No. 26 — CB Maurice Fleming

No. 26 ...

If you look at some of the recent rises of Iowa football players, Maurice Fleming's seems to have the steepest trajectory. Last season, Fleming didn't play in five of Iowa's first eight games (beat up coming out of camp?). He finished the season with three tackles. Fast forward to this spring. Fleming, a 6-0, 200-pounder from Chicago, finds himself neck-and-neck with junior Sean Draper for a starting cornerback spot.

Fleming reported to Iowa City in 2012 as a wide receiver. He made the switch to corner around the midseason. Coming off a torn ACL during his senior season at Curie (Chicago) High School, Fleming redshirted in 2012. He started to work in last season, although more as a special teamer than on defense.

Here's an excerpt from a story I wrote before 2012 signing day:

Reese Fleming is from the Austin neighborhood on the west side of Chicago.

According to RedEye.com, Austin has recorded three homicides so far in 2012. The west side community area logged 29 homicides in 2011, according to RedEye data.

If you ask Fleming, the Chicago Curie athlete who'll sign to play cornerback with the Iowa Hawkeyes this morning, what life is like in his neighborhood, prepare for a frank answer.

'I don't do too much outside except work out or stay at home and do homework and hang out with my mom and play basketball,” Fleming said. 'There are a lot of killings going on in Chicago, so you want to be careful with that, so that's pretty much it.”

Fleming, whose given name is Maurice Jr., knows bad.

His dad, Maurice Fleming Sr., was recently released from prison in Alabama. Reese has been raised by his mom, Rochelle Harper, his grandmother and stepmother.

'Yeah, he's been in and out of jail since I was little, pretty much,” Fleming said. 'I mean, there's not a lot I can say about, I don't talk to him like that at all. He wants to come back in, but why now? It doesn't matter to me. I was raised by my mom and grandma and my stepmother in Alabama. They are the people I listen to.”

He said his mom keeps a close watch.

'My mother stays on me, every minute if she can,” Fleming said. 'She'll just check up on me if I'm outside with my friends or just in general. How I'm doing in school, giving me information about Iowa football, she stays on top of it. She took me to the best football camps to compete against the best players. She's just that mom I would never trade.”

Said Tyson LeBlanc, who coached Fleming at Curie High School before recently accepting a job at Oswego (Ill.) East: 'His mom is an awesome lady. She does a great job being mom and dad.”

Reese Fleming wants to be good.

The 6-foot-1, 185-pounder played quarterback for Curie and tore an ACL during the second game of the season. He committed to Iowa weeks earlier and was relieved when he learned that commitments stood even in the face of injury.

'You just cry because you know that's your last time playing for your football team,” he said. 'Then I looked at it like, is Iowa really loyal like they say there were? They showed me they were and that's a salute to them. I thank them. I thank God because I made the right choice to commit early.”

Recalibrate the competition ...

Yes, how clever of me to run Fleming the day after junior Sean Draper (No. 27 in the countdown). They are in direct competition. During spring practice there was no other position that shared reps as evenly as the open cornerback spot. Just out of the investment, I feel that the possibility of having a three-year starter gives Fleming a slight lead. That and he is potentially the more physical player. That matters in a Phil Parker secondary.

Fleming this spring ...

The technique it takes to play corner is mostly natural, but there also is some room for teaching. That's basically where Fleming has been the last two seasons. 'I have quick feet and I have the ability to use my eyes, read offenses,” Fleming said.

So, how is the competition between Fleming, Draper and Greg Mabin (I think you have to throw in Mabin)?

'The competition is great, I love it,” Fleming said. 'At the end of the day, all we're doing is competing to make each other better. We don't only want to be competing with ourselves, we want to compete with the nation. We want to be the best DBs we can be. If I get tired, Mabin can come in. If Mabin gets tired, Sean can come in. We can all be a part of it.”

Outlook ...

Too close to call. Mabin this spring played on the tier below Fleming and Draper. I still think physicality will be a factor. Iowa's corners play force in the run game. It's core concept of team defense. That would favor Fleming, who's the most physical of the three.

l Comments: (319) 398-8256; marc.morehouse@sourcemedia.net