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Here is my position group analysis for the Iowa State offense:
[And please pardon the "ours." I am admittedly a dual fan who cheers for Iowa State in football and UNI in Swimming & Diving! However, we will also have a UNI flag flying at our tailgate and are serving Panther Pulled Pork with purple cabbage cole slaw and pitchers of purple beer. Send me a PM if you want to join us.]
• Quarterback. “Good things happen with fifth year senior QBs” according to the team director of recruitment. The coaching staff has made it very clear that the offense is in the hands of #12 Sam B. Richardson (“QB Sam”) and they are bragging about the way he has stepped up as a leader in the locker room and on the field. Perhaps best is that without a QB competition, Richardson is getting most of the snaps and working with the other starters for most of practice. There is very little talk about #3 Grant Rohach, even though he has more Big 12 wins than Richardson. I hear a little about #7 Joel Lanning (from Ankeny) being used as a stunt QB to run the ball in short yardage situations and even the possibility of him becoming a receiver in “wildcat sets.”
• Wide Receiver. Despite the fact that Coach Rhoads said that these guys may not deserve all the hype they are getting, I think he is creating a smokescreen because they are a truly great wide receiver unit. #9 Quenton Bundrage is a NFL-caliber receiver who is itching to succeed in his senior year after missing last year because of a freak injury in the first game. #5 Allen Lazard (from Urbandale) has the potential to emerge as Iowa State’s best receiver ever. And there are a ton of other fine receivers, such as #13 Deondre Daley (solid route runner), #83 Brett Medders (made clutch catches until injured last year), #8 D’Vario Montgomery (gets yards after the catch), #19 Trever Ryan (a speedy, track guy), #10 Jauan Wesley (great practice player), #82 Kenneth Lynn (converted from DB), and #18 Hakeem Butler (6’6” with long arms, enough said).
• Tight End. Coach Rhoads says that our tight end position group will function as a “group.” When translated from coachspeak, that means none of them are good enough to start. Look for the TEs mostly to block. However, Coach Rhoads will probably have a trick play or two to use toward the end of the season when opponents have stopped paying attention to our TEs as receiving threats. Don’t forget that our Man-Genious Offensive Coordinator, Mark Mangino, also coaches the TEs. We are hearing the most about #95 Ben Boesen, but I’m looking for #88 Justin Chandler to emerge as the season progresses.
• Running Back. This is our most unsettling position. Our best running backs have only a handful of college football plays between them. #6 Tyler Brown (redshirt Sophomore), will likely start, but #2 Mike Warren (redshirt Freshman, 6’0” 200) has the size, speed, and knack for play-making that has people wondering if he could be our next true star running back. Our two leading rushers coming into the season (DeVondrick Nealy, Martinez Syria) have left and/or been kicked off the team. Our best “recruitment day surprise” (#25 Sheldon Croney) will miss the season because of a self-inflicted gunshot to his hand. Some are predicting that QB Sam will be our leading rusher this season, but I hope we rarely hear the term “zone read” (which last year mostly meant QB Sam running for his life). Hopefully, the quality of our WRs will open up some holes in the defense for our running game. Backup RB #22 Mitchell Harger looked solid in the Spring game, following his blockers well and exploding through holes for extra yardage. #23 Clifford Kwaw-Mensah (from Ames) also looked good in the Spring game, but is unlikely to see much action. I’m predicting that #1 Joshua Thomas (true Freshman, 5’11, 224), who turned down a call from Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh while talking to Coach Mo about his commitment to Iowa State, will be the best offensive surprise of the season (or next if they redshirt him).
• Offensive Line. The best news about this unit is that they have the same coach for two years in a row for the first time. This year, Coach Brandon Blaney’s squad should help us completely forget about the debacle that was caused by Coach Chris Klinakis. #76 Jamison Lalk will start at center (after filling in quite a bit last year during Tom Farniok’s minor injuries). #70 Daniel Burton at RG and #72 Brock Dagel at RT should be solid on the right side. #67 Jake Campos has potential to be an all-Big 12 player at LT. Hopefully, some of the other talented and large guys will contribute (#77 Oni Omoile as a senior, #78 Wendell Taiese with all of his 350 pounds, #53 Patrick Scoggins when the QB is under center, #66 Jacob Dunning, and #56 Jaypee Philbert Jr with the most fun name on the team). Perhaps the only bright side of all of our injuries on the offensive line is that the five projected starters already have started 75 games among them. [Oh no, it has started, Scoggins went down with a season-ending injury in practice on August 10th]
• Special Teams. Coach Rhoads is really high on our kickers. #1 Cole Netten set the school record for field goals last year by making 75% (24 of 32) who Coach Rhoads says is as good as anyone in the nation. I’m still waiting for Netten, a former hockey player, to take out someone on a kickoff return. #13 Colin Downing was solid last year with 39.4 yards per punt as a freshman and will likely get even better this year. It looks like #3 Jake Rhoads (yes that “Rhoads”) will take over duties as deep snapper for kicks. There is an open competition for kick returners, but I’m predicting the #19 Trever Ryan will emerge as our “go to guy” for the next three seasons. And keep your eyes open on kicks because Coach Rhoads is long overdue for one of his special teams trick plays.
