How they got here — Iowa’s 2015 offense

In the simple act of scoring points, the Hawkeyes' offense produced this season, averaging 32.1 points a game (tied for fourth in the league).

On Iowa's scale? That's the most points per game since the 2002 team (37.2 points).

With the Rose Bowl left on their schedule, the Hawkeyes are in line for their highest average rushing yards per game (192.0) since . . . yes, 2002, when Iowa averaged 214.2.

The Hawkeyes' offense hit a few high-water marks in 2015. Here's how the personnel came together.

Wide receiver Tevaun Smith

Hometown:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Rivals star rating

: 3 stars

The road to Iowa City

: Tevaun Smith is from Canada. Not the flannel, piney, Rocky Mountains and prairies Canada, but Toronto, a cosmopolitan city rich and vibrant in culture.

He doesn't like hockey, but he does watch the Canadian Football League. He has friends who play in the CFL and his favorite team is, of course, the Toronto Argonauts.

Smith has a cluster of maple leafs — the symbol on the Canadian flag — tattooed on his right biceps. The leafs curl around and lead into a beautifully drawn picture of the Toronto skyline, punctuated by CN Tower, an 1,800-foot high needlelike structure.

Smith's mom and dad, Maureen Smith and Denzel Forbes, are from Jamaica. Smith said they speak with the distinct accent. He catches himself sliding into that when he's home.

Smith didn't come to Iowa City directly from Toronto. Canada exports hockey players to the rest of the world. Canadian football players are lightly scouted if at all. Smith is a case-in-point. When he was a prep player at Chaminade College High School in Toronto, college football recruiters from the states where a rare sight.

Smith went the camp route for exposure, but ultimately he found his way to Kent School (Conn.) for a year of postgraduate academics and exposure to colleges in the United States. Kent is a prestigious boarding school located in bucolic Connecticut that isn't known as a factory for high-level football recruits, longtime Kent School head coach Todd Marble said. And the woodsy, 1,200-acre campus is off the beaten path.

When asked how Iowa found Smith, head coach Kirk Ferentz, who played football and graduated from the University of Connecticut, said the Hawkeye caravan got kind of lost.

'We could have been in Germany for all I knew,' Ferentz said with a laugh. 'I had no idea where the heck we were. All of a sudden we popped out near Bristol after driving around places I had never been.'

How many stars now?

: Smith gave Iowa's offense explosion this season. You'll always remember his 85-yard TD reception from QB C.J. Beathard that gave Iowa a chance in the Big Ten title game, but going into the bowl game he averages 18.2 yards a catch (30 receptions). That's the highest average for an Iowa receiver since Marvin McNutt had 19.8 on 34 catches in 2009.

Left tackle Boone Myers

Hometown:

Webster City

Rivals star rating

: Unrated

The road to Iowa City

: There's no Rivals profile for Iowa left offensive tackle Boone Myers. That isn't a shot at Rivals, which seems to have a profile for every high school football player in the last 10 years. It's just a simple statement on where Myers started his journey.

Myers started at tight end and defensive tackle for a Webster City team that finished 9-2 his junior season. Northern Iowa took an interest and eventually offered a scholarship. There was also interest from Iowa State, South Dakota State, Harvard and Yale.

Iowa invited Myers to its junior camp the next spring and asked him to walk on as an offensive lineman. He took that offer in January of his senior year.

'We recruited Boone pretty hard and if you ask either (lead recruiter) Reese (Morgan) or myself for our honest opinion at that time, we thought we were really getting a steal,' Iowa O-line coach Brian Ferentz told the Webster City Daily Freeman-Journal. 'The first day of camp he showed up and it took three minutes of practice before we started figuring out we really lucked into something. It was pretty apparent early on.'

How many stars now?

: In August 2014, Myers (6-5, 300) was awarded a scholarship. Last spring, he was named starting left tackle, taking over for Outland Trophy winner Brandon Scherff, who also was the No. 5 pick in the NFL draft last year. Myers missed three games with a shoulder/neck stinger, but returned for the final six games.

Left guard Sean Welsh

Hometown:

Springboro, Ohio

Rivals star rating

: 3 stars

The road to Iowa City

: Sean Welsh tweeted on a July Friday in 2012 that he 'committed to the University of Iowa.' Welsh had 16 offers, including West Virginia, Miami (Fla.) and Kentucky.

According to HawkeyeReport.com, Welsh visited Iowa City that week. Iowa coaches told him the school had an exclusive spot for him until that July Friday. After that, Iowa then would accept a commitment from any other offensive line prospect who had an Iowa offer.

'Coach [Brian] Ferentz told me that they were heading toward wrapping up their recruiting and I had until today to get my spot and after that it was open game on the offensive line,' Welsh said. 'It might have pushed me along a little bit, but I knew Iowa was the place for me.'

Welsh said he called the Iowa coaches this afternoon with the news and got his future position coach and primary recruiter, Brian Ferentz on the phone to share the news. The younger Ferentz quickly handed the phone over to coach Kirk Ferentz so he could be the 'first' to get the news.

'I called Brian Ferentz and told him that I was committing and he said he was going to pretend he didn't hear what I just said and handed the phone to coach Kirk Ferentz and I told him I was committing. They were both thrilled with the news and I was happy to tell them,' Welsh said.

How many stars now?

: For a time this year, Welsh was absent from the Iowa football team. It looked like the Hawkeyes' offensive line had lost a returning starter before the season even started.

For undisclosed personal reasons, he didn't participate in spring practice.

It's a good thing Welsh hung in there. He earned honorable mention all-Big Ten from coaches and media. He also slid over for one start at right tackle against Northwestern, when Ike Boettger and Boone Myers were out of the lineup.

Iowa rushed for a season-high 294 yards and averaged 5.8 yards on 51 carries.

'It's been a long road from the spring,' Welsh said. 'Every time we win a game, I think of not being with the team in the spring. It was a tough time, but right now . . . any good feeling I have it's just being a part of a great group of people.'

Center Austin Blythe

Hometown:

Williamsburg

Rivals star rating

: 4 stars

The road to Iowa City

: Austin Blythe showed his love for wrestling this season, when the Hawkeyes wrestlers took on Oklahoma State in front of more than 42,000 fans at Kinnick before Iowa football faced off that night against Minnesota.

Blythe said he would love to coach wrestling someday. He loves the sport. Here's an excerpt from his final days as a wrestler at Williamsburg High School:

Barring any tremendous upset in districts this weekend, Blythe will be wrestling for his third state title and fourth-spot in the state heavyweight finals at Wells Fargo next weekend.

The sport is in his bones, but when he signed on the dotted line to play O-line at Iowa, he pretty much knew that his wrestling days are numbered. There hasn't been a lot of crossover between football and wrestling in recent years, with walk-on fullback Jordan McLaughlin being perhaps the only example.

'I might be able to be good or decent in both,' he said, 'but I don't think I could be great in one if I did both.

'I chose football because I love everything that goes along with football. I love the preparation and everyone working toward a common goal. I'm not saying they don't do that in wrestling, but just working within the team. I love that part about football. I love everything else that comes a long with football.'

Iowa offered Blythe as a 16-year-old junior at Williamsburg.

How many stars now?

: Blythe was Iowa's best O-linemen this year. For the second year, he was second team all-Big Ten on media and coaches ballots. The Associated Press also named him a third-team all-American. Blythe will finish his career with 49 starts, with 45 consecutive starts.

Right guard Jordan Walsh

Hometown:

Glendale Heights, Ill.

Rivals star rating

: 4 stars

The road to Iowa City

: Jordan Walsh picked the Hawkeyes over 19 offers, including Michigan, Nebraska, Wisconsin and Tennessee.

'I really didn't have plans to commit this early to be honest,' Walsh told Rivals when he committed on Jan. 21, 2011. 'Iowa was always near the top for me from early on but I also wanted to check out some other schools. I like what a lot of other schools had to offer but in the end none of them could offer me the complete package like Iowa offers me.'

