighted was the Hawkeyes’ linebacker group. Seen as the backbone of the defense, Iowa is returning a trio of starters. Led by rising draft prospect Jack Campbell, the 6-foot-5, 243 pound linebacker led the nation with 143 tackles. Senior linebacker Seth Benson added 105 tackles in his own right.

Campbell and Seth Benson are joined by junior Jestin Jacobs and will spell trouble for any Big Ten opponent looking to establish the run. The development of the next generation of Hawkeye linebackers in 2021 three-stars Karson Sharar and Jaden Harrell will also be key for maintaining a stranglehold on the position.

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247Sports tabs Iowa safety Xavier Nwankpa as Hawkeyes’ freshman to watch

247Sports writer Sam Marsdale tabbed safety Xavier Nwankpa as Iowa’s freshman sparking excitement.

It’s no secret that Xavier Nwankpa arrives in Iowa City with a full steam of hype behind him. After an impressive spring, the 6-foot-2, 190 pound freshman safety has only added more fuel to that fire.

The Pleasant Hill, Iowa, native chose to stay home and play for the Hawkeyes. In the process, the Southeast Polk High School product rebuffed offers from the likes of Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Notre Dame and Ohio State just to name a few.

247Sports’ Sam Marsdale picked Nwankpa for Iowa in his list of freshmen sparking excitement for Big Ten teams.

A 247Sports five-star recruit as the top-ranked safety, Iowa held off many powerhouses to keep Nwanpka at home. The combination of athleticism, length, clutch play-making, swagger and instincts made him one of the most highly-sought after prospects in the country. Iowa was among the first schools to jump in for his services, but it’s difficult to ward off Ohio State, Notre Dame and just about everyone else. Watch out for him to see the field quickly in Iowa City. – Sam Marsdale, 247Sports.

Naturally, the fact that Nwankpa spurned the types of schools that he did to become a Hawkeye will have him in good graces with Iowa fans from the get-go. As Marsdale mentioned, it’s Nwankpa’s playmaking ability that will keep him there.

According to 247Sports, Nwankpa was a five-star recruit, the No. 25 player nationally, the No. 1 safety and the top player from the state of Iowa in the 2022 signing class. Rivals also ranked Nwankpa as a five-star talent, the No. 19 player overall, the No. 1 safety and the top player from the Hawkeye State.

Meanwhile, ESPN and On3 both listed Nwankpa as a four-star prospect. According to ESPN, Nwankpa was the nation’s No. 155 player overall and the No. 9 safety. On3 ranked Nwankpa as the country’s No. 127 player overall, the No. 10 safety and the No. 2 player from the state of Iowa.

Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz had glowing remarks about the impressions both Nwankpa and fellow freshman defensive back TJ Hall have made thus far following the Hawkeyes’ conclusion of their open spring practice on April 23.

“I think we’re going to see a big jump just in terms of his confidence and just being a little bit more decisive with his play when we get back in August. And he’s done some really good things. He flashes some things that are like, you know, you can see the guy that we knew he is. That will show up on special teams, too. He’s just a tremendous young guy, great personality and demeanor, really good to work with, good work ethic and good work habits. He’s doing a great job in the classroom as well, so it’s really been great and say the same thing about TJ Hall. They’re both back there together as true freshmen. They both just are really doing a nice job so far,” Ferentz said.

While Kaevon Merriweather, Sebastian Castro, Quinn Schulte and Jaxon Rexroth were the players listed on Iowa’s initial two-deep to start the spring, it could be just a matter of time before Nwankpa cracks that rotation.

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Iowa Hawkeye Tyler Linderbaum is Pro Football Focus’ highest-graded 2021 college football player

Pro Football Focus graded Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum as its top 2021 college football player.

Iowa center [autotag]Tyler Linderbaum[/autotag] is going to be an excellent addition for somebody in the 2022 NFL draft. That much is evidenced by his Pro Football Focus grade.

Linderbaum had the highest grade of any college football player in 2021. The 6-foot-3, 290 pound center earned a grade of 95.4.

That mark was well clear of the next-closest center. Missouri’s Michael Maietti finished the 2021 season with a PFF grade of 89.1, Minnesota’s John Michael Schmitz earned a grade of 88.5, USC’s Brett Neilon registered a grade of 86.2 and Wyoming’s Keegan Cryder recorded a grade of 85.5 to round out the top grades for Division I centers.

According to PFF, Linderbaum had a run blocking grade of 96.6 and a pass blocking grade of 79.8. His run blocking grade was tops among all Division I players, while his pass blocking grade checked in at No. 15. Linderbaum was also recently listed among Bucky Brooks of NFL.com’s top five interior blockers.

