Signing Day 2010: Iowa Hawkeyes out of Hunt for No. 1 Prospect

By now, most Hawk fans know that the top high school prospect in the country, St. Paul, Minnesota's Sentreal Henderson, will not be playing for the black and gold.

Recently, Kirk Ferentz decided to forgo an in-home visit with the Hendersons, probably feeling that it was such a long shot, it wasn't worth the effort.

Nevertheless, I wouldn't sweat it.

Henderson is 6'8", 335 pounds (18 years old, phew). With those measurables, it is certain that his place will be on the offensive line. More specifically, he will probably line up at tackle where his long limbs will be particularly advantageous.

Needless to say, recruiting is an inexact science. A player can be great in high school and never make it on the college level.

It is exactly the same with the pros. A player can be great in college, have a great combine, and then fall flat in the NFL.

Be assured, if there were some specific test or number that pro or college scouts could use to determine the true measure of a prospect, it would be in standard use already.

As it is, the pro teams spend extraordinary amounts of money and resources to find out everything about the players they are scouting. They test their heart rate, measure their broad jump, time their 40, interview their Pop Warner coach, find out what kind of cereal they eat for breakfast.

And still they get lemons like David Carr or Ryan Leaf.

Certainly, the college coaches don't have the money to throw around that the pros do. However, in the end recruiting is the lifeblood of any college program.

Not only do talented players have to be recruited, but players have to fit the system the coach is implementing. Also, players need to have the attitude the coaches desire.

Look at Rich Rodriguez in Michigan. He's got as much talent to work with as anybody in the country. The problem is that talent has been recruited to fit former coach Lloyd Carr's system, a system decidedly different than Rodriguez's. The end result of that has a 3-9 and a 5-7 season.

College coaches realize the importance of recruiting and, therefore, put as much emphasis on it as they can.

Iowa has even moved former tight ends coach Eric Johnson into the full-time recruiting coordinator position. As a college coaching staff is only allowed to have so many active coaches, that is a large commitment.

In effect, we know that recruiting is important. We also know it is extremely hit-or-miss.

I would argue that there is no position that is as hit-or-miss as the offensive line.

I would also argue that when it comes to offensive linemen, the only meaning of the scouting services rating is that the player in question is big and physically ready to play (or not, depending upon the rating).

After all, when it comes to hard, cold numbers, what is measured?

Basically, certain physical attributes are measured: how fast can said player run the 40? How fast can he do a shuttle run? How much can he bench? How much can he squat?

Those numbers are relevant to a receiver, for example. A good 40 time doesn't mean a receiver is guaranteed to be productive at the next level. Nonetheless, if a receiver runs a 4.4 x 40, he will probably be able to outrun most cornerbacks.

In other words, the numbers he puts up in drills can be directly transferred, to some degree, to his play and success on the football field.

What of O-linemen?

Well, it's nice that an O-lineman can run a 5.0 x 40, but how much does that translate to the field?

To put it another way, how often does an O-lineman need to use straight line speed?

And the shuttle? I suppose an O-lineman needs to accelerate when he pulls or is running a screen, but is it really the key asset possessed by an O-lineman?

Yes, pure strength is a bit more relevant for a lineman, but, to a degree, a good strength and conditioning program can build up a player's strength.

And Iowa has one of the best strength and conditioning programs in the country, under strength and conditioning coach, Chris Doyle.

It is for this reason that Iowa has had atypical success in terms of developing O-lineman.

Despite not being able to recruit with the likes of Ohio State or Florida, under Ferentz, Iowa has had as many O-lineman drafted as either of those schools.

This is also the reason they have done so well with recruiting players for one position and switching them to O-line.

Eric Steinbach and Robert Gallery came to Iowa as lightly recruited tight ends. Mike Elgin started as a linebacker. And current Iowa O-lineman Riley Reiff came to Iowa as a defensive end.

Moreover, playing O-line is more about technique than brute strength or size.

When you watch a lot of dominant high school offensive lineman, you see them getting by because they simply overpower everybody on the field.

However, they are sloppy. They have poor footwork. They don't have a wide enough base. Their center of gravity is too high.

Then they get to the college level and these sloppy 330 pound behemoths get blown up by a technically sound 250 pound defensive end.

This is not to say receivers, for example, don't have to learn fundamentals or that a naturally gifted tailback can come right into college ball and make a huge impact. However, it is considerably more likely than a lineman coming right in and starting, let alone excelling.

In short, Iowa offered Henderson a scholarship, so obviously they saw something in him. Furthermore, wherever Henderson goes, he may be very successful. He may very well be the next Orlando Pace.

Then again, he may also be the next Tony Mandarich.

Either way, as an Iowa fan, I'm not sweating it. As long as Coach Ferentz and Coach Doyle are at Iowa, the Hawkeyes will be able to field quality offensive linemen.