During week three of his junior season in 2010, Walsh was voted YourSeason.com's top star of Week 3 on the Chicago Sun-Times website. Walsh recovered a fumble for a key touchdown and led a line that produced more than 250 yards rushing in a 28-25 win over Hinsdale Central.

Yes, a lineman was voted player of the week. We love our linemen in the midwest.

Walsh was named first team all-state by the Illinois Coaches Association, Rivals and Chicago Tribune as both a junior and senior. He was a three-year starter in offensive line at either guard or tackle, helping prep team post three-year record of 35-4 at Glenbard West.

How many stars now?

: Walsh was a first-team all-Big Ten pick by the coaches and second-team on the media ballot this season. Walsh will finish his career with 37 starts.

Right tackle Cole Croston

Hometown:

Sergeant Bluff

Rivals star rating

: Unrated

The road to Iowa City: Cole Croston's road to Iowa might best be chronicled here in the Sioux City Journal, which named him athlete of the week on Jan. 11, 2012. It talked about Croston's legacy (his dad, Dave, was an all-American O-lineman for the Hawkeyes in the 1980s. It talked about Croston's quest for calories.

'I wake up and have eggs, a protein bar and drink a big old Gatorade,' said Croston, who prepped at Sergeant-Bluff Luton. 'I'll have another protein bar for a snack, a few bags of beef jerky plus lunch at school.'

And for supper?

'After practice, I'll just be starving, and my mom (Kim) will make me a meal,' Croston said. 'I'll chow down about three bowls of whatever she makes.'

At the time, he had a walk-on offer from Iowa. He also considered a scholarship offer from Division-II Augustana. He also considered basketball.

Croston ended up at Iowa, walking on from Sergeant Bluff-Luton High School, where he earned letters as a lineman, punter and golfer.

How many stars now?

: You can make an argument that Croston, now a junior, saved the day for Iowa OL. When Boone Myers went down with a stinger, Croston, who was awarded a scholarship in August, jumped in at left tackle for his first start . . . at Wisconsin. He started three games on the left. Sophomore Ike Boettger left the lineup with a high-ankle sprain on Oct. 10, so Croston stuck in the lineup. Boettger is now healthy and Croston remains the starter.

Tight end Henry Krieger Coble

Hometown:

Mount Pleasant

Rivals star rating

: 3 stars

The road to Iowa City

: This one fit into the 'no-brainer' category for Henry Krieger Coble.

Krieger Coble is a cousin of former Hawkeyes basketball star Jess Settles. Yes, he grew up a Hawkeyes fan. It was a no brainer then when he committed to play football for Iowa on June 22, 2010.

'It's awesome, it's exciting,' said Krieger-Coble. 'I was kind of born into it. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me.'

Krieger-Coble caught 34 passes for 491 yards and six touchdowns for the 5-4 Panthers last season. A high-ankle sprain ended his year after five games. He's also a standout basketball player, averaging 14.5 points and 8.1 rebounds. In baseball, his batting average is in the .500 range so far this season.

He received his offer at Iowa's football camp in June 2010. The only position talk from Iowa coaches was tight end for Krieger-Coble, who drove up to Iowa City on that day in June 2010 to tell the coaches in person that he wanted to be a Hawkeye.

'I'm not glad recruiting is over,' Krieger-Coble said. 'I'm just glad I got this offer and this opportunity.'

How many stars now?

: Krieger Coble came into his senior season this year with seven career receptions. Then, Jake Duzey, Iowa's projected top target at TE, suffered a season-altering patellar tendon knee injury in spring. Krieger Coble responded with a career year, catching 32 passes for 385 yards and a TD. He had a streak of at least nine consecutive catches to convert third downs late in the season.

Tight end George Kittle

Hometown:

Norman, Okla.

