Wallace, Iowa linebackers start in a good place

IOWA CITY — Yes, Seth Wallace does inherit a great group of players in his first season as Iowa's linebackers coach. No, he won't punch out and let the car drive itself.

Junior middle linebacker Josey Jewell led the Hawkeyes in tackles last season and earned second-team all-Big Ten on the coaches and media ballots. Junior outside linebacker Ben Niemann is out with an ankle injury this spring, but last season he earned honorable mention all-Big Ten.

The weakside linebacker spot needs to sort out, with sophomore Aaron Mends holding an advantage over sophomore Jack Hockaday about half way now through spring practice.

It's a great place for Wallace, 37, to begin. After two years as recruiting coordinator and defensive assistant, Wallace earned a promotion last winter when Jim Reid left Iowa to become defensive coordinator at Boston College. The pieces are in place for another sturdy run defense (the Hawkeyes were 15th in the nation at 121.43 last season) and Wallace is pushing the buttons at linebacker.

Wallace has high expectations for Jewell (126 tackles, four interceptions last season). He praised his leadership, something Wallace wants to see radiate with a relatively young position group (Iowa has no senior linebackers).

'We're trying to increase everybody's value on this team,' Wallace said during a Wednesday news conference. 'He's got a way in which he can do that even though his value may be a little bit greater than some others.

Video: Seth Wallace, Pt. 2

'But right now from a leadership standpoint, holding everybody accountable defensively, everybody's eyes are on him. He's our signal caller defensively with usually a safety helping him out. He's got to continue to be vocal and he's got to continue to just conduct himself with a presence that a middle linebacker should in the Big Ten.'

Spring practice is made to test a team's depth. The seniors are gone. Their freshmen replacements don't report until fall camp. This has pinched the linebacker group.

After offseason surgery, Niemann is running drills without pads right now. Junior Bo Bower has taken the outside linebