Iowa Hawkeyes Football: A Force To Be Reckoned with in 2009

The Iowa Hawkeyes finished their 2008 campaign winning six out of seven games, including a punishing victory of the South Carolina Gamecocks in the Outback Bowl.

Despite their ups and downs this season the Hawkeyes proved that they are going to be one of the better teams in the nation next fall, and they may even be able to challenge the usual Big-10 players in the BCS hunt.

Kirk Ferentz has built a team that loses some key players for 2009, but the bigger story is that they also will be bringing back a great nucleus of young players that are getting Hawkeye fans excited.

The offense will be losing two All-Americans in running back Shonn Greene and offensive lineman Seth Olsen.  The impact of these losses will be lessened because of the hard work that Kirk Ferentz has already put in.

Jewel Hampton, pictured above, was very productive in his freshman campaign.  He was limited to only 91 carries, but he made the most of them, rushing for 463 yards and hitting pay dirt seven times. 

Hampton is a very tough runner, who reminds people in Iowa City of Maurice Jones-Drew of the Jacksonville Jaguars.  Even quicker than Shonn Greene, he bounces off of tacklers like a pinball.  Spelling Hampton will be a slew of young running backs, led by superstar recruit Brandon Wegher out of Sioux City, Iowa.

Wegher was outstanding at Heelan High School in Sioux City, IA.  These eye-popping numbers are not misprints, he rushed for 3,238 yards, averaging 8.9 yards per carry while scoring 51 rushing touchdowns.  This athlete received four stars by Rivals.com and Scout.com. At 5'11" and 206 pounds, Wegher runs a 4.42 second 40-yard dash.  An unbelievable athlete, he could be one of the better freshmen backs in the country.

In addition to a strong running game, Iowa will feature a top tier passing game in 2009.

Handing the ball off to Wegher and Hampton will be a familiar face in junior quarterback Ricky Stanzi.  Stanzi finished with a quarterback rating of 134.2, a stat the Hawkeyes have longed for in a quarterback.  By the end of the season Stanzi was noticeably better.  If Stanzi can develop the rest of his game another dimension will be added to the Hawkeye offense.

Derrell Johnson-Koulianos is a playmaker at receiver, and he will be back for his junior campaign. DJK had 44 catches for 639 yards and three touchdowns this past season, and these numbers should improve next season.

Koulianos will likely be accompanied by a slew of freshmen receivers, led by Under Armour All-American Keenan Davis.

Davis is the best receiver prospect to commit to Iowa City in a long time.  At 6'3" and 200 pounds with a 4.47 40-yard dash, he could be a superstar for years to come.

Along with Keenan, Iowa is also recruiting four-star prospect Justin Brown, who would be a perfect compliment to Davis.  Brown is 6'3", 210 pounds, and runs the 40-yard dash in a reported 4.44 seconds. Not too bad for the big man. If Iowa can haul in Brown, he and Davis could form one of the most potent wide receiver duos in college football for the next four years.

Despite losing Olsen, Iowa's offensive line returns many of its starters.  Coach Ferentz traditionally has made the big boys his top priority. Iowa will undoubtedly have its usual dominant offensive line under their great coaching staff, led by left tackle Brian Bulaga.

On the defensive front, the Hawkeyes are losing two very key players in Matt Kroul and All-American Mitch King. They will be sorely missed up front, but defensive line is currently Iowa's deepest position.  Starting ends Adrian Clayborn and Christian Ballard will both be back next season, as well as Broderick Binns, LeBron Daniel, Karl Klug, and Cody Hundertmark.

At linebacker, the Hawkeyes return a trio that was one of the best in the nation in 2008. Jeremiha Hunter is a hard hitter with tons of speed, and he could be the defensive captain in 2009. Hunter was arguably Iowa's most improved defensive player in 2008.

Making the argument for most improved player is fellow linebacker Pat Angerer, who will be a senior next season.  Angerer led all NCAA linebackers with five interceptions, and was Iowa's top tackler.  While not the flashiest athlete, he is certainly a gamer.

A.J. Edds rounds out the group, who is a physical specimen. Edds checks in at 6'4", 244 pounds, and has a nose for the ball carrier.

In the defensive backfield, Iowa returns starters Amari Spievey, Brett Greenwood, and Tyler Sash. In fact, it is likely that all three of those players will be back for 2010 as well. Iowa's secondary has been dominant last year, their interceptions helping Iowa become the top takeaway defense in the nation.

Losing senior Bradley Fletcher will hurt, but the Hawks won't suffer much, because Jordan Bernstine will be stepping in as the starter. Bernstine was a four-star recruit back in 2007.