Four Downs — Iowa's 2016 linebackers

QUICK LOOK BACK: The team benches at Kinnick are close to the bleachers. Things are said, things are heard. People sit in these bleachers. Maybe even you. People tell people what they hear on the sidelines.

Eventually, there's nowhere to hide. You can practice behind curtains and fence, but the games are played on TV and in front of people for money. Things are said, things are overheard.

In 2014, one of the overheards was 'Every week, every [NSFW] week.' This had to do with the linebackers.

OK, there was that. The 2015 season started with a huge question at linebacker.

Josey Jewell started a handful of games in 2014. He was getting a fairly massive promotion to middle linebacker. No one knew what to expect. Jewell ended the season with a segment in the Big Ten Network's 'The Journey' series.

Ben Niemann played outside linebacker in the second half of the TaxSlayer Bowl as a true freshman. Remember that January depth chart where C.J. Beathard was named starting QB? Head coach Kirk Ferentz made another change, placing Niemann as the starter at OLB. The junior will be there another two seasons.

And then the craziest leap came from Cole Fisher. He went from 'bounce around' linebacker, seeing some time inside and outside and never really finding footing. He also was an engineering major who really had to claw and fight to balance academics and football. He found some schedule relief as a senior and made huge strides on the field and ended up winning the weakside linebacker position.

Jewell led the Hawkeyes with 126 tackles. Fisher was No. 2 with 116. The trio combined for 19.5 tackles for loss (a precious commodity for the Hawkeyes, who finished last in the B1G with 62.0 last season) and 8.0 sacks. Jewell also finished with four interceptions and Niemann had three QB hurries.

Jewell earned second-team all-Big Ten on coaches and media ballots. Fisher ended up honorable mention all-Big Ten on both ballots. Niemann was honorable mention on the media ballot.

It went from 'every week, every [bleep blorp] week' to all-Big Ten honors. Quite the turnaround.

SPRING DEPTH CHART

Outside linebacker: Ben Niemann, Bo Bower

Middle linebacker: Josey Jewell, Jack Hockaday

Weakside linebacker: Aaron Mends, Jack Hockaday

4th Down — Critical Questions

Um, we're good here. Next down.

OK, kidding. There's one and it is a personnel change. Fisher has graduated and will be structurally engineering structures maybe somewhere near you.

Who's going to play weakside linebacker?

Right now, with spring practice less than a week away, sophomore Aaron Mends is listed ahead of sophomore Jack Hockaday. I wrote in the defensive line preview that I tend to believe depth charts, but I also realize that, sure, sometimes politics/psychology are involved.

Will this player respond better during the winter and spring if he's listed as the No. 1? Does he relax and let things come to him? How does this player respond to being the No. 2? Does it serve as motivation? Does it push him?

There are some factlets here. Just some little things that happened and were said last season that kind of lead up to where this position is now.

• Iowa pulled the redshirt off Hockaday against Northwestern. During the bye week last season, defensive coordinator Phil Parker was asked if Mends was hurt and if that was the reason for the promotion. Hockaday also might've taken Mends' spot on the kick coverage team.

'There's nothing wrong with Aaron Mends physically that I know of,' Parker said.

Mends was assumed to be the backup weakside linebacker. Iowa was looking for insurance on special teams with Hockaday's promotion. And, well hey, if that motivated Mends, then that was OK, too.

• Mends came back after the bye week and got a hand on a punt the next week against Maryland. It led to a short TD drive and a 21-0 lead that wouldn't be threatened.

I watch every game two or three times on DVR. I kind of giggled on this play, doing the pause/slow-motion thing. I tweeted this:

If you DVR'd the Maryland game, slow down Aaron Mends' blocked punt. It's like the dude is flying. Amazing effort.November 2, 2015

If you DVR'd the Maryland game, slow down Aaron Mends' blocked punt. It's like the dude is flying. Amazing effort.

— marcmorehouse (@marcmorehouse)

• Against Nebraska and with Niemann out with a concussion, Bo Bower moved into outside linebacker. Bower had been occupying a spot in the raider package as a stand-up rush end. So, with his role elevated, Mends went in at the raider end. He played there in the Rose Bowl, too.

