Morgan searches for magic eight D-linemen

IOWA CITY — Iowa defensive line coach Reese Morgan is on a quest for depth this spring.

Last season, Iowa had one of the best defensive lines in the Big Ten ... through the first third of the league schedule. Defensive end Drew Ott's injuries, including a season-ending ACL tear in game 6, took away the Hawkeyes' prime pass-rush threat. Snap counts piled up on end Nate Meier and tackles Jaleel Johnson and Nathan Bazata.

Wear and tear brought Iowa's defense back to the pack. In their first eight games, the Hawkeyes had 45 tackles for loss and 24 sacks. In the final six, those numbers dropped to 17 TFL and six sacks.

In the first eight games, Iowa held opponents to 686 rush yards (85.75 a game); during the final six, that grew to 1,014 yards (169.0 per game).

Quality of opponent picked up later in 2015, but Iowa also didn't ask a lot out of depth players until late in the year.

Morgan said he'd love to see eight players rotate in on the defensive line. First, he needs to see eight players practice their way to playing time.

'They have to go out and practice and be able to do what you're asking them to do in practice on a consistent basis and the trust has to be earned,' Morgan said Wednesday. 'The trust is on that take that they're out there, are they're doing it on tape what we're trying to do, the corrections, are they applying correction and is it showing up?'

The goal is eight. Last year, the number landed on six — Ott, Meier, Johnson, Bazata, end Parker Hesse (who took over for Ott after his season ended) and tackle Faith Ekakitie. When Meier was hurt late in the year, Matt Nelson saw time at defensive end.

This spring, Johnson and Bazata (who Morgan said grades out 'probably higher than anybody in our defensive line) are back at tackle along with Ekakitie. Hesse and Nelson (who, yes, is 6-8, but Morgan said 'he probably has the best consistent pad level of anybody in the front including your shorter guys are the ends').

That's five you can count on playing. From there, the depth is a question.

At end, redshirt freshman Anthony Nelson could be in position to make a move. His weight increased from 220 to 250 in the offseason.

'He's just learning things,' Morgan said. 'He's very good in the pass-rush game, he's got to get better at the point of attack.'

Walk-on end Sam Brincks and walk-on tackle Jake Hulett are on the depth chart. Morgan said it's unlikely a true freshman makes the lineup on the inside, but a defensive end could work into the two deep. Iowa signed four potential DEs in February — Chauncey Golston, Cedrick Lattimore, Romeo McKnight (who's recovering from an ACL injury) and Brandon Simon.

'We're younger on the outside, so we're going to need some depth,' Morgan said. 'I think there are a couple of guys, one, maybe two guys that I think might have an opportunity to possibly be in that two-deep.'

Who's running with George?

Senior George Kittle is the no-brainer at tight end. He caught 20 passes last season and turned six of those into TDs. He also caught seven passes for 20 or more yards, with three of those going for TDs.

Tight ends coach LeVar Woods knows what he has in Kittle. And he kind of went there during an interview Wednesday.

'I think he can be as good as he wants to be,' Woods said of the 6-4, 250-pounder. 'He can be as good as anybody that's played here. He has the speed and the size combo.'

This is Iowa tight end, and so there's usually more than one and maybe as many as four who are game-ready and experienced. This year there's no natural No. 2 or No. 3 tight end.

Sophomore Jameer Outsey has played the most, seeing action in eight games with one reception. Right now, he's listed as the No. 2.

'He does some things very, very naturally and there are some things that take more time as far as catching the ball and being more precise in his route running, but run blocking the guy is natural,' Woods said.

Beyond Outsey, no other returning tight end has a career catch.

Junior Jon Wisnieski and redshirt freshman Nate Vejvoda are the other two scholarship players. Wisnieski had his 2014 affected by an ACL tear in spring practice. As a junior who hasn't really seen the field, he's probably eager to get into it.

'I think going into last year he kind of assumed that he was going to fall right in line because he's the next tight end at Iowa, and I think that sort of set him back a little bit last year,' Woods said. 'He's been tremendous since the season ended till now. He's been awesome and he's doing very well. He's making his way and out there competing every day, and we will see what happens.'

Could a true freshman factor in here? Iowa has two tight ends coming in with Noah Fant and T.J. Hockenson. There could be more, but those two are targeted for tight end.

'We're excited about those two and there are a couple of other guys coming in that we're not sure if they're going to be tight ends or not,' Woods said. 'We would like to have them, but other positions dictate whether or not they can play tight end or whether they need to play defense. Those guys (defensive coaches) are going to steal them from me.'

Cracking Georgia

Woods has spent the last couple of recruiting cycles trying to gain some headway in the state of Georgia.

In 2016, the Hawkeyes offered 31 scholarships in Georgia and went 0-for-31. The Hawkeyes haven't gotten a commitment out of the state, but Woods believes there has been progress.

'The season that we had last year and kind of getting on the national stage, I talked to some high school coaches there and they say we're crazy to get out of there at this point because we started to make hay and come on the scene,' Woods said. '(Iowa cornerback) Desmond King winning that award (the Thorpe Award) last year obviously helped and that award was presented in Atlanta, which is basically where we recruit in Georgia.

Interactive Map: Iowa's 2016 football recruits

'So, I think it's too early to get out of there right now. However, those guys do have to get on a plane and fly two hours past ACC and past SEC to get here. But I think it's a spot where if we can get one or two out of there we can start a pipeline.'

Iowa has offered seven Georgia prep athletes so far for 2017. Another factor that could play in Iowa's favor is linebackers coach Seth Wallace, who coached five seasons at Valdosta State in Georgia.

Wallace said he might visit the state again this spring, but efficiency is the rule.

'If we have a kid who likes us, we'll go recruit him wherever he is,' Wallace said. 'We're not going to dig someone up and get them to like us in an area that we don't have a whole lot of presence in.'

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