Rivals star rating

: 3 stars

The road to Iowa City

: Say what you want about national signing day, but there is some magic out there. George Kittle planned to take a scholarship offer to Weber State in Utah. Then, Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz called on signing day morning. He offered a scholarship to Iowa, where George's dad, Bruce, played offensive line for a Rose Bowl team in 1981, with Ferentz as his position coach.

'I'm a little excited to say the least,' Kittle told HawkeyeReport.com. 'Coach Ferentz called today and said they had a couple of offers out if they didn't get accepted that I would get an offer. The last two guys didn't accept and they called and extended an offer about 15 minutes ago.'

The Kittle family was based in Iowa City at one point, so George Kittle was coming home.

'I am so excited to be coming home again, plus my cousin, Henry Kreiger Coble, plays on the team as well,' Kittle said. (That worked out, huh?)

This scouting snippet from ESPN.com pretty much nailed Kittle: 'Has good natural hands, can catch out of the frame, demonstrating the ability to adjust to the high behind throw. We like his toughness; shows the willingness to come inside and take a hit to secure the catch; does a good job blocking on the perimeter while looking for a second block downfield. Kittle appears to have the athleticism and receiving skills necessary for production at the non BCS level of production.'

How many stars now?

: Kittle finished the season with 20 catches for 290 yards and six TDs. He averaged 14.5 yards a catch, the most for an Iowa TE since Jake Duzey had 14.2 in 2013.

Wide receiver Matt VandeBerg

Hometown:

Brandon, S.D.

Rivals star rating

: 2 stars

The road to Iowa City

: Matt VandeBerg, a junior, is from a place called Brandon, S.D. Relatively, Brandon is not the middle of nowhere. It is the seat of Minnehaha County and is located five miles east of Sioux Falls. As far as major college football goes, it's still pretty far away from anything.

VandeBerg came to Iowa with a grayshirt offer, which is a promise for a full scholarship in the second semester of the prospect's freshman year. A player left and VandeBerg came in on full scholarship. Still, the fact that he said yes to a grayshirt tells you he really wanted to be here. Iowa also happened to be his only scholarship offer, so there was high incentive.

Remember when VandeBerg signed? It was the 2013 class. This was the year after Iowa finished 4-8 in Greg Davis' first year as offensive coordinator. Davis came from Texas. He was asked about Iowa's team speed and he said it needed to be better, so Iowa signed six wide receivers in the 2013 recruiting class. Derrick Willies caught your attention (6-4, 210 and could run and is now a juco all-American and Texas Tech commitment). Damond Powell came with the promise of supersonic speed. Andre Harris and Derrick Mitchell were promising playmakers from St. Louis. VandeBerg came from South Dakota.

With six wide receivers in one class, including five freshmen, someone was going to have to bite the bullet and play as a true frosh. That was VandeBerg and, yes, he did look . . . hmm, right word here . . . slight.

'It's amazing how little I was when I first showed up,' VandeBerg said this spring, noting that he's gained 20 to 25 pounds (which — math strong here — put him in the 160 range as a true frosh. 'I'm still in that process (of bulking up), don't get me wrong, but as far as what I've been able to do, I've gotten a lot stronger.'

How many stars now?

: Going into the Rose Bowl, VandeBerg has a team-high 61 receptions for 639 yards and three TDs. That's the most receptions for an Iowa receiver since Marvin McNutt had 82 in 2011. VandeBerg has accounted for 29.6 percent of Iowa's receptions this season.

Wide receiver Jacob Hillyer

Hometown:

Somerset, Texas

Rivals star rating

: 3 stars

The road to Iowa City

: There wasn't a ton out there when Jacob Hillyer committed to the Hawkeyes in December 2010. He was a tall wide receiver from Somerset, Texas, which is in the San Antonio range.

From the ESPN scouting report:

'Hillyer is a late blooming receiver prospect with a lot of talent and promise. May be falling under the radar, but we like this guy's upside and overall package to develop at the next level.

Tall and lean and will need to fill out his frame to continue winning the jump-ball matchup and fight for positioning versus bigger, major level defensive backs. He is a sure-handed receiver with a large catch-radius and good concentration and leaping skills making him a difficult matchup on the jump-ball.

