Iowa Hawkeye Strength and Conditioning Pays Off in Recruiting Dividends

On July 12, Iowa added its tenth commitment to the 2011 class.

His name is Riley McMinn, and he is a 6'7", 225 pound defensive end prospect.

However, as an Iowa fan, when I see 6'7", 225 pounds, my mind is ablaze with possibilities.

After all, I can think of a few other rangy, undersized football players that came into the Iowa football program projected to play at one position. After a year or two with strength and conditioning coach Chris Doyle , those same players wound up as All-Americans at different positions.

For example, in 1999, Robert Gallery came into Chris Doyle's weight-room as a 245 pound tight end. When he left, he was a 320 pound, All-American, Outland Trophy-winning left tackle.

More recently, sophomore Riley Reiff was a 6'6", 230 pounder that was recruited to play defensive end.

He is now a sophomore in the 300 pound range, and with the departure of Bryan Bulaga, looks to be the next great Iowa offensive lineman.

Needless to say, this success has not been lost on Iowa recruits.

When asked about whether he would wind up at defensive end in the college ranks , McMinn replied, "That's what they recruited me as [though] that may be subject to change."

He further noted, “I had heard all kinds of stuff about [Chris Doyle] leading up to our visit and how he’s different than any other strength coach I’ve been around.

He realizes everybody’s body is different and every person is different. He gets you in there individually, he breaks down your body and tests it and you work it up from the ground up. The way he molds and shapes players’ bodies is different than anything I’ve ever seen or heard anybody talk about.”

This corresponds exactly with what Chris Doyle said in a recent interview with ESPN's Adam Rittenberg .

According to Doyle, "A big part of what we do is individualized program design."

Doyle further notes there are three key areas that the staff looks at: Training maturity, functionality, and position-specific-training.

The reasoning behind this is, "because everybody's different...Everyone has a different set of parents, different genetics, different medical backgrounds, and different athletic backgrounds, so what functional needs do the athletes have?"

With this in mind, consider the current 2011 Hawkeye commits.

Over half of them fit that "tweener " category. I am using that word somewhat liberally, but basically, for my purposes, it is a player that is physically able to play any number of positions depending upon how his body develops.

Obviously, McMinn could wind up at defensive end. He could also move inside and play defensive tackle, or move to the offense and play tight end. However, at 6'7", the offensive tackle position seems to be a distinct possibility.

There is also Jake Duzey , who committed to the Hawks on July 8th. He played wide receiver in high school, but at 6'4", 215 pounds, he could stay at receiver, or move to the other side of the ball and play linebacker or defensive end. However, his most likely destination looks to be tight end.

Then there is Ray Hamilton , out of Strongsville, Ohio. He chose Iowa over offers from Oklahoma, Michigan, and Notre Dame, among others.

He projects to play tight end, but once again, at 6'5", 230 pounds, he could gain 60-70 pounds and play on the offensive line, gain 30-40 pounds and play on the defensive line, or remain at his current weight and play linebacker.

Either way, you can be sure that Coach Ferentz, Chris Doyle, and the entire Hawkeye staff will put their players in the best position for both the players' and the team's success.

What matters most is the character of the player, and the commitment the player has to working hard and winning.

As Coach Doyle said, "When we first got here, it was about building a culture, instilling the values that match the personality of our head football coach: Show up, listen, learn, do your job, no excuses."

He further notes, "We're looking for tough, smart, athletic kids who are willing to work and love the game." 

Obviously, in what will be Kirk Ferentz's 12th year at the head of the program, players considering committing to the black-and-gold know about the atmosphere Ferentz and his staff have created.

They know about the lightly-recruited athletes like Bob Sanders and Chad Greenway that have gone on to NFL success.

When they visit, they see the sign over the entrance of Chris Doyle's weight room that reads, "Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard."

These are players that know who they are, and what they want. They fit the personality of the head football coach, and of the university and state they will represent.

Much like Riley McMinn, who describes Iowa's style of football as, "There’s nothing pretty about it. They just line up and it’s like, ‘Here we go, we’re going to line up and see if you can beat us’ and I like that." 

McMinn knows he is following in a long line of "nothing pretty." There will be expectations put upon him the moment he shows up on campus.

He will have to work hard to be the best student-athlete he can be. Whether he will do that from the defensive end, tight end, or offensive tackle position has yet to be determined.