National Signing Day 2011: A Closer Look at Iowa Hawkeyes' Defensive Recruits

As mentioned in the previous look at Iowa's offensive recruits, the players in this article are placed here because the scouting services list their primary position as being on the defense. I do not always agree that is where they will end up.

This is especially true in the case of Iowa's "hybrid" recruits, of which there are a substantial amount in this year's class.

A "hybrid" is a recruit that is generally between 6'1" and 6'7" and between 210 lbs and 240 lbs. Due to his "in-between" size, it is conceivable that he could play any of a number of positions.

Where he does end up will depend upon how much weight his body can carry, where he wants to play and where the coaches feel he can best maximize his potential.

Some notable past Hawkeye hybrids have included: Dallas Clark, Robert Gallery, Jonathan Babineaux, Scott Chandler, Tom Busch, Mitch King, and AJ Edds,

Obviously, they all wound up at different positions, but they all came to Iowa weighing between 210-240 lbs. Moreover, they all left Iowa playing a different position than where they started.

This recruiting class has five bona-fide hybrids, with another three that could be grouped in that bunch.

Before their careers are over, it is likely that they will all play positions as varied as the aforementioned group. We can only hope they will have the same degree of success.

John Raymon: DE, Newton PA

Measurables: 6'5" 235 pounds. Runs the 40 in 4.70 seconds

Other Offers: Illinois, Maryland, NC State, Purdue, Temple, West Virginia. 

Commit Date: 06/30/2010

Possible Positions: DL, TE, OL

Chances of Playing in 2011: 30 percent, with his best chance being if he stays on the defensive line.

My Two Cents: Ramon looks like he plays bigger than he is. Moreover, his video paints him as somebody with a non-stop motor that never gives up on a play. That is very good to see.

My guess is that he will put on 30-50 pounds and move to the inside of the defensive line. If he maintains his speed, he could be something of a disruptive, inside-out Jon Babineaux-type of D-lineman.

Riley McMinn: DE, Rochester IL

That's our man picking his nose

Measurables: 6'7" 220 lbs. Runs the 40 in 4.60 seconds.

Other Offers: Boston College, Central Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Memphis, Minnesota, SMU, Wisconsin 

Commit Date: 07/12/2010

Possible Positions: DE, TE, OT, DT

Chances of Playing in 2011: 20 percent, with his best chance coming at tight end. The problem is he's a twig.

My Two Cents: McMinn is arguably the most intriguing of Iowa's hybrid recruits. There are really so many different directions his career could take.

At his height, he could gain 30 pounds and be a matchup nightmare at tight end. He could also move to the offensive line, if his frame will allow him to pack on another 60-70 pounds.

Finally, he could pack on 30-40 pounds and stay on the defensive line, where he could be a ball swatting specialist.

If there is one thing the posted video tells us—other than that McMinn should be a lot of fun in the locker room—it is that he doesn't really have the thick frame of an offensive lineman. In fact, he looks more like a lanky basketball player.

I would guess that he will end up at tight end, as he looks a lot like former Iowa tight end Scott Chandler, who also came to Iowa at 6'7", 220 pounds. However, as McMinn was strictly a defensive player in high school, perhaps that idea is ludicrous.

Either way, he'll be a project for S&C coach Chris Doyle that we likely won't see for a couple of years.

Cole Fisher: OLB, Omaha NE

I think that's our man in the yellow trunks

Measurables: 6'3" 200 lbs. Runs the 40 in 4.6 seconds.

Other Offers: Kansas 

Commit Date: 07/30/2010

Possible Positions: OLB

Chances of Playing in 2011: 20 percent.

My Two Cents: Fisher is the latest in Iowa recruits out of Omaha, following Adam Shada, Seth Olsen, and Shaun Prater.

Fisher will stay at linebacker, but it might be a few years before he starts making some waves. Right now, he is is still very lean.

Melvin Spears: LB, Allen TX

Measurables: 6'2" 219 lbs. Runs the 40 in 4.70 seconds.

Other Offers: Arkansas State and Minnesota.  

Commit Date: 10/08/2010

Possible Positions: LB, FB, DE

Chances of Playing in 2011: 30 percent. He is the perfect size for special teams, though he needs to add some weight to his frame. As my guess is that he will be moving to the line, he might take a redshirt in order to add some size.

My Two Cents: According to various accounts, Spears likes to hit. That easily translates to linebacker or fullback.

The latter position is usually overlooked, but right now, the depth chart appears to be pretty sparse behind redshirt sophomore Brad Rogers. Spears could make an immediate impact in that capacity.

Nevertheless, his relative lack of speed—for an Iowa linebacker—causes me to think he's going to put on 30-40 pounds and move to defensive end.

Nicholas Law: S, Forestville MD

Measurables: 6'3" 190 lbs. Runs the 40 in 4.50 seconds

Other Offers: Cincinnati, Illinois, Kansas, Louisville, Maryland, Michigan State, NC State, Purdue, Rutgers, Syracuse, and West Virginia.  

Commit Date: 11/01/2010

Possible Positions: S, LB, WR

Chances of Playing in 2011: 95 percent. He can have an immediate impact on special teams—see video at the :40 second mark—and compete for both of Iowa's open safety spots.

My Two Cents: At 6'3", Law is a very tall safety. It is possible that he could pack on 25-35 pounds and move to linebacker. On the other hand, Iowa currently has a need for safeties.

Either way, he will stay on defense. As his video attests, he not only has ball-hawking skills, but he likes to hit. A lot.