. . . We also question his durability and ability to absorb the hit over the middle. Top-end speed is solid but he is not a burner and most production at the next level will likely come as a possession receiver outside the hashes. Needs to work on sinking his hips more out of his breaks to create better separation. Overall, Hillyer needs some time to develop physically but has the length, range and hands that should be attracting more BCS attention in our opinion. He would benefit from a redshirt year.'

Hillyer enjoyed an amazingly productive senior season at Somerset, catching 87 passes for 1,648 yards (18.9 average) and 18 TDs.

How many stars now?

: Hillyer had his most productive season with 14 catches for 196 yards. He also had a knack for throwing key blocks on big runs that mattered (see Akrum Wadley's 35-yard TD run vs. Northwestern).

Running back Jordan Canzeri

Hometown:

Troy, N.Y.

Rivals star rating

: 2 stars

The road to Iowa City

: If Jordan Canzeri didn't have the nuttiest ride into signing day, he might've had one of the most stressful.

Villanova put him on the clock, a weekend deadline sort of thing. So, the 5-foot-9, 177-pounder from Troy, N.Y. said yes to 'Nova. Then, UConn had a coaching change and was suddenly interested.

Then, Iowa offered. He visited. He signed Iowa.

He's not a big back, but he was tremendously productive for Troy High School his senior season, rushing for 2,048 yards and 33 touchdowns as a senior.

This wasn't a casual decision for Canzeri, according to this Albany Times Union story. 'I was really upset. I wasn't sure what I wanted.'

Canzeri drew a 'Danny Woodhead' quote out of Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz. Woodhead is the mighty mite running back for the San Diego Chargers. Canzeri is 5-9, 177.

'And you know the only obvious thing was size, I guess that was probably the thing and we made a mistake already on Danny Woodhead and we are not going to make another one,' Ferentz said.

'That part of the conversation with Jordan. He was worried about his size, we blew that one on Danny Woodhead, 177 pounds when he went to Chadron State and did not want to blow it again. You have to go by what you see on tape and the passion he plays, with the toughness he plays and the determination, that really — told his dad we are not going to ask him to rebound. We just want him to run the football. So we are really excited about him.'

How many stars now?

: Despite missing most of four games with separate sprained ankles, Canzeri has 976 yards and 12 TDs going into the Rose Bowl. He should be recovered for the game after suffering an ankle sprain in the Big Ten title game on Dec. 5. Canzeri has a chance to become Iowa's first 1,000-yard rusher since 2011 and highest yards per carry (5.48) for an Iowa back with more than 100 carries since Shonn Greene had 6.04 in 2008.

Running back LeShun Daniels

Hometown:

Warren, Ohio

Rivals star rating

: 3 stars

The road to Iowa City

: This is how it works at Iowa running back. They come and they go.

Sophomore Greg Garmon announced his transfer on a December Wednesday in 2012. Warren, Ohio, running back LeShun Daniels committed to the Hawkeyes on a December Friday.

Daniels, 5-11, 220, rushed for 1,614 yards and 15 touchdowns last season at Harding High School. Since late June 2010, he had been verbally committed to Boston College. When BC fired head coach Frank Spaziani, Iowa offered a scholarship in late November. A few weeks later Iowa had its newest new running back, and just in time with the opening Garmon's departure created.

'The success they have had running the ball did help Iowa somewhat,' Daniels told HawkeyeReport.com. 'I know they are a team that likes to run the football and being a running back is what I do so it's a great fit for me on the field.'

Daniels, whose father played offensive line at Ohio State, also had offers from Akron and Bowling Green with interest from Wisconsin and Penn State.

Daniels passed the 'look' test. He's a barrel-chested downhill runner who looks like a college running back. From an ESPN.com scouting report: 'Looks the part now of a BCS back . . . still needs to work on polishing his run, pass receiving and blocking skills, but we like his upside as an every-down, workhorse-type back or a change-of-pace power guy who can get the tough yards and grind the clock when needed.'

