UNI football: most valuable players for 2015

CEDAR FALLS — As the Northern Iowa football season-opener against Iowa State (Sept. 5 at Jack Trice Stadium) fast approaches, Coach Mark Farley and his staff are in search of the 'best 11' on both sides of the ball.

But among those 22 players who will take the field on either side of the ball are undeniably important players — both in terms of production and leadership. Additionally, the value of any certain player can go up or down depending on the health or performance of another whose job affects theirs. For example, if a starting left tackle goes down, it significantly impacts how a quarterback can perform.

So with the season just more than two weeks away, here are the five most valuable players — not necessarily the most talented players — for the Panthers in 2015. For the purposes of this list, quarterbacks were exempt — both because the quarterback is almost always the most valuable position on the field and because there's no clear-cut starter yet for UNI.

Honorable mentions

— Braden Lehman, TE, Sr.; Jared Farley, LB, So.; Savon Huggins, RB, Sr.; Darrian Miller, RB, Sr.; Tim Kilfoy, DB, Sr.; Daurice Fountain, WR, So.; Jacob Rathmacher, OL, Sr.; Logan Bieghler, P, Sr.

5 — Michael Schmadeke, K, Sr.

It's easy to take a player for granted when they're so consistent. No one gives an exceptional performance a second thought because it's routine. That's especially true of punters and kickers.

But what's amazing about Michael Schmadeke is how quickly everyone expected exceptional performances out of him on a regular basis. He stepped onto the field as a junior last year after a potentially UNI Hall of Fame career out of Tyler Sievertsen. Schmadeke was consistent from the beginning last year and Farley himself mentioned at Media Day that he takes for granted how good he has become.

In his first season he set a school record with 132 points on 27 of 29 field goals (tied for a UNI record for made field goals in a season) with a long of 49 yards and 51 of 53 extra points. He was as good as automatic (fill in the pun there for yourself). Having him there again this year is a peace of mind some coaches never get.

4 — Deiondre Hall, DB, Sr.

He's never boring, that's for sure. Ask Farley about Hall and you get a smile and a hearty laugh for the swing of emotions the talented defensive backs brings out in the head coach. What makes Hall maddening is also what makes him brilliant and so fun to watch.

His outgoing personality and on-your-sleeve emotions on the field can result in some penalties, sure — the maddening part — but it also makes him that defensive lightning rod that allows other defenders to feel comfortable about being themselves. Oh, and he's pretty darned talented, too, to back up the trash talk and jokes. Last season alone he was fifth on the team with 73 tackles (3.5 TFL). He led the team with five interceptions and was second in pass breakups with six. Career-wise, he's amassed 159 tackles, seven interceptions, 11 pass breakups, 10.5 tackles for loss and three sacks.

He's the alpha-corner every team wants and consistently guards the opposing team's best receiver. He's also the best player in the best overall unit on the team (considering experience and talent across the board).

3 — Isaac Ales, DE, Sr.

With Xavier Williams and Mac O'Brien on the defensive line, guys like Ales and Ronelle McNeil weren't looked at as the stars of a dominant offensive line. But Ales certainly had the stats of a star and built on that production as the season went on.

He led the team with 18.5 tackles for loss and was second to Brett McMakin (more on him in a bit) in sacks with nine. He finished his junior season with 54 tackles, two fumble recoveries and one recovery. For his career — in which he saw action in nine games as a redshirt freshman, 11 as a sophomore and started all 14 last season — he's up to 93 tackles and 13 sacks. From the defensive end position, that's good as coaches can hope for from a unit tasked with getting to the quarterback and stopping the run.

He's not a vocal guy, but has worked on that part of what will be a senior leadership role this year. Improvements in that area are very important for him if the defensive line is going to approach what it did last season (multiple games of less than 50 opponent rushing yards, among other highlights). But purely from a production standpoint, he's become as good as a sure thing on the right edge — something repeatedly pointed out by defensive line coach Bryce Paup.

2 — Robert Rathje, OL, Jr.

David Johnson rightly got a massive amount of credit for gaining 4,687 yards rushing and scoring 49 touchdowns during his sterling career in purple and gold. But he'd be the first to tell you he wouldn't have been able to reach those vaunted numbers without the offensive line in front of him.

Rathje was the starting center in all 14 games last season and five in his redshirt freshman season, and helped those lines guide the rushing attack to seasons of 2,353 (2014) and 1,962 yards (2013). He was a stalwart in fending off the attack of opposing nose tackles, and was vital in guiding a UNI offense that led the MVFC and FCS in redzone offense.

While Jack Rummells and Ryan Bingaman were the unit leaders last year, that's Rathje's role now. Other than Jacob Rathmacher — who moved to the line from tight end last season — most of the linemen on the roster will be taking on a much bigger role themselves. His experience, as much as his talent, will be of the utmost importance to bring along the rest of the group. In a new offensive system, finding consistency at any position is important, but finding it on the offensive line is the key to making the rest of it work. Rathje calling out signals to his line and building a rapport with whoever wins the starting position is the key to making all that happen.

1 — Brett McMakin, LB, Jr.

He learned a lot the last two seasons from Jake Farley and Max Busher, all the while performing at a very similar rate. He played in eight games as a freshman and had 29 tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble. Then last season, as a sophomore, he broke through as one of the best defenders on a pretty outstanding defense with 103 tackles (second to Jake Farley), 9.5 sacks, 12.5 tackles for loss and three forced fumbles.

His vast improvements had a lot to do with the defense around him, sure, but there's no denying his instincts and nose for the football. His size and speed are a lethal combination, and his football IQ is as good as defensive coordinator Jeremiah Johnson and head coach Mark Farley could ask for. His versatility was important for last year's team as well, as his 14 starts were split between outside linebacker and defensive end. While he'll be needed in an otherwise very inexperienced linebacker corps this season, the skills he has rushing the quarterback don't just go away.

The real value McMakin brings, though, comes in the inexperience of those around him. With Jared Farley, Barkley Hill, De'Angelo Jennings and Blake Willson all likely to see significant time — on one collective start at linebacker — McMakin's leadership will be vital to the unit's success.

That leadership likely will extend throughout the defense. Considering Mark Farley's history, having a strong leader to guide the side of the ball that's generally served as the backbone of the Panthers' success will be invaluable.

Think this list is missing someone, or the order is wrong? Let the author know by tweeting at him at @jeremiahdavis10.

l Comments: (319) 368-8884; jeremiah.davis@thegazette.com