Class of 2019 - Football Recruits

[clenz]

Roster breakdown by state as of today

70 - Iowa
12 - Minnesota
11 - Missouri
7 - Illinois
5 - Kansas.....but let's be real, they are all KC suburb kids
2 - Nebraska
1 - Florida
1 - Georgia
1 - Michigan
1 - Texas
1 - Wisconsin

7 from JUCOs
4 - Iowa Central CC
2 - Butler CC (KS)
1 - Iowa Western

2 FBS transfers
2 - Iowa

Signing class breakdown
23 - Iowa
3 - Minnesota
3 - MO
1 - Georgia
1 - Texas

[Blue42]

Saw Janorris Robertson...the DE....went to North Carolina A&T. Was hoping we'd get a commit from him.

[clenz]

Saw Janorris Robertson...the DE....went to North Carolina A&T. Was hoping we'd get a commit from him.

Agreed. However, based on the frew minutes I spent looking through his profiles, he has a ton of ties to HBCUs. Most of his offers, outside of UNI, were HBCUs. NCAT is about as good as it gets for the HBCU world at this point. Can't fault that decision at all.

[Blue42]

The Seres kid from Hudson ran for 4,000 yards and 61 TDs the last two years.

I realize it's class 1A ball. But my goodness.

Have to check that boys video.

[panther-state]

There's always one that we hear about that doesn't make it on NSD. I remember hitting refresh over and over again a few years ago for the Milwaukee kid that was highly touted, Shannon Sanford. Ended up at Wisconsin-Whitewater to play both football and basketball. Now I believe he's just playing basketball at Milwaukee Tech, but will play for DII Tusculum U next year.

[GonzoCat]

Who is the 31st recruit? There are only 30 on that page.

[clenz]

Sam Gary - the RB from Cedar Falls.

Cedar Falls posted photos of him wearing a UNI football hoodie and signing yesterday, with all of their other students who signed with colleges.

Unsure why he isn't listed on the site.

[clenz]

Another one that isn't listed anywhere but confirmed via social media he will be a Panther next year

Drew Enke from Clear Lake.
6'3 170lb WR

https://www.hudl.com/video/3/5321810/5bd547653449dd0f40cbf6c3

34 receptions 698 yards 6 TD

[UNI92]

Michael Zachary is a freak specialist as a punt and kick returner as well. Not sure that we've had that dimension since Johnny Gray? I remember DJ taking a KO back against Illinios St once, but other than that, we've lacked excitement in the return game. I hope he gets a chance at those positions. Seriously...the dude is a freak and has video game joystick skills. Will be fun to watch!! Great sign!

[SteinPizza]

Of the two QBs, which do you think has the bigger upside? And, does that upside equal starting this fall over the returnees?

[UNIdad]

That is VERY cool. I'm impressed.

I wasn't impressed at first, but I hadn't scrolled all the way down on the page. Indeed, nice work by the AD. Really classy way to present the recruiting class. If they were doing these sorts of things along the way, such as making posters of the players, I think recruits would really like it.

[Yupster]

This is a link to Gary Rima's radio show. The beginning is a long interview with Farley about the recruiting class:

https://www.spreaker.com/user/onpressrow/opr2619-edited

[ronfitch]

Michael Zachary is a freak specialist as a punt and kick returner as well. Not sure that we've had that dimension since Johnny Gray? I remember DJ taking a KO back against Illinios St once, but other than that, we've lacked excitement in the return game. I hope he gets a chance at those positions. Seriously...the dude is a freak and has video game joystick skills. Will be fun to watch!! Great sign!

Yeah, second team NJCCA return specialist last season. He is smaller for a WR, but is explosive and my first thought watching highlights was of Johnny Gray as well. Could be fun in four-receiver sets, too.

Really like what the receivers are shaping up to be with James, Weston, McShane, Rima, Fossey plus Ingoli. And there are four (FOUR!) TEs on the roster, led by Briley Moore plus two recruits who played TE.

[ronfitch]

Sam Gary - the RB from Cedar Falls.

Cedar Falls posted photos of him wearing a UNI football hoodie and signing yesterday, with all of their other students who signed with colleges.