During his visit last weekend, Iowa coaches told Daniels he was what they were looking for in a running back.

'They like how I run downhill and how physical I am through contact,' Daniels told ESPN.com. 'They feel that fits well with the offense and what they're trying to do.'

How many stars now?

: Daniels logged his best season as a Hawkeye, rushing 135 times for 609 yards and eight TDs. He suffered a high-ankle sprain in week 2 at Iowa State and wasn't himself for six games. He bounced back big time against Minnesota with 195 yards and three TDs on 26 carries.

Running back Akrum Wadley

Hometown:

Newark, N.J.

Rivals star rating

: 2 stars

The road to Iowa City

: Position flexibility seems to be the thrust behind the recruitment of Akrum Wadley.

As a running back for Weeqhahic High School, Wadley finished with 1,548 yards on 105 carries (14.7 per attempt) and scored over 30 total TDs when he was named Essex county player of the year and second-team all-state.

He also had 11 catches for 153 yards and four touchdowns on returns. The Hawkeyes like his versatility and can see the two-star prospect at running back, slot receiver, or defensive back.

'They like me on both offense and defense actually,' Wadley told HawkeyeReport.com. 'I've talked a lot with the DB coach before, but when I went to my position meeting on Saturday they had me go with the offensive coordinator. He really likes me in the slot and maybe running the ball a little bit too, but I've got to gain more weight. They said we'll work out what's best for me once I get there.'

Wadley was committed to Temple, but a visit to Iowa City helped him make the switch.

'When I was on the plane coming out to Iowa, I got a lot of text messages and calls from some of my friends that knew I was coming out here on a visit,' said Wadley. 'They were telling me it's all cornfields and country out here, but when I got here, it felt just like South Jersey. I was raised in Willingboro in South Jersey and it made me feel like I was home.'

How many stars now?

: Wadley started the season with a fumble during mop-up time of the Illinois State game. It was his fourth fumble in 37 carries at Iowa. He didn't get another touch until more mop-up two games later against North Texas. With Jordan Canzeri and LeShun Daniels sidelined with ankle injuries, Wadley finally got his number called against Northwestern. He responded with 204 yards and four TDs. During that three week stretch, Wadley went for 391 yards and six TDs. He suffered an ankle injury at Indiana and missed two of Iowa's last four games.

Fullbacks Macon Plewa and Adam Cox

Hometowns:

Franklin, Wis., and Chana, Ill.

Rivals star rating

: Neither had a Rivals profile (there was an Adam Cox, but he was a center from California)

The road to Iowa City

: This bond has survived and become more and more intertwined during their time as Hawkeyes.

Cox is from a farm in Chana, Ill. Plewa is from Franklin, Wis., just outside of Milwaukee. Both are country music fans and outdoors enthusiasts. Plewa has visited the Cox family farm. They did some trap shooting and hung out in the barn. In Milwaukee, the attraction was Summerfest and Luke Bryan concerts and Lake Michigan.

'We lived together every single year except this one,' Plewa said. 'We still hang out. I think we have every single class together, too. We have the same schedule.'

Someone is going to be in someone's wedding, maybe sooner rather than later.

'He's definitely getting married first,' Cox said with a laugh. 'He's basically already married. You can ask him about that.'

Ferentz said Iowa tries to pair roommates with bonding in mind. Plewa and Cox shared their dreams and fears. They faced those together.

'We always talked about how big and strong some of the seniors were and if we were ever going to be like that,' Cox said.

They plugged into the weightroom and put on the requisite 30 or 40 pounds, according to Cox. Confidence followed that along with playing time. This Batman and Robin thing would've gotten off the ground last year, but Cox suffered a season-ending ACL injury in camp and Plewa missed five games with a shoulder injury.

This season, it's all come together. The former would-be linebackers have been tone-setting fullbacks from practice 1 to win No. 12. Plewa remembered that feeling of being on the inside and looking around and, maybe somewhat, feeling intimidated.

