Iowa Football 2012: 5 Focus Points for Spring Drills

We're only a few weeks away from the start of Iowa's spring football practices. With the great coaching carousel that the Hawkeyes endured during the offseason, there will be a lot of work that will have to take place when the pads are strapped on.

There's a lot of excitement surrounding this 2012 season with the new faces in new positions on the coaching staff. Much of it is nervous excitement for sure, but there's an opportunity for Iowa's defense to return to its stingy ways and perhaps show a few wrinkles it avoided previously. There's opportunity for the offense to play a much bigger role in the fortunes of the program.

And there's some concern over the names that will grace the roster. With the running back situation in perpetual overhaul and a defensive line that seems to graduate practically everybody just when they make a name for themselves, there's a touch of concern as to who will step up this year and how well they'll perform.

To say there are questions for the 2012 campaign would be an understatement.

With that in mind, here are five areas the Hawkeyes will need to address heavily this spring.

Who Are the Next Iowa Running Backs?

The running back situation is beyond ridiculous. I don't think I need to go back through the whole Shonn Greene, Brandon Whegher, Adam Robinson, Jewel Hampton, Marcus Coker, Mika'il McCall novel. That's been hit and revisited time and again.

Once again, Iowa is left wondering who will carry the rock and just how much of the load they can handle.

Jordan Canzeri looked pretty good in the early going of last December's Insight Bowl, but he's a smaller back, not in the mold of Greene or Coker. I don't see him being able to carry the ball 30 times a game.

What's more, I'm not sure Iowa really wants that kind of back. They don't hang around long. It would be better, in my opinion, to identify two or three decent runners than can share the running responsibility and keep each other healthy, with one getting top billing as the "featured back."

Of course, Canzeri has to be in the mix, but Jordan will need to prove that he can handle being the guy defenses key on. He'll need to temper any power moves with a little bit of flash, unless he's added 30 pounds of muscle I don't know about. That's always possible, given Chris Doyle's strength and conditioning program.

Just before the bowl game, I was high on De'Andre Johnson, thinking he might be the featured carrier for the Hawkeyes against Oklahoma. To show what all I know, Johnson never carried the ball even once. In fact, I think he was about the only back not to touch the ball in that game.

Whatever it was the coaches saw (or didn't see) that kept Johnson out of that game, he needs to rectify it and quickly. He has the size and strength to be a feature back, and the Hawks could use his power to offset Canzeri's moves.

Damon Bullock, Jason White and Marcus Binns need to solidly insert their names into the discussion as well. It's an open battle at this point, and with Iowa's recruiting this winter, they don't have time to get left behind.

Speaking of recruits, Iowa brings in 4-star (Rivals) running back Greg Garmon and 3-star recruit Barkley Hill. If Iowa's recent past is any indicator, both of those guys will have an opportunity this fall to add their names to the mix.

Having said that, I'm not a big fan of playing true freshmen. If they're the best available option, fine. But the stables are deep enough at the moment to buy them some time to grow and learn the system.

If the more veteran players don't step it up, though, I could see either of those guys getting meaningful action in the fall.

However that all shakes out, Kirk Ferentz and Greg Davis will need to identify a solid, working three-deep so that they can go into the fall working on fine tuning rather than identifying.

Solidifying the Offensive Line Is Paramount

Markus Zusevics is gone. Riley Reiff is gone. Adam Gettis is gone. Those are three big names from a five-man front.

Certainly, Iowa still has some talent in reserve. James Ferentz is back at center. Nolan McMillan and Matt Tobin have meaningful experience.

Then there's Connor Boffeli, Casey McMillan and Brett Van Stoten that aren't complete newbies. Plus Andrew Donnal now has a year of watching and learning under his belt, along with Tommy Gaul and Brandon Sherff (who has a little more than that to offer).

And then, there are the real newbies: this year's recruits.

Ryan Ward is a 4-star recruit out of New Lenox, Illinois. Eric Simmons and Mitch Keppy are both 3-star recruits coming into the program as well.

Don't expect any of them to see time this year.

Regardless of who steps in to fill the big shoes left by Iowa's departed, the group needs to come together quickly. QB James Vandenberg is a good quarterback that can do great things. He's not however, a particularly mobile quarterback.

Russell Wilson, he ain't. Plus, we've already addressed the issues at running back.

Putting it bluntly, the Hawkeyes need a strong line for their offense to work. It doesn't really matter what wrinkles Greg Davis may bring to the table this year. The physical talent isn't really there to turn this offense into a scoring machine without a strong line leading the way. It just isn't.

During spring drills, Brian Ferentz is going to have to identify his two-deep rotation at every spot and start working heavily at building the chemistry necessary to provide a solid, unified front. Without it, Iowa could be in for a decidedly mediocre offensive attack that could border on ugly.

Iowa Needs Another Marvin McNutt

I'm leaning awfully heavily on the offense. That's because it needs the most work, in my opinion.

Marvin McNutt, Jr. was probably the best receiver to play at Iowa. He was solid, consistent and, at times, flashy. He was the go-to guy for just about every scenario.

The Hawkeyes need another just like him.

Keenan Davis has potential, but it looked like he dropped more passes than he caught last year. When he was good, he was really, really good. When he wasn't, the ball played pinball with the turf, and unfortunately, that was more often than not.

Kevonte Martin-Manley also has raw talent. As with Davis, though, it's been too raw.

Considering the ongoing running back situation, Iowa can't rely too heavily on having a solid runner carrying the team's fortunes. The run game almost has to be looked at as an accessory with the potential to become more. It'll be there to keep defenses honest, but shouldn't be counted on as the bulk of the production.

