Not everyone can follow Iowa Football all year long, especially during the long, long off season. But, since the Hawkeyes last played a game on January 1st, a lot has happened. So, just in case you are now just getting back into the swing of things (or know somebody who is...be sure to share!), here's a recap of everything important that I can remember that's happened since Iowa dismantled the Gamecocks. (Warning…long post ahead.)
Injuries:
Okay, we're starting off with the bad new right away because it's probably the biggest news. One of the most talked about stories of the summer and into fall has been Jewel Hampton's knee. When it first happened there was mass hysteria and there were rumors flying around that he would miss the entire season. A report eventually surfaced that Jewel jogged up the stairs to answer a knock on his front door. Then Coach Ferentz came out and laid the rumors to rest, saying that Hampton was generally fine. Well, unfortunately that is not the end of the story. In fall practice, Hampton re-aggravated his knee and has sat out since. Ferentz did mention on the radio last Friday that Hampton is "hopeful" for this week. So now, we sit and wait watching the pictures on hawkeyesports.com to see if he's practicing.
The other big injury news is Jordan Bernsine's ankle. During practice 2 weeks ago Bernstine broke his ankle during a punt coverage drill. Unfortunately his injury will require him to sit out the entire season. The good news is that he does still have a red shirt year to burn, but the bad news (besides being hurt) is that he was the projected starter at corner across from Amari Spievey.
Injury List:- Jewel Hampton - Knee - Unknown
- Jordan Bernstine - Ankle - Season
- Julian Vandervelde - Bicep - A few weeks
- Chad Geary - ACL - Season
- Joe Gaglione - Shoulder - Season
Transfers:
The most notable player to transfer is Jake Christensen. We all saw this coming after he lost his starting spot to Stanzi last year. In the upcoming season, Christensen will play for Eastern Illinois. The other transfer worth mentioning is Jacody Coleman. A year ago he was the starting middle linebacker, but was ultimately surpassed by Pat Angerer. The coaches offered Coleman a red shirt year so he could come back as the starter once Angerer graduates, but he decided it was best to transfer to Lamar University.
Transfer List:- Jake Christensen - Eastern Illinois
- Jacody Coleman - Lamar
- Shane Prater - Iowa Western
- Anthony Schiavone - back east?
- Stephane N'goumou - juco or prep school? (clearing house issue)
Suspensions:
Okay, this should be the end of all the bad news. There are only a couple of suspension to report, and surprise, surprise, they are all the result of alcohol related incidents. While the Calloway's drunken moped ride and Prater's "the bartender spiked my Coke" OWI are somewhat comical, the suspensions are not.
Suspension List:- Kyle Calloway - OWI - 1 game
- Shaun Prater - OWI - 2 games
- James Ferentz - Public Intox - 1 game
Award Watch Lists:
Better news now! The preseason award watch lists have been kind to the Hawkeyes, particularly for Pat Angerer and Bryan Bulaga who are both on 2 lists. In all, 7 players have made the watch lists of 9 different awards.
Watch List List:- Bryan Bulaga - Bednarik and Outland
- Pat Angerer - Lombardi and Butkus
- Ricky Stanzi - Manning
- Amari Spievey - Jim Thorpe
- Ryan Donahue - Ray Guy
- Tony Moeaki - Mackey
- A.J. Edds - Butkus
Recruiting:
The Iowa coaching staff hit the recruiting trail hard over the summer and there have already been 10 players to commit for 2010. The Hawkeyes have done especially well recruiting the state of Iowa with 4 of the top Iowa preps already onboard.
Commit List:- Andrew Donnal - OT - Whitehouse, OH
- Brandon Scherff - OT - Denison, IA
- Matt Hoch - DE - Harlan, IA
- Mike Hardy - DE - Kimberly, WI
- Austin Vier - QB/TE/Ath - Huxley, IA
- Louis Trinca-Pasat - DE - Chicago, IL
- Anthony Ferguson - DT - Baltimore, MD
- Jim Poggi - LB - Baltimore, MD
- Austin Gray - LB - Warren, MI
- James Morris - LB - Solon, IA
Quick Hits:
Kinnick Stadium Installs FieldTurf - Kinnick Stadium will look a little different this fall was Iowa kicks off against UNI. Over the summer the grass was ripped out and FieldTurf was installed. The end-zones look great with gold lettering on a black background, and the field should be easy to maintain (see the ISU game from last year for maintenance problems).
Kirk Ferentz Signs Through 2015 - Kirk Ferentz signed a 7 year extension in July. His salary will be the same, though he will have the use of a private jet for 35 hours each year.
Iowa Ranked in the Preseason Polls - The 2009 Preason AP Poll and USA Today Coaches Poll have both been released and the Hawkeyes are ranked #22 and #21 respectively.
McNutt to Wide Receiver - Marvin McNutt, last year's 3rd string quarterback switched positions and is now listed as one of the starting receivers.
Dace Richardson is Back - Against all odds, Dace Richardson has come back from injury is a likely starter along the offensive line. After basically missing the last 2 years, Richardson has been running with the first team in practice at right tackle, filling in for suspended Kyle Calloway. Once Calloway is back, Richardson will probably slide inside to guard.
I condensed those 7 or 8 months worth of news as much as I could, but it's still pretty long. I probably forgot some things a long the way, so if you think of anything throw it in the comments. Anyway, check back later in the week for more Season Primers.