'I remember we were two skinny, young, little freshmen who were just trying to fit in,' Plewa said. 'It was summer workouts, we were in class. I can't remember our first conversation, but I know we were both shy and trying to fit in. We were young guys.

'It takes time and hard work and you feel like you belong. You develop in the weightroom and, over time, you get on the field and make plays and get to know the guys. That's definitely been a big part of the success of this team. Everyone is involved. No one should feel shy. We made that a point going into this year, and I think that is paying dividends.'

How many stars now?

: Ferentz: 'They're great team leaders . . . widely respected. Part of it's because their stories are walk-on guys who are tough, hard-nosed guys, played defense, slipped over a couple of springs ago, and ever since then, they've done a lot of good things to help our football team.'

Quarterback C.J. Beathard

Hometowns:

Franklin, Tenn.

Rivals star rating

: 3 stars

The road to Iowa City

: During the 2011 recruiting news conference, Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz talked about new guy Jake Rudock and how he felt Iowa needed to have a QB in its recruiting classes going forward.

After getting two (James Vandenberg and John Wienke) in '08, the Hawkeyes skipped the 2009 class before picking up A.J. Derby and Rudock. Derby moved to linebacker and then subsequently transferred. So, going into 2012, Iowa has two seniors (with Wienke more focused on punting this season) and a redshirt freshman.

Iowa signed juco Cody Sokol in December, so the depth chart regained some form. But still, Iowa wanted a prep QB.

That led to C.J. Beathard, who committed to Ole' Miss in May 2011. Since then, Rebels coach Houston Nutt was fired and Hugh Freeze was hired and with him was coming a zone read offense. That didn't play to Beathard's strengths. He's a classic dropback QB with a live arm.

So, he visited Iowa on the last recruiting weekend and pulled the trigger for the Hawkeyes on the Monday before signing day.

Iowa's QB depth chart then went: senior James Vandenberg, redshirt freshman Jake Rudock, juco Cody Sokol and incoming freshman C.J. Beathard.

'We didn't necessarily start out looking for two quarterbacks, but that's the way it ended up,' Ferentz said. 'I think as a result of that, we'll be in pretty good shape at that position for a while. That is certainly important on any football team.'

The positive side of the ESPN scouting snippet on Beathard coming out of Battle Ground Academy: 'Beathard is well groomed, polished and very accurate and we like how this scheme moves him from under center back to the shotgun and moves the launch point from time-to-time. Drops are smooth and quick, and his set up is balanced. He has deceptively good arm strength. He can drive the ball downfield and really lays it over the shoulder consistently. Throws the deep ball with good velocity and also gets great RPMs on deep-out routes. Is capable of throwing on the run when rolling both to the right and left. Puts good touch on the deep ball.'

And the pause from ESPN.com: 'He is a thrower, not a runner and will not make many plays with his legs aside from buying some time. His delivery is quick and over-the-top, but can be a bit quirky at times; nothing alarming.'

Ferentz on how it went down after Beathard breaking it off with Mississippi: 'Sometimes when there are staff changes, fits aren't as comfortable as they maybe were at one point. We benefited, quite frankly, from the staff change in that case.

'Things happened pretty quickly. [Offensive coordinator] Ken O'Keefe went down and spent the day with C.J., and was really impressed with his football intellect, just his way of answering questions on the board and that type of thing. We already knew he was a tremendous player, and he turns out to be a tremendous young man. He came up this weekend, and fortunately he and his dad were really comfortable with what they saw in the program and school and community, and it worked out really well.'

Here's what I wrote: 'I get a [James] Vandenberg vibe. Some of you attach the offensive struggles to Vandenberg last season (this was post-2012, the 4-8 year with 7 TD passes). I really think you need to look at the bigger picture. Iowa's offense — the entire offense — struggled against good defenses. If Vandenberg was guilty of anything, it was locking in on a receiver, namely Marvin McNutt.

