Four Downs — Iowa's 2016 secondary

QUICK LOOK BACK: Iowa's secondary more than held up its end of the bargain in 2015.

With cornerback Desmond King's record-tying eight interceptions, Iowa led the Big Ten with 19 (Iowa's most since 19 in 2010) and ranked second in the league with 27 takeaways, giving the Hawkeyes a turnover margin of +11, second in the B1G behind Michigan State (+14).

King had one of the all-time seasons in Iowa football. The senior from Detroit, Mich., became the 23rd consensus all-American in school history and the eighth Hawkeye under head coach Kirk Ferentz to earn consensus all-America honors. King tied the single-season school record (Lou King, 1981; Nile Kinnick, 1939) with eight interceptions. He also earned the Jim Thorpe Award, which goes to the top defensive back in the nation.

He was named Tatum-Woodson Defensive Back of the Year and earned first team all-Big Ten honors.

King announced in January that he would return to Iowa for his senior season. So, the Hawkeyes get an all-American and all-Big Ten cornerback on one side of the field.

King was the first Iowa defensive back to earn consensus all-America honors and the first Iowa defensive back to be named first-team all-America since Merton Hanks in 1990. King had at least one interception in six games, including two games with multiple interceptions (Pitt and Wisconsin). His seventh interception of the season against Maryland was returned 88 yards for his second career touchdown.

Twelve of Iowa's 19 picks last year came from the secondary — King eight, cornerback Greg Mabin two and safeties Miles Taylor and Jordan Lomax with one apiece.

Lomax was the only senior in that group. So, next season Iowa's secondary returns 77 career starts (38 by King, 26 from Mabin and 13 for Taylor, who'll be a junior next season).

King will be a four-year starter. This will be Mabin's third year in a starting role and Taylor's second. Experience on the back end tends to show up in things like run support and being able to roll a coverage that maybe a QB isn't expecting, which might be a big deal in the Big Ten West Division, where four of the six schools will return its starting quarterback.

SPRING DEPTH CHART

Left cornerback: Greg Mabin, Maurice Fleming

Strong safety: Miles Taylor, Anthony Gair

Free safety: Brandon Snyder, Jake Gervase

Right cornerback: Desmond King, Joshua Jackson

4th Down — Critical Questions

Who'll play free safety?

On the spring depth chart, sophomore Brandon Snyder is listed as the starter with sophomore Jake Gervase listed as the No. 2. Both are walk-ons. We'll save this for the Second Down.

How will the pass rush-pass coverage equation work itself out?

Last season, 12 of Iowa's 19 interceptions came in the first eight games, when defensive ends Drew Ott and Nate Meier were performing at their best (read: when they weren't injured). Ott, of course, was lost for the season after game 6 against Illinois. In week 8, Meier suffered a shoulder injury that would stick with him, among other injuries, the rest of the season.

With a diminished pass rush, Iowa had seven interceptions the final six weeks. The two are obviously related. How will that equation work in 2016? No sure answer right now, especially with Ott's medical hardship waiver still in the waiting.

Four Downs: Iowa's 2016 defensive line

How does Iowa's secondary matchup with returning wide receivers in the West?

We talked a little about Big Ten West QBs, so let's check who's coming back at wide receiver in the West.

Nebraska has the top duo in seniors Jordan Westerkamp and Brandon Reilly. They combined for 105 catches for 1,672 yards and 11 TDs. Purdue's DeAngelo Yancey had a career day against the Hawkeyes with nine catches for 117 yards. Those three are the only returning WRs in the B1G West who finished in the Big Ten's top 15 in 2015.

Playing opposite King, you're going to see a lot of passes come your way. How does Mabin deal with that? We have two years of evidence that says Mabin generally handles this fine. He had a rough end to 2014, but bounced back in 2015. One game in particular where he showed perseverance was Illinois.

During the Fighting Illini's best run, in the third quarter of a 29-20 Iowa victory, Iowa's secondary had three pass interference penalties (two on Mabin and one on King) and a face mask call on Mabin, who snapped Illini WR Geronimo Allison's face mask as he started to break free on a streak (maybe not a bad penalty?).

Mabin scored the ultimate atonement with an interception of Allison on a double-reverse pass early in the fourth quarter, squelching an Illini drive that reached Iowa's 40. So, yeah, Mabin deals with that fine.

Will Mabin be healthy this spring? He's got a shoulder injury, and I'm thinking he probably doesn't do a whole lot.

When you look at a secondary that will start two seniors and a junior, you kind of have to hunt and peck for 'critical questions.'

This is hardly pressing, but can King get his first career sack? (Stop me now.)

SCHOLARSHIP PLAYERS

Seniors: CB Desmond King (5-11, 200), CB Greg Mabin (6-2, 200), CB Maurice Fleming (6-0, 205), SS Anthony Gair (6-2, 210)

Juniors: SS Miles Taylor (6-0, 195)

Sophomores: CB Joshua Jackson (6-1, 185), CB Omar Truitt (5-11, 185)

Redshirt freshmen: CB Michael Ojemudia (6-2, 190)

True freshmen: CB Lance Billings (6-0, 176), CB Cedric Boswell (5-11, 175), FS Amani Hooker (6-1, 195), CB Emmanuel Rugamba (6-0, 172)

PROMINENT WALK-ONS

Juniors: S Kevin Ward (6-1, 205)

Sophomores: FS Brandon Snyder (6-1, 210), FS Jake Gervase (6-1, 200)

Redshirt freshmen: S Isiah Kramme (6-3, 205), S/CB John Milani (6-1, 185)

3rd Down — Additions/Subtractions

Iowa will miss Lomax's knowledge of the system and the knockout punches he landed last season. Lomax earned an invite to the NFL combine after 96 tackles, an interception, six pass breakups and a forced fumble. One of those breakups came deep in Iowa's territory at Wisconsin. Lomax put a hit on TE Troy Fumagalli (he already was in the process of dropping the pass). Fumagalli motioned to his head to try to coax a helmet-to-helmet. It didn't look like it, and what is defenseless?

That would've given UW a first down inside Iowa's 10, by the way. And, this season, it might also be called a foul in the replay booth.

Redshirt freshman Michael Ojemudia (6-2, 190) will be eligible this season. There are a handful of players who need to show something this spring, and Ojemudia would do himself well with a big effort. Iowa likely will be down two corners, Mabin (shoulder) and sophomore Joshua Jackson (surgery, undisclosed injury). Ojemudia has the good size (sort of in Mabin's range — 6-2, 200) for a corner. He'll get a look next week.

Iowa signed four defensive backs in February — Lance Billings, Cedric Boswell, Amani Hooker and Emmanuel Rugamba. Of the four, I think the only one ticketed for safety is Hooker, who also could end up as a running back. Boswell is a speedster. Billings has return potential. Rugamba has good height at 6-0, but also could end up at wide receiver. (It would be super fun to sit in on personnel meetings before and during the first week of August camp. There will be a lot of debate among coaches on where the incoming frosh will end up.)

Early playing time might be in the air for the incoming freshmen.

2nd Down — Battles Brewing

As a redshirt freshman in 2015, Snyder played mostly special teams, with 11 tackles in 13 games. At 6-1, 210, Snyder, who still is a walk-on, has great size for the position.

It seems as if his time has come. Snyder will be a third-year sophomore who's put in weightroom and video study time. He's aggressive and can pack a punch.

Gervase is pretty much the same player. Snyder walked on from West Lyon. Gervase walked on from Davenport Assumption. He's 6-1, 200 and made his presence felt on special teams last season, collecting two tackles in six games.

Snyder has been on the depth chart. He's the more established of the two, and he's the one who's been installed as a starter this spring. Spring won't be a big deal for King or Mabin, but it will be for Snyder, as far as gaining trust and showing that he sees the game the way Phil Parker expects his free safeties to see it.

Senior Anthony Gair is listed as the No. 2 strong safety behind Taylor. I'm not sure if that means he's not in the free safety conversation or not, but given this depth chart, it appears not.