Mends and Hockaday will be an interesting competition with both being sophomores. Mends brings a physicality that defenses need/crave. (Mends holds the squat record for inside linebackers with a lift of 595 pounds.) Iowa just doesn't throw true freshmen onto the field, especially ones who might end up playing on the line of scrimmage (linebacker is a collision position).

Mends almost made the switch to fullback as a true freshman. I think he's a defensive player, the kind of player who stops things from happening, one with strike and punch. I can't say I know a ton about Hockaday's game. He hasn't played as much, but he is listed as the backup at both inside linebacker spots this spring. He's solidly on the radar.

Mends is an element defenses want and need.

Here's Parker on Mends in the run-up to the Rose Bowl: 'I think he has a chance of being a really good player. It comes down to being consistent, getting in the routines, understanding what you're doing on every play, and giving the same type of effort every day.'

SCHOLARSHIP PLAYERS

Seniors: None

Juniors: MLB Josey Jewell (6-2, 230), OLB Ben Niemann (6-3, 225), OLB Bo Bower (6-1, 228)

Sophomores: WLB Aaron Mends, ML/WLB Jack Hockaday (6-1, 215)

Redshirt freshmen: LB Angelo Garbutt (6-2, 210), LB Justin Jinning (6-2, 210), LB Nick Wilson (6-2, 206)

True freshmen: MLB Amani Jones (5-11, 210), Nick Niemann (6-4, 220), Kyle Taylor (6-2, 220), Barrington Wade (6-1, 210), Kristian Welch (6-3, 220)

PROMINENT WALK-ONS

Sophomore: LB Eric Grimm (6-2, 200), LB Jacob Sobotka (6-3, 225)

Redshirt freshman: LB Drake Dunker (6-2, 235)

3rd Down — Additions/Subtractions

Fisher is now an engineer. Heckuva story. Iowa also lost Travis Perry. Perry was an important player on special teams, kind of the de facto captain. He also provided depth at inside linebacker. When Fisher left the Indiana game briefly with a migraine, Perry replaced him at middle linebacker with Jewell sliding over to the weakside.

Iowa will lose two leader-types and banner carriers. (Both players stuck it out for five years and were part of a pretty big payoff season.)

Who's in?

I'm not sure where any of the three redshirt freshmen will play, but Angelo Garbutt, Justin Jinning and Nick Wilson likely will be needed on special teams and will have great opportunities there. This is one reason to show up for the open practice in Des Moines. There is a bunch of redshirt freshmen who'll be stepping into positions and right now we have no idea what they might be (this also is true for the O-line). I don't know much about the walk-on linebackers, but I'll mention Drake Dunker, a redshirt freshman who already has pretty good size (6-2, 235).

For right now — and at least until they arrive in August and spend a week or so in camp — Iowa has five incoming freshmen linebackers: Amani Jones, Nick Niemann, Kyle Taylor, Barrington Wade and Kristian Welch. All of whom could perhaps help on special teams. A couple of whom probably will be asked to play, probably for class staggering purposes. Ben Niemann played as a true freshman, mostly on special teams, and parlayed that into a launchpad to starter at OLB. Maybe his brother Nick can follow a similar path?

2nd Down — Battles Brewing

Jewell is anchored in. His short-area punch is something we haven't seen since . . . I don't know. Every ball carrier he gets his hands on goes to the ground. He's sudden and he finishes. You saw the tweet from Pat Angerer, who was an all-Big Ten No. 43 for the Hawkeyes in 2009. He said Jewell was the best 43 he's seen at Iowa. Who am I to argue with Pat?

Jewell's four picks also showed he knows what he's doing in coverage. Totally impressive player. Super smart, instinctive. I think he's an business entrepreneurship major.

Niemann isn't going anywhere. He brought speed to the outside linebacker position, which, really, has morphed into a hybrid position for Iowa. I'm going to call it the 'Rich Rod effect.' Since 2008, when Rich Rodriguez was hired at Michigan and brought his zone read concepts to the Big Ten. I'm sure other teams ran versions of it before Rich Rod, but check the list of the best Kirk Ferentz-era rush defenses at Iowa.

