Tag: Lukas Van Ness

Three Iowa Hawkeyes 247Sports likes as breakout defensive performers

247Sports’ Sean Bock broke down three Hawkeyes he likes to be breakout defensive players in 2022.

We are now officially under 100 days until the 2022 college football season. Spring ball has passed and summer will give us an even clearer look at what to expect for the Hawkeyes this season.

Sean Bock of 247Sports’ HawkeyeInsider took a look at three defensive players that will see an increased role in 2022. He was the latest to feature redshirt sophomore defensive lineman [autotag]Lukas Van Ness[/autotag].

The Football Writers Association of America tabbed Van Ness as a first-team All-American in 2021 after he registered 33 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks last season. Bock sees Van Ness providing versatility along the Hawkeyes’ defensive line.

Van Ness was listed as a backup and played nearly half as many snaps as the starters, but was tied for most sacks on the team with seven. This spring, Van Ness has been working inside and outside for Iowa and has gotten more experience on the edge. Iowa has two starting defensive tackles returning from last year’s team in Logan Lee and Noah Shannon, so it wouldn’t come as a surprise if Van Ness kicked outside to get more snaps and grow his impact on the defensive line. – Bock, HawkeyeInsider.

Van Ness is the player on this defense that most of the national media is keeping close tabs on. He showed so much potential as a rotational defensive tackle last year and should be given even more of a spotlight with the departure of Zack VanValkenburg. Don’t be surprised if Van Ness is a fast-rising NFL draft prospect.

Also featured is defensive back Cooper DeJean. The sophomore DeJean turned a ton of heads this spring. A four-star recruit, his athleticism and versatility have made him stand out as a potential starter.

The 6-foot-1, 203 pound defensive back has made plays all over the field in spring ball. DeJean received a lot of time at Iowa’s CASH position where many project him to start this season. Many around the team peg him as a future star for the program and someone to keep an eye on this year.

Count Bock as someone on the Iowa beat that’s fully endorsing DeJean as an impact player entering 2022.

This offseason, DeJean really seems to have taken a step forward and looks to be a major part of the defense, particularly at the CASH position. DeJean saw a lot of run at the CASH during spring practice and seems to be the favorite to start in the season opener at that spot, if the regular season were to start today. – Bock, HawkeyeInsider.

Lastly, Bock feels Quinn Schulte also has the potential to start this season. With the graduation of free safety Jack Koerner, the junior Schulte was listed as the heir apparent at the position on the spring depth chart. The former walk-on will have stiff competition, including freshman Xavier Nwankpa.

There is still summer and fall camp to go as guys like Jaxon Rexroth and Xavier Nwankpa could make up ground at this position as it is one of the more wide-open position battles on defense this season. I certainly wouldn’t count out Nwankpa, but Schulte looks like the guy right now. – Bock, HawkeyeInsider.

Both DeJean and Schulte saw some action last season, but the pair combined for just six tackles. In Iowa’s 51-14 rout of Maryland last season, Schulte came away with his lone interception of last season and returned it 42 yards. That pick was part of a six-interception and seven-turnover day that the Hawkeye defense forced.

It will be fascinating to watch all three players’ development and how these position battles shake out following the summer and into fall camp.

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Iowa Hawkeyes Snapshot Profile: No. 91 Lukas Van Ness

Iowa defensive lineman Lukas Van Ness is primed for a big 2022 season. Here’s a look at his production with the Hawkeyes thus far.

The Hawkeyes return one of the most experienced defensive fronts in the league, losing only one starting lineman to graduation. The problem? Zack VanValkenburg was one of the Hawkeyes leading players last year with a team-high 15 tackles for loss. That’s a big hole to fill, but if everything goes according to plan Iowa might have an even better star to fill VanValkenburg’s big shoes.