Unsure why he isn't listed on the site.

His Hudl highlights are fun. All he does is make yards, score TDs and knock defenders down when blocking in pass protection.

[clenz]

Of the two QBs, which do you think has the bigger upside? And, does that upside equal starting this fall over the returnees?

Honestly, I don't know between Fomby and Martens. It's tough to judge. Martens there is much more tape on. He was a 3 year starter. We can see the insane development he went through from a Sophomore to a Senior. Marten's senior season stats show a QB more developed in reading defenses and making the right decisions

	Games	Comp	Att	Comp%	Yards	Avg/C	YPG	TD	INT	Rtg
Fomby	9	149	254	58.7%	1,502	10.1	166.9	13	13	71.3
Martens	12	118	184	64.1%	2001	16.9	166.5	22	6	131

Marten's also showed more ability to make plays when the pocket broke down

105 carries for 324 yards and 5 TD compared to 40 carries for 72 yards for Fomby (about 20 of which come on one play in his highlight film).

It's tough to go off of just stats. Fomby's stats this year are almost identical to Martens's stats his first year starting as a sophomore. I have no idea what level of competition they faced. I do know Fomby plays in a very talent right area of Atlanta, and had 3 or 4 P5 kids on his team with him this year. Fomby clearly played in a more pass heavy system. Martens threw more than 20 passes just once and had a game he threw just 6 passes...granted he completed 4 of them for 113 yards and 3 of those were TDs.

Watching the film is also clear that Martens has multiple years starting experience under his belt. You can just "sense" it watching the film.

I've mentioned before, but the film on Martens feels like I'm watching Easton Stick. No, I'm not saying he's that level. I'm saying that's the feel I get from watching him. The way Easton was able to control a game throwing, with the ability to catch other teams napping with the feet. There's a reason he held ACC, AAC and MAC offers. He's built like a "program" QB. He's smart enough to graduate HS in 3.5 years and enroll at UNI early. That's going to give him a big advantage over Fomby having spring ball to work with the returning WRs all spring.

Fomby's film shows a kid that has a very strong arm. There is a zip on the ball that isn't there with Martens right now. It shows a QB that doesn't really panic when the first read isn't there - beyond the second it looks to get shaky (which is normal for a HS qb in the first year starting). There is a reason Mizzou gave him an offer at one point (though I can't confirm it was a QB offer). There's a reason the entire Sun Belt wanted him. He won all kinds of awards at camps he went too. There's clearly something there. There are those that are convinced if he had another year or two as a starter in HS he would be a P5 kid.

Based on the little film we, as fans, have to watch I still lean Martens. I think he's much more college ready right now, based on what we can see (which is only part of the story). I think Fomby's floor is probably higher than Martens floor, but we know Nate isn't at his floor. He's developed pretty far above his floor and took a MASSIVE stride his senior season.

I still think it's Martens opening the season in Jack Trice on August 31st. The only advantage Keller and McElvain have is they have gone through a season in the QB room, which is now largely negated because Bond is gone. The OC and QB coach is gone. All new QB coach, that has no existing relationship. New OC that has no existing relationship. Coupled with Martens being on campus and getting to go through all of the spring practices, meetings and drills. It's also worth nothing that the person that is the reason Fomby is on campus is Mahaffey. Fomby had no contact with UNI before Ryan was hired back. All of a sudden the new OC (Mahaffey) and QB coach (Roper) show up and within 2 weeks Fomby gets and offer, commits, and signs.

I think size hold Will back. The thing that was touched on with Fomby and Martens was size. Ability to see the field. They average 6'4 220lbs. Will is 5'10 170. The OL moving forward will average 6'4-6'5 305+. Eric Sanders isn't walking through that door again. 5'10-5'11 QBs at the FCS level that play at the level UNI is going to need don't really happen. If Will was 6'2 or 6'3 he's probably the starter - he's also probably at Iowa State on scholarship

I think going into JTS all 4 QBs dress and travel. I think the depth chart goes

1. Martens
2. Keller/McElvain
4. Fomby

From there it shakes out a bit more but that's my uneducated guess based on reading and highlight film