If he stays at safety, it is my opinion that he might have the best chance of any of Iowa's 2011 commits to make the two-deep this season. Of course, a starting spot is unlikely, but I would have said the same thing about James Morris in 2010.

Quinton Alston: LB, Erial NJ

Measurables: 6'1" 215 lbs. Runs the 40 in 4.68 seconds.

Other Offers: Boston College, Louisville, NC State, Pitt, Purdue, Stanford, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin.  

Commit Date: 01/10/2010

Possible Positions: LB, FB, DE

Chances of Playing in 2011: 50 percent. Along with Melvin Spears, he looks to be the most physically ready linebacker recruit in Iowa's class. As previously mentioned, linebackers, tight ends, and defensive backs are the key players on special teams.

My Two Cents: I like Alston staying on the defense, particularly at an inside linebacker spot. He reads his keys well, and seems to always move downhill and flow to the ball, a lot like former Iowa MIKE Abdul Hodge or recent Iowa WILL Jeremiah Hunter.

Rodney Coe: LB, Edwardsville IL

Measurables: 6'3" 230 lbs. Runs the 40 in 4.67.

Other Offers: Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Illinois, Michigan State, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin, to name a few.

Commit Date: 12/19/2010

Possible Positions: RB, LB, DE, TE, DT

Chances of Playing in 2011: 90 percent. Even if he doesn't crack the depth chart at running back, he is an ideal-sized player for special teams duties. Look for him to make a big splash on kickoff coverage.

My Two Cents: All the talk in the Hawkeye State is of Coe as a running back. That was part of the reason he decided to go with Iowa. As Coe himself has said, "I want the rock in my hands."

However, at 6'3", his center of gravity would be very high. This does not mean he can't be a tailback. After all, Adrian Peterson at 6'1" and Brandon Jacobs at 6'4" have done very well. However, modern tailbacks usually fall between 5'8" and 5'11".

Furthermore, Iowa seemed to place priority in signing a late tailback in this class, thus upping the running back total to at least five. In all probability, the coaches do not expect as many as two-three of their tailback recruits to actually play the position.

My guess is that Coe will come to Iowa City, and he will be given a fair shot at tailback. He might even play there for a year, as Iowa very much needs bodies there.

Nevertheless, he will be much like Christian Ballard, who came to Iowa as a tight end. After one summer camp, he realized that he was no longer playing high school ball, and his body dictated that he belonged on the defensive line. Four years later and Ballard is a likely first-day draft choice in April.

As Freud said, "Anatomy is destiny."

In the end, I think Coe will wind up on the defense, at either linebacker or defensive end.

Of course, what do I know? I am sure that Coe could be a great contributor at the tailback position. Nevertheless, if Coe wants to get to the NFL, among other things, moving to the D would be his best course of action.

Jordan Lomax: DB, Hyattsville MD

Measurables: 5'11" 187 lbs. Runs the 40 in 4.49 seconds.

Other Offers: Louisville, Maryland, New Mexico, Pitt, Virginia

Commit Date: 1/31/2011

Possible Positions: S, CB 

Chances of Playing in 2011: 50 percent. If Iowa didn't have so much depth at cornerback, I'd be inclined to think he would have a better shot.

My Two Cents: While Lomax could play either safety or corner, my guess is that he will wind up at corner.

His high school tape shows that he is used to playing on an island. He is not a terribly heavy hitter, but has good size and speed.

Johnny Lowdermilk: LB, Kensington OH

Measurables: 6'2" 200 lbs. Runs the 40 in 4.61 seconds.

Other Offers: Kent State, Miami (OH)

Commit Date: 02/01/2011

Possible Positions: LB, SS, FB

Chances of Playing in 2011: 25 percent.

My Two Cents: Undersized player with good height that was known as much for playing quarterback as defense in high school. He was lightly recruited and plays with a chip on his shoulder.

Sound like another recent Hawkeye linebacker?

Marcus Collins: LB, Drexel Hill PA

Measurables: 6'0" 215 lbs. Runs the 40 in 4.5 seconds.

Other Offers: Army

Commit Date: 02/01/2011

Possible Positions: LB, DE, FB

Chances of Playing in 2011: 40 percent.

My Two Cents: Collins is not the hitter that some of Iowa's other linebacker recruits—Spears and Alston, most notably—seem to be. However, he is faster than most, which is coveted in Iowa's linebacker-dependent scheme.

In the end, I think he'll stay on defense, probably at the WILL or LEO position.

Darian Cooper: DT, Hyattsville MD

Measurables: 6'1" 275 lbs. Runs the 40 in five seconds.

Other Offers: Clemson, Duke, Florida, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, NC State, UCLA, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin.

Commit Date: 02/02/2011

Possible Positions: DT, DE, OL

Chances of Playing in 2011: 55 percent. As Kirk Ferentz has said in the past: The closer the player is to the ball, the less likely he'll play as a true frosh. Needless to say, a defensive tackle is right on top of the ball.

My Two Cents: It's difficult to look too much into Cooper's highlight tape for the simple fact that it is exactly that: a highlight tape. A defensive tackle does so much that never makes it to the highlight tape, but that makes it possible for linebackers and defensive ends to look good.

Cooper will play on the inside of the D-line. If he comes out of fall camp with a full understanding of his responsibilities, then he will have a good shot at seeing the field this season. This, in turn, would give him a leg up at taking over for senior Mike Daniels next season.