On Iowa Daily Briefing 6.19.12 -- Recruiting tidbits

Iowa football is going through its camp period. It will yield a recruit or two, but it doesn't happen overnight.

This is the first time coaches are seeing some of these players. If they see someone they like, they sometimes make an offer. The recruit takes some time to process and then makes a decision.

This is where Cedar Falls athlete Ike Boettger is right now.

KCNZ 1650AM first reported last night on its Twitter feed that Iowa offered Boettger, a 6-foot-5, 220 pounder. Boettger played QB for the Tigers last season. According to HawkeyeReport.com, Iowa has offered Boettger as a tight end based on his showing in camp last week.

"He has really soft hands and has the type of frame that could easily put on a lot of weight, so I think he has huge upside," Cedar Falls coach Pat Mitchell told HawkeyeReport. "He's a very good athlete and very coachable."

Des Moines Lincoln linebacker Trevon Young also camped at Iowa recently. He is close to a decision between with Iowa and Iowa State in contention.

Iowa is on nine commitments. Detroit WR Mycial Allen committed briefly last week, but decided to pull back, waiting to visit Iowa before pulling the trigger.

Boettger isn't the only prep tight end with an offer from Iowa. West Des Moines Dowling's Jon Wisnieski is still out there. Also, Iowa has an offer out to Texas TE Jeremiah Gaines.

Iowa is trying to load up with Cedar Falls' preps. Running back Barkley Hill will be a freshman running back this fall. Iowa also has offered OT Ross Pierschbacher, a 6-4, 275-pound junior-to-be who already has offers from the Hawkeyes, Wisconsin and Nebraska.

Rust never sleeps. Recruiting is making coffee.

HLINKS

-- Of the 68 teams in BCS conferences, Iowa has the 60th-toughest nonconference schedule.

So says Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman, who ranks all 68.

They take college football seriously in Oklahoma. Around Norman, they don't look kindly on playing fluffy nonconference skeds. OU has had some great nonconference matchups in recent times, facing the likes of Florida State, Miami, Oregon, and TCU before the Horned Frogs were a Big 12 member.

This year, the Sooners play Notre Dame and Florida A&M in Norman, and UTEP in El Paso. Tramel ranks their nonconference schedule the 27th-best. Going to El Paso is kind of interesting. To play a football game, I mean.

Iowa? It's Northern Illinois in Chicago, Iowa State, Northern Iowa and Central Michigan in Iowa City. Writes Tramel:

Three directional schools, one of which is a I-AA foe. A textbook bad schedule for a program that ought to be big-time.

That nonconference schedule has a lot to do with Iowa's over-under win projection being 8

according to BeyondTheBets.com.

Tramel's No. 1 nonconference schedule? Michigan, which plays Alabama at Arlington, Texas; Air Force, Massachusetts, and at Notre Dame.

This is college football in 2012. You can play Massachusetts and still have the hardest nonconference slate, at least supposedly.

Tramel ranks Michigan State's non-con collection the 4th-best. Then it's Northwestern 28th, Nebraska 30th, Penn State 42nd, Purdue 43rd, Ohio State 46th, Illinois 49th, Wisconsin 54th, Minnesota 59th, Iowa 60th and Indiana 67th.

Just four in the top 40? Yeccch.

-- Now let's go all Big Ten and money.

1. Urban Meyer has quite the little contract as Ohio State's football coach.

It's worth $4.44 million per year over the next six years. It has three potential retention bonuses.

Meyer can get a $100,000 bonus this year for winning the Big Ten's championship game, $150,000 for reaching a BCS bowl, and $250,000 for making it to the BCS title game even though the Buckeyes are ineligible from participating in all of them!

Oh, but there are standards that must be followed.

Meyer is required to report promptly, in writing, to the athletic director and the compliance office "any violations or potential violations" of NCAA or university rules.

2. Michigan State gave athletic director Mark Hollis a nice pay raise on Monday.

Hollis is going from $395,000 per year to $600,000. But there's more, according to the Detroit Free Press that I linked to in the previous paragraph.

He also will receive an annual longevity payment of $100,000 (paid each July) that is contingent on Hollis' continuous service as AD for the previous 12 months.

He also can have an annual performance bonus of up to $50,000 for achievement of performance objectives, including compliance with NCAA and Big Ten rules, specific financial performance metrics and fundraising objectives, according to the school release.

Iowa AD Gary Barta had a salary of $622,383 in fiscal year 2010.

-- Finally, video from Euro 2012 that has nothing to do with soccer and everything to do with ... human behavior.