The Ferentz era (1999-ongoing) is a pretty great sample size of football. Two of the top five rush Ds of the KF era are 2008 or thereafter (2008 is No. 4 and 2010 is No. 5). The top three are 2002, 2004 and 2003. Yes, Iowa had a run of great, great defensive linemen and linebackers during that era, but that also was pre-zone read.

My point for this tangent is this: Iowa's 2013 and 2015 defenses were terrific against the run and they only rank No. 10 and 11 in the KF era. By any definition, the James Morris-Anthony Hitchens-Christian Kirksey group of linebackers in '13 was a formidable defense. Last season's defense, it was the engine that kept Iowa's undefeated season on the rails early in the year.

Four of the top 10 KF era defenses are post-2008. The B1G changed with Rich Rod. Iowa has changed, too, in what it asks of the outside linebacker.

We've talked about weakside linebacker.

What else is there?

I like the idea of having a pool of eight redshirt and true freshmen linebackers. This group could end up being a good chunk of special teams units. I expect Jewell and Niemann to play 90 percent of defensive snaps next season. It would help if they weren't also counted on for special teams. If they stay there, that's OK. They're proven commodities, but if you can take that off their plates, it'll obviously leave some gas in the tank.

Backups? It's pretty clear junior Bo Bower will be counted on to back up Niemann. He jumped in there when Niemann was hurt against Nebraska and in the Rose Bowl. I thought Bower brought something to the raider (the third-down passing-situation unit) with some solid rush moves.

Hockaday might end up being the No. 2 at both inside linebacker positions, but it wouldn't hurt to have another name to call. I have no idea who that would be. That's the whole idea behind spring football probably.

1st Down — In Summary

Five finishing thoughts on what needs to happen for the best-case scenario.

1 Jewell be Jewell

Jewell has a chance to be one of the Big Ten's best in 2016.

2 Niemann be Niemann

The outside linebacker doesn't put up the disruptive numbers (at least the way Iowa uses the position), but, as explained above, it's hugely important in setting edges (where Iowa made huge improvements from 2014 to 2015), covering zones and run fits.

3 Maximize Mends

The sophomore has the physical power to be a disruptive force. He's also a new starter. When the thinking turns into reacting, Iowa will have something.

4. Numbers of disruption

Another thing Iowa's LBs did in 2015 was put up some sack and tackles for loss numbers. It wasn't quite like the 2013 group (when Hitchens, Kirksey and Morris combined for 35.5 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks), but it moved the needle the right direction. The Hawkeyes will need to keep moving that needle.

5 New coach

With no seniors, this is Iowa's youngest position group. We talked about eight redshirt and true freshmen. We haven't mentioned that, yes, veteran coach Jim Reid left to become defensive coordinator at Boston College. Seth Wallace moved from recruiting coordinator/cornerbacks to linebacker.

Wallace inherits two brilliant starters, but then he has a lot of new faces who'll need a steady hand. From the practices I've seen, Wallace is a strong voice and connects. This was a promotion and you get the feeling that Wallace will come through.

Iowa's leading tacklers during the Ferentz era

1. LB Abdul Hodge (2005) — 158

2. LB Pat Angerer (2009) — 145

3. LB Abdul Hodge (2003) — 141

4. LB Mike Klinkenborg (2006) — 129

5. LB Josey Jewell (2015) — 126

6. LB Anthony Hitchens (2012) — 124

7. LB Mike Klinkenborg (2007) — 123

8. SS Bob Sanders (2001) — 122

9. LB Abdul Hodge (2004) — 116

10. LB Fred Barr (2002) — 114

11. LB Anthony Hitchens (2013) — 112

12. LB James Morris and OLB Christian Kirksey (2011) — 110

13. SS Matt Bowen (1999) — 109

14. LB Pat Angerer (2008) — 107

15. SS John Lowdermilk (2014) — 103

16. OLB LeVar Woods (2000) — 97

17. LB Jeremiha Hunter (2010) — 90

l Comments: (319) 398-8256; marc.morehouse@thegazette.com