Eventually, Iowa landed a Cedar Falls O-lineman

IOWA CITY - The discovery of a pretty great cache of offensive linemen at Cedar Falls High School started in 2011, when schools from all over the country started circling then-sophomore tackle Ross Pierschbacher.

Iowa offered a scholarship in January 2012, when Pierschbacher was still a sophomore. The offers rained down thereafter, including Notre Dame, USC, Stanford and Auburn. Pierschbacher committed to the Hawkeyes in January 2013. Just more than seven months later, he switched to Alabama, the defending national champions.

'I would like to thank Coach [Kirk] Ferentz, his coaching staff, and the University of Iowa for the offer to be part of Hawkeye Football. They have a great tradition, outstanding people and a top notch program,” Pierschbacher said in a statement on Aug. 11, 2013. 'After considering many different options and things important to me, my family, and my future career, I am excited to announce that I have decided to play my collegiate career for Coach Saban and The University of Alabama. This has been a very humbling experience and I would like to thank everyone that has helped me along the way.”

The first time Pierschbacher called Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz to break the news, Ferentz actually talked him back into Iowa. Then, there was a second call and now Pierschbacher (6-4, 298) is a redshirt freshman and starting left guard for the Crimson Tide.

Once they see Nick Saban and crystal football trophies and lockerroom waterfalls, it's awfully hard to keep the kids down on the farm.

Ferentz said Tuesday that, yes, he does think about that time the Hawkeyes recruited Cedar Falls High School for a powerful offensive lineman. He doesn't think about it a lot, but 25 years of coaching football and recruiting players at the University of Iowa, he's heard his share of no's.

'Part of recruiting is probably like sales,” Ferentz said. 'I never did anything in the business world, but you probably hear no more in sales than you hear yes. I've heard that and read that. Recruiting is the same way. We hear no a lot more than yes.”

Later in 2012, another Cedar Falls High School athlete caught the Iowa staff's eye during one of their padded camps. Cedar Falls quarterback Ike Boettger and his 6-5, 215-or-so-pound frame did quarterback things one day. Iowa coaches asked him to come back with shoulder pads and give tight end a shot the next day.

He did and Iowa offered a scholarship as a tight end. In team pictures, Boettger stood a little taller and a lot lighter than Pierschbacher, but tight end seemed like a fit. With no other offers, Boettger committed to the Hawkeyes on June 24, 2012.

Boettger started putting on weight after he committed. He didn't make the move to offensive line until fall of his true freshman season, but he said he could kind of see it coming when he went from 230 to 245 that semester.

Really, Boettger might've seen this coming in fifth-grade flag football.

'I was too big to play quarterback,” he said. 'I played tight end. I weighed too much (to play QB).”

Now, Boettger is a sturdy 6-6, 305. He doesn't know how he ended up at right tackle - 'We walked in the meeting room and that's what the depth chart said, so that's where we went” - but he's made three starts and seems cemented in the position for the next three seasons.

So, in 2011 and 2012, Iowa went shopping for a powerful offensive lineman at Cedar Falls High School and landed one. The Iowa staff also found a tight end, who happened to play quarterback for the Tigers. Then, Iowa lost that powerful lineman, but now have a powerful O-linemen in the tight end who once played QB.

At the very least, it's an interesting juxtaposition.

Yes, Boettger said he and Pierschbacher, who according to Alabama's official website graded out at 88 percent and notched four knockdown blocks in his first career start against Wisconsin, keep in touch and have talked about how their roles have shifted, but, 'We're kind of over it. It's fun to talk about games and stuff now,” Boettger said.

The two childhood friends bear no animosity. Their individual choices seem to have worked out exceedingly well. Cedar Falls High School can claim two starting offensive linemen in Power 5 conferences.

'I'm sure he loves Alabama,” Boettger said. 'I would've loved having him here, but he chose to go to Alabama. That's his choice.”

Ferentz is in his 17th season as Iowa's head coach. He doesn't seem to let the near-misses in recruiting gnaw at his soul.

You probably don't make it 17 years as a head coach if you do.

'Quite frankly, and I don't mean this in a disrespectful way at all, but once a guy goes that way, we're going this way,” Ferentz said with a couple of quick hand gestures punctuating his thought.

'So, I don't worry about things that go that way. I worry about things going this way and the guys who are with us. We coach the players who are on our team and [we] really enjoy that. So, I hope everybody's successful. I really hope the guys on our team are successful. That's my primary care.”

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