Iowa’s top ten offensive players during the 2021 season according to PFF looked like this: Linderbaum at No. 1 with a grade of 95.4, left guard [autotag]Kyler Schott[/autotag] with a grade of 86.1, offensive lineman [autotag]Tyler Elsbury[/autotag] with a grade of 80.4, offensive guard [autotag]Justin Britt[/autotag] with a grade of 78.5, center [autotag]Matt Fagan[/autotag] with a grade of 75.8, running back [autotag]Gavin Williams[/autotag] with a grade of 75.1, offensive guard [autotag]Cody Ince[/autotag] with a grade of 75.1, quarterback [autotag]Spencer Petras[/autotag] with a grade of 73.9, tight end [autotag]Sam LaPorta[/autotag] with a grade of 72.5 and right guard [autotag]Connor Colby[/autotag] with a grade of 71.5

The Hawkeyes’ top 10 defensive players in 2021 via PFF went as follows: defensive end [autotag]Zach VanValkenburg[/autotag] with a grade of 84.2, cornerback [autotag]Riley Moss[/autotag] with a grade of 80.1, cornerback [autotag]Matt Hankins[/autotag] with a grade of 80.0, safety [autotag]Dane Belton[/autotag] with a grade of 77.1, safety [autotag]Quinn Schulte[/autotag] with a grade of 75.3, safety [autotag]Kaevon Merriweather[/autotag] with a grade of 73.1, cornerback [autotag]Jermari Harris[/autotag] with a grade of 72.9, defensive tackle [autotag]Noah Shannon[/autotag] with a grade of 70.6, defensive tackle [autotag]Lukas Van Ness[/autotag] and linebacker [autotag]Jack Campbell[/autotag] with a grade of 69.8.

Iowa’s top-five graded specialists according to PFF were defensive tackle [autotag]Logan Lee[/autotag] with a grade of 89.0, cornerback [autotag]Terry Roberts[/autotag] with a grade of 84.6, cornerback [autotag]Cooper DeJean[/autotag] with a grade of 76.3, cornerback [autotag]Xavior Williams[/autotag] with a grade of 76.1 and defensive back [autotag]Henry Marchese[/autotag] with a grade of 74.2.

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5 takeaways from Iowa’s spring depth chart reveal

Iowa gave us our first glimpse of the depth chart. What are the takeaways from the Hawkeyes’ spring starting point?

Football is back! At least a taste of it is anyways. Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz met with reporters and shared his excitement to get the spring slate underway.

“Certainly good to be back and it’s good for us as coaches to be able to focus on the 2022 team now, so it’s good to be back in the office and into it. As I said last time, you know, any time we get together, get started in January, it’s a new team, certainly a new season and a new opportunity on top of that, so it’s always good. As you approach spring football, there’s always promise and hope with the new season, a lot of excitement about that. I think that’s something that players and coaches both share. So it’s one of the great things about spring ball I think,” Ferentz said.

With the Hawkeyes underway with their spring practices, Iowa released its spring depth chart.

There’s certainly plenty to dissect from our first glimpse at a working two-deep for the Hawkeyes, so let’s take a peek at several quick takeaways.

Iowa earns No. 6 seed in ESPN’s fictional 64-team college football bracket

ESPN’s Chris Low took a crack at what a 64-team college football bracket might look like for the 2022 season. How far would the Hawkeyes go?

Recent reports indicate that the College Football Playoff won’t be expanding any time soon. In fact, according to CBS Sports reporter Barrett Sallee’s report from last month, the CFP will remain at four teams for the duration of the current contract through the 2025 college football season.

Still, that can rain on our parade as we enjoy the festivities of March Madness and wonder what if college football had a 64-team bracket like college basketball. ESPN’s Chris Low took a stab at what that might look like for the upcoming 2022 college football season.

With help from ESPN’s 2022 SP+ projections, Low put together a 64-team team tournament field for college football. Iowa ranked No. 26 in ESPN’s 2022 SP+ projections. That projection for the Hawkeyes checked in as just the seventh-highest ranking among Big Ten teams.

Ohio State was ranked No. 1 in ESPN’s 2022 SP+ projections, Michigan No. 4, Wisconsin No. 10, Penn State No. 16, Michigan State, No. 17 and Minnesota No. 19.

Using the SP+ projections as a tool to help create the 64-team bracket, Iowa ended up as the No. 6 seed in the South region playing No. 11 seed North Carolina. Low predicted the Hawkeyes would win their first-round matchup against the Tar Heels, 27-20, and wrote this about the matchup.

Between them, Kirk Ferentz and Mack Brown have 58 years of head coaching experience in college football. The Hawkeyes’ experience, though, is the difference in this one, as their defensive line takes control of the game in the second half. – Low, ESPN.

North Carolina State earned the No. 3 seed in the South region. The Wolfpack got a test from 14th-seeded Oregon State, but North Carolina State scored three unanswered touchdowns to top the Beavers, 28-14. That set up Iowa’s second-round matchup against N.C. State. Low predicted that Iowa would bow out of the tournament in a close, 20-17, loss to the Wolfpack.

Played in rainy, sloppy conditions, this slugfest goes down to the final minutes when N.C. State star linebacker Drake Thomas, one of several talented Wolfpack linebackers, makes a diving tackle inside the 5-yard line on fourth down. – Low, ESPN.

The No. 1 seeds in Low’s 64-team college football bracket included Alabama, Michigan, Ohio State and Georgia. Low predicted that Alabama would top North Carolina State in the South region final, 41-21. The Midwest region champion was Ohio State after a 34-17 win over Cincinnati, the East region champion was Texas A&M after a 24-23 win over Georgia and the West region champion was Oklahoma beating USC, 35-28.

Low had Alabama beating Oklahoma 41-21 and Ohio State topping Texas A&M 38-24 to set up the national championship game between the Crimson Tide and Buckeyes.

In Low’s fictional national championship game, Ohio State captured the crown in a classic, beating Alabama, 34-30.

Obviously, there’s nothing to this outside of a fun exercise in imaginary December and January Madness. Still, it’s nice to see that Iowa was safely inside the tournament field and expected to win a game.

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