I see a similar build in Beathard, whose grandfather Bobby was a renowned GM in the NFL, and similar upside, which is something you can't take away from Vandenberg. His numbers were tremendous. They didn't translate to victories, but different parts of Iowa's team didn't translate to victory a lot of last season, either.'

After his final game at Kinnick in 2012, Vandenberg talked about the heir apparents at QB — Jake Rudock, Cody Sokol and C.J. Beathard.

'Jake's been here for two years, he's kind of been groomed,' Vandenberg said. 'He came in and attached to me. I think a lot of people would say he's pretty similar to me. He's a great guy, works very hard, very talented.

'You've got Cody, who just transferred from juco and who is, when you think about it, the oldest and most mature guy in that room, but has only been with us for a semester and a half now. He's still learning, but has a lot of talent.

'And then C.J., he has no idea what he's doing yet, but you can see his natural talent. He can really throw the ball.'

How many stars now?

: Beathard was named second-team all-Big Ten by both the coaches and media. I don't agree with attaching records to QBs. Winning is a team stat, it's not like starting pitchers. But . . . Beathard is 13-1 as Iowa's starting QB. Beathard has posted a 61.4 completion percentage so far this season (top five in the Ferentz era). Beathard's 7.8 yards per attempt is sixth in the Ferentz era. He also finished with 15 TD passes and just four interceptions. Beathard finished fourth in the Big Ten with a 139.63 pass efficiency. Among B1G starters, Beathard had the fourth fewest pass attempts per game at 25.3.

Kicker Marshall Koehn

Hometown:

Solon

Rivals star rating

: Unrated (but did have a Rivals profile)

The road to Iowa City

: No scholarship offers for Marshall Koehn. He did have walk-on offers from Iowa and Northern Iowa with some interest from Iowa State.

'Before this weekend, I didn't really know what the whole situation was, so it was good to kind of figure all that out,' Koehn told HawkeyeReport.com in 2010. 'They want me to walk on next year and try earning a spot at kicker.'

'Otherwise, it was a really fun visit,' he continued. 'My host was long snapper Casey Kreiter and we went to the Iowa-Iowa State basketball game on Friday and it was just fun hanging out with the team and everything.'

In his senior year at Solon, Koehn earned first team all-state honors after making 13 of 18 field goals with a long of 48 yards. He also sent 45 of his 82 kickoffs into the end zone for touchbacks and averaged 38 yards per punt. Since the season ended, he has seen his recruiting interest pick up.

'This year, I got more of a chance to show that I can kick,' said Koehn. 'I had a lot more field goal opportunities and had a pretty good season. Since the state championship game, I've started to hear from more people.'

Here's a little foreshadowing from Solon coach Kevin Miller: 'He's a tough kid, so I think that dimension is appealing to colleges as well. When he really focuses in on just kicking, that's when he's really going to blossom because he's got a really strong leg. I really think his best kicking is ahead of him.'

How many stars now?

: How many stars is a game-winning 57-yard FG worth? Four, let's say four. Koehn had no plan for the moments after the gamewinner against Pitt. He said he couldn't hear anything. He was just running. He started toward the north end zone and then turned right and sprinted toward the south end zone. Teammates trailed behind and alongside. No one stopped him.

And then the party bus slammed into the cheerleaders in the south end zone. Leading the wave of players was defensive tackle Jaleel Johnson, a 6-4, 310-pound nose guard. He accidentally backed over a blonde cheerleader. A brunette cheerleader also was swallowed up in a wave of jerseys and helmets.

Koehn's night was ever-so gilded that he didn't even end up in the pile. He kept his feet moving as teammates tripped on cheerleader after cheerleader, who fell like trees in an avalanche.

'I about knocked over every cheerleader, I'm pretty sure,' Koehn said. Koehn also reported that linebacker Bo Bower passed out at the bottom of the pile.

'There were so many guys in that pile,' Koehn said. 'I didn't even end up in the dog pile.'

Kick the game-winner, avoid the dog pile, that's when you know it's your night.

How many stars is that worth? All of them.

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