Last year, Iowa's third-down pass package was a 3-2-6 look (the raider) with six defensive backs, including two extra corners, Maurice Fleming and Jackson.

Could there be some competition for third down? King and Mabin aren't coming off the field. Taylor and, presumably, Snyder will stay on the field. So, Fleming and Jackson . . . probably. Maybe a young player and wedge his way into package role. Maybe, but probably not. Iowa is incredibly experienced at corner, maybe the most experience in Ferentz's 17 seasons. He's out this spring, but Jackson did end up playing a lot of football last year.

'He had to put some things on his plate, obviously he has the ability, and I think the maturity that he has shown over the last couple weeks and months really gave us a chance to put him on the field and get the trust factor coming from what he's done,' Parker said.

1st Down — In Summary

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

1. King of the secondary

You have to love the fact that King came back for his senior season because he wanted to finish his education. Was it the right choice? The question is moot. It's college football and so it's cheesy to second guess a choice for education. King made the decision and isn't looking back. He'll get his.

2. Coming close to duplicating 19 picks

One thing that became clear watching King and listening to what he said after games is interceptions are as much about studying and positioning as they are about athleticism and, you know, luck.

I think Iowa can again put up a respectable number of interceptions. It might be the year of the QB in the B1G West. The opportunities will be in the air.

3. Hungry athletes, scarce opportunity = ferocious playmaking

For example, Fleming will be a senior in 2016. King and Mabin edged ahead of him and installed themselves as four- and three-year starters. Fleming has stayed engaged and has carved a nice role on third downs and in special teams. He's not going to beat out King or Mabin, but he's still going to have to put in work to be the No. 3 corner, with Jackson, Ojemudia and who knows how many freshmen who want to claw into the game.

The moral of the story is take advantage of every rep.

4. Get healthy

This stands for Mabin and Jackson. Just like that, Iowa is kind of short on corners for spring practice. With freshmen coming in the fall, it wouldn't be an issue (plus, Mabin and Jackson will, presumably, be healthy). This spring, that would leave King (he'll be asked to put on his helmet this spring and that's about it), Fleming and Ojemudia, at least for scholarship corners.

5. Develop the next wave

Remember how Iowa's linebacker group has no seniors? Iowa has four seniors in the secondary, including three at corner. You play it one year at a time, but Parker will have an eye on restocking the shelves.

Iowa's leading interceptors during the Ferentz era

1. CB Desmond King (2015) — 8 with 118 return yards

2. SS Tyler Sash (2009) — 6 with 203 return yards

2. CB Jovon Johnson (2003) — 6 with 81 return yards

3. SS Tyler Sash (2008) — 5 with 147 return yards

3. LB Pat Angerer (2008) — 5 with 134 return yards

3. CB Charles Godfrey (2007) — 5 with 33 return yards

3. FS Brett Greenwood (2010) — 5 with 23 return yards

4. SS Derek Pagel (2002) — 4 with 89 return yards

4. CB Jovon Johnson (2002) — 4 with 71 return yards

4. CB Antwan Allen (2004) — 4 with 54 return yards

4. LB James Morris (2013) — 4 with 29 return yards

4. CB Jovon Johnson (2004) — 4 with 13 return yards

5. FS Tanner Miller (2011) — 3 with 114 return yards

5. CB Adam Shada (2006) — 3 with 113 return yards

5. CB Desmond King (2014) — 3 with 72 return yards

5. FS Ryan Hansen (2000) — 3 with 58 return yards

5. SS John Lowdermilk (2014) — 3 with 48 return yards

5. CB Tarig Holman (1999) — 3 with 30 return yards

5. CB Jovon Johnson (2005) — 3 with 18 return yards

5. CB Adam Shada (2005) — 3 with 9 return yards

5. SS Miguel Merrick (2006) — 3 with 7 return yards

5. LB Mike Humpal (2006) — 3 with 0 return yards

5. CB Micah Hyde (2011) — 3 with 0 return yards

6. LB Christian Kirksey (2012) — 2 with 86 return yards

6. FS Tommy Donatell (2012) — 2 with 18 return yards

6. CB Greg Castillo (2012) — 2 with 2 return yards

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