Ferentz on Davis

Iowa hasn't brought in a fully loaded defensive tackle since Colin Cole in 1999. That worked out pretty well. (By the way, Cole was listed at around 300 when he was a senior at UI. Really, it was more like 320.) He's earned a couple contracts in the NFL.

That's not heaping a load of expectations on Carl Davis, a 6-5, 300-pounder from Stevenson High School in Sterling Heights, Mich. It's a good place to start for a DT. Davis also plays basketball for Stevenson, so he also can move. Yes, not a bad place to start for a DT. He still, however, needs an ACT score.

Links -- Remember the Micah Hyde weirdness with Michigan State last year? No denying MSU offered Davis, according to the Freep. From John Hetzler in the Macomb (Mich.) Daily, it wasn't always sacks and scholarship offers for Davis. Here's the story I wrote on how Iowa's rep for O- and D-lines is starting to pay off in recruiting.

Bio -- From UI sports info: High school honors - - Named first team all-state by Detroit Free Press, Detroit News and Macomb Daily . . . was first team all-conference as a senior after earning second team honors as a junior . . . Career - - recorded 58 tackles as a senior, including six QB sacks . . . also blocked two field goals, had one interception and scored one touchdown . . . collected 47 tackles as a junior, with eight tackles for loss, 15 QB hurries and three QB sacks . . . helped prep team post 10-2 mark as a junior and 13-1 record as a senior, advancing to state championship game at Ford Field in his final season . . . also lettered in basketball and track and field.

Personal - - Born 3/2/92 . . . pre-business major . . . mother is Ovella Davis . . . high school coach was Rick Bye.

Ferentz on -- On bringing in five D-linemen and where Davis might fit in: "It's a little bit of a projection, two of the guys are bigger than normal. We haven't had a lot of big guys. As you know, Colin Cole is probably the only guy that really came in with the kind of size of Anthony Ferguson and Carl Davis. A little bit different for us that way. But we think all those guys have versatility and we like the attitudes of each and every one. They're all a little different story.

"Carl, we don't want him to get too much bigger right now. He's a 300-pound guy right now and I think he's talking about maybe trying to be 285, 290 when he comes in here, which is probably good. He plays basketball. Impressive on the basketball court and what have you."

Projection is fun -- If Davis' work ethic matches his size, Iowa will really have something on its hands.

In my conversation with him, he talked a lot about technique. Iowa D-line coach Rick Kaczenski has his players lean heavily on technique, which, all things being equal, is often the difference in one-on-on battles. The fact that Davis knows he can't belly buck and has to play low and hard is a good thing.