While a ton of attention has been focused on Iowa’s linebacker trio, sophomore defensive lineman Lukas Van Ness has super star potential. After redshirting a year, Van Ness made an immediate impact as a rotational defensive tackle recording seven sacks. Despite not starting all year, he was one of the Hawkeyes most impactful players. He was named a freshman All-American by both the Football Writers Association of America and the Maxwell Group.

Interestingly enough, Van Ness has a background not only in football… but in hockey! He lettered three times in the sport and was playing it long before he picked up football his freshman year of high school. His time on the ice has translated onto the football field, the frenetic paced hockey helping Van Ness read and react quicker on the field. He brings the same brand of physicality to both the ice and gridiron.

Preseason Player Profile

Hometown: Barrington, Ill.

Ht: 6-5

Wt: 265

Class in 2022: Redshirt Sophomore

247Sports composite ranking

2020 three star / No. 52 SDE / No. 21 player in Illinois

Career Stats

Defense & Fumbles Table
Tackles Def Int Fumbles
Year School Conf Class Pos G Solo Ast Tot Loss Sk Int Yds Avg TD PD FR Yds TD FF
2020 Iowa Big Ten FR DL
*2021 Iowa Big Ten FR DL 13 17 16 33 8.5 7.0 0 0 0 1 0 0
Career Iowa 17 16 33 8.5 7.0 0 0 0 1 0 0
Provided by CFB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 5/16/2022.

Depth Chart Overview

Do not be surprised if the Hawkeyes use Van Ness all over the line 2022. Iowa defensive line coach Kelvin Bell values versatility and Van Ness can play inside and outside. He should battle for a full-time starting role this year. The Hawkeyes have produced some of the top Big Ten defensive linemen in recent years. Anthony Nelson and A.J. Epenesa come to mind, and Lukas Van Ness can be the next in line.

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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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CBS Sports’ Tom Fornelli predicts Lukas Van Ness to wreak havoc in 2022

CBS Sports’ Tom Fornelli has predicted that defensive lineman Lukas Van Ness could be the next big thing to come from the Hawkeyes’ defense.

It appears the Iowa Hawkeyes may have their next big thing on the defensive line. That next big thing comes in the form of sophomore defensive end Lukas Van Ness.

Van Ness hails from Barrington High School in the suburbs of Chicago and found himself beginning to blossom last season in a rotational capacity. His performance earned him a spot on the Football Writers Association of America and Maxwell Football Club’s Freshman All-America teams.

The fact that he wasn’t an every down player makes his performance that much more impressive. CBS Sports’ Tom Fornelli thinks Van Ness may just be scratching the surface of what his ceiling could be. He believes the sophomore may be Iowa’s answer to constant pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

Lukas Van Ness is ready to terrorize backfields: Iowa didn’t have a traditional spring game, opting instead for an open practice. Those who attended got a glimpse of Iowa’s next great pass-rusher. Van Ness was impressive during his freshman season in 2021, finishing with seven sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss. And he did that before spending a full year in the strength and conditioning program. Van Ness looked bigger, quicker and meaner this spring, and will be a part of many a nightmare in 2022. – Fornelli, CBS Sports.

Fornelli is right about Van Ness looking bigger entering the 2022 season. At the spring game, he appeared to be bigger than his freshman campaign. It isn’t often to have the combination of height, size and strength to go with the flexibility it takes to turn the corner as a defensive end, but that’s what Iowa’s strength and conditioning program is known for. They take natural size and talent and turn it into All-American outputs.

Van Ness seemed to find his groove down the stretch last season. Through the final three games, he tallied a combined 13 tackles, two sacks, and a quarterback pressure. That performance against all Power Five schools may be the catalyst that springboards him into the next level of Big Ten defensive linemen.

In recent years, Iowa has churned out A.J. Epenesa, Chauncey Golston, and Daviyon Nixon as high-quality defensive linemen making it to the NFL. Van Ness has the intangibles and appears to be quickly figuring out the intricacies of the position. A big 2022 season for Van Ness may not be an overreaction at all. Instead, that might be exactly what’s in order for Van Ness and Hawkeye fans in 2022.

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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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