Tight end C.J. Fiedorowicz came on strong late last season, and there are other ends that can make a substantial impact on the passing game, but they're only effective if opposing defenses have to focus on the receivers. If they can key on the slower tight ends, the pass game is finished. Period.

There's plenty of names that could be dropped here. Don Shumpert's name was tossed around some last year, as was Steven Staggs. Blake Haluska has the size (6'4", 210) to be a big-time college receiver, but does he have the skills?

Jordan Cotton will be a junior, but hasn't really developed as hoped. Jacob Hillyer will be a sophomore and should start to show some growth.

Iowa pulled in a handful of 3-star recruits that include George Kittle, Greg Mabin, Tevaun Smith and Cameron Wilson. None of them stand out as McNutt-esque talent (yet), though, and I wouldn't expect to see any of them taking the field unless its on special teams.

Someone has to step up, and it would be preferable to have both Davis and Martin-Manley rising to the occasion this year. With Vandenberg showing good ball control and relatively smart decision making, he only needs a couple of great receivers to make the pass game a strong threat.

Find the Next Mike Daniels

Does the secondary need work? You betcha. No question about it.

What position on the Iowa roster doesn't need revisiting? None.

However, on the defensive side of the ball, no area is more important than the line, and I don't expect that to change under Phil Parker. It begins in the trenches.

Iowa loses Mike Daniels, Lebron Daniel, Thomas Nardo, Broderick Binns and Joe Forgy. Fans will quickly recognize that pretty much the entire starting defensive line just graduated. That's right on the heels of having lost Adrian Clayborn, Karl Klug and Christian Ballard the year before.

Who will carry the rush load this year?

That's a great question. Steve Bigach will be a senior, but has yet to explode on the scene the way Daniels did a year ago. Dominic Alvis has seen some action, but hasn't necessarily looked like a quarterback killer. Same with Joe Gaglione.

Louis Trinca-Pasat sat out his obligatory year on the red-shirt list and will have an opportunity to step into a big role on the defensive line. He could end up being a real menace up front, but we just don't know an awful lot about his development at this stage.

There's just not a lot of depth that Iowa fans are really excited about at the moment.

Incoming recruits include 4-star arrivals Faith Ekakite (DE) and Jaleel Johnson (DT). Both provide the kind of talent that makes the future look very bright, but will they contribute immediately? It's doubtful, and even if they did, would they be ready to produce at this level that quickly?

Drew Ott and Daumantus Venckus are a couple of 3-star ends that also join the group, but most certainly will not see action in 2012.

Out of this entire group, four solid linemen have to emerge, and at least one of them needs to really step their game up. The linebacker corps is good, but they really shine when they have a strong line taking up the bulk of the run defense and providing most of the pass-rush.

The secondary is questionable, to say the least. If there's no pressure on opposing quarterbacks, the pass defense could get lit up like a Christmas tree.

Somewhere, another Mike Daniels needs to emerge and it needs to happen this spring.

Special Teams Need to Get Something Going

Mike Meyer may not quite be "money in the bank," but he's a good kicker. I don't have many concerns about the field goal aspect of Iowa's special teams.

Nor do I worry that much about the punting. The Hawkeyes should have a doozie of a punter in Jonny Mullings.

However, teams like Iowa depend on strong special teams play. It's not just about making field goals or driving long punts. It's all about field position and how much ground your team has to traverse or has as a cushion to defend.

Covering kicks is something Iowa has struggled mightily with the last couple of years. It has to stop this year. It just has to.

As I've already pointed out, Iowa's defensive line is taking a big hit. The secondary is questionable at best, and the entire offense needs some work. In a nutshell, there isn't room for allowing opponents to start their possessions at midfield.

One of the top priorities this spring has to be getting special teams coverage locked down tighter than a raccoon with his hand in a trap. It can't give anything up.

Bonus: Ferentz Has to Let Davis Do His Job

I couldn't go without mentioning this, so I'm giving you a bonus slide to ponder.

I believe Kirk Ferentz made a good decision in hiring Greg Davis to coordinate the offense. Whatever Texas fans think of their former coordinator, he did help take them to two BCS title games, with one crystal football to show. He operated in a wide-open Big 12 that's typically offense-heavy and held his ground just fine for more than a decade before the wheels came off the cart.

What impresses me so far about Davis is that he recognizes that one game plan doesn't fit all opponents, and he's interested in developing a full arsenal of weapons that will help Iowa counter whatever confronts them on any given week.

Sounds good and logical to me.

Now, Kirk needs to give his man a chance to actually see it through, and that needs to start right away. It's one thing to sit next to Davis at a presser and smile appreciatively. It's something different to stand aside during practices and let him run it his way.

Ferentz needs to give a little ground here. Let Davis throw everything plus the kitchen sink at his players. He needs to really see what he's got available to him. Then, Ferentz needs to let him tinker a little with the formula.

Sure, the approach can still be conservative. The overall game plan can still be one of protection over all-out assault.

However, Davis seems interested in mixing the style Iowa has long employed with a style he knows well from Texas. It could be a hybrid seen only at Iowa that works well for the Hawkeyes.

If Ferentz can't relinquish a little control, then it really didn't matter if he hired Davis or pulled some kid off the street. We'll get more of the same thing we've had over the last decade, and that really wasn't much.

Kirk's homework for the time between now and spring practices is to learn to look the other way. Davis has an awfully big job in figuring out what talent Iowa has and what it's capable of doing. The very last thing he needs is an overbearing head coach telling him what can and can't happen.