[And please pardon the "ours." I am admittedly a dual fan who cheers for Iowa State in football and UNI in Swimming & Diving! However, we will also have a UNI flag flying at our tailgate and are serving Panther Pulled Pork with purple cabbage cole slaw and pitchers of purple beer. Send me a PM if you want to join us.]
• Quarterback. “Good things happen with fifth year senior QBs” according to the team director of recruitment. The coaching staff has made it very clear that the offense is in the hands of #12 Sam B. Richardson (“QB Sam”) and they are bragging about the way he has stepped up as a leader in the locker room and on the field. Perhaps best is that without a QB competition, Richardson is getting most of the snaps and working with the other starters for most of practice. There is very little talk about #3 Grant Rohach, even though he has more Big 12 wins than Richardson. I hear a little about #7 Joel Lanning (from Ankeny) being used as a stunt QB to run the ball in short yardage situations and even the possibility of him becoming a receiver in “wildcat sets.”
• Wide Receiver. Despite the fact that Coach Rhoads said that these guys may not deserve all the hype they are getting, I think he is creating a smokescreen because they are a truly great wide receiver unit. #9 Quenton Bundrage is a NFL-caliber receiver who is itching to succeed in his senior year after missing last year because of a freak injury in the first game. #5 Allen Lazard (from Urbandale) has the potential to emerge as Iowa State’s best receiver ever. And there are a ton of other fine receivers, such as #13 Deondre Daley (solid route runner), #83 Brett Medders (made clutch catches until injured last year), #8 D’Vario Montgomery (gets yards after the catch), #19 Trever Ryan (a speedy, track guy), #10 Jauan Wesley (great practice player), #82 Kenneth Lynn (converted from DB), and #18 Hakeem Butler (6’6” with long arms, enough said).
• Tight End. Coach Rhoads says that our tight end position group will function as a “group.” When translated from coachspeak, that means none of them are good enough to start. Look for the TEs mostly to block. However, Coach Rhoads will probably have a trick play or two to use toward the end of the season when opponents have stopped paying attention to our TEs as receiving threats. Don’t forget that our Man-Genious Offensive Coordinator, Mark Mangino, also coaches the TEs. We are hearing the most about #95 Ben Boesen, but I’m looking for #88 Justin Chandler to emerge as the season progresses.
• Running Back. This is our most unsettling position. Our best running backs have only a handful of college football plays between them. #6 Tyler Brown (redshirt Sophomore), will likely start, but #2 Mike Warren (redshirt Freshman, 6’0” 200) has the size, speed, and knack for play-making that has people wondering if he could be our next true star running back. Our two leading rushers coming into the season (DeVondrick Nealy, Martinez Syria) have left and/or been kicked off the team. Our best “recruitment day surprise” (#25 Sheldon Croney) will miss the season because of a self-inflicted gunshot to his hand. Some are predicting that QB Sam will be our leading rusher this season, but I hope we rarely hear the term “zone read” (which last year mostly meant QB Sam running for his life). Hopefully, the quality of our WRs will open up some holes in the defense for our running game. Backup RB #22 Mitchell Harger looked solid in the Spring game, following his blockers well and exploding through holes for extra yardage. #23 Clifford Kwaw-Mensah (from Ames) also looked good in the Spring game, but is unlikely to see much action. I’m predicting that #1 Joshua Thomas (true Freshman, 5’11, 224), who turned down a call from Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh while talking to Coach Mo about his commitment to Iowa State, will be the best offensive surprise of the season (or next if they redshirt him).
• Offensive Line. The best news about this unit is that they have the same coach for two years in a row for the first time. This year, Coach Brandon Blaney’s squad should help us completely forget about the debacle that was caused by Coach Chris Klinakis. #76 Jamison Lalk will start at center (after filling in quite a bit last year during Tom Farniok’s minor injuries). #70 Daniel Burton at RG and #72 Brock Dagel at RT should be solid on the right side. #67 Jake Campos has potential to be an all-Big 12 player at LT. Hopefully, some of the other talented and large guys will contribute (#77 Oni Omoile as a senior, #78 Wendell Taiese with all of his 350 pounds, #53 Patrick Scoggins when the QB is under center, #66 Jacob Dunning, and #56 Jaypee Philbert Jr with the most fun name on the team). Perhaps the only bright side of all of our injuries on the offensive line is that the five projected starters already have started 75 games among them. [Oh no, it has started, Scoggins went down with a season-ending injury in practice on August 10th]
• Special Teams. Coach Rhoads is really high on our kickers. #1 Cole Netten set the school record for field goals last year by making 75% (24 of 32) who Coach Rhoads says is as good as anyone in the nation. I’m still waiting for Netten, a former hockey player, to take out someone on a kickoff return. #13 Colin Downing was solid last year with 39.4 yards per punt as a freshman and will likely get even better this year. It looks like #3 Jake Rhoads (yes that “Rhoads”) will take over duties as deep snapper for kicks. There is an open competition for kick returners, but I’m predicting the #19 Trever Ryan will emerge as our “go to guy” for the next three seasons. And keep your eyes open on kicks because Coach Rhoads is long overdue for one of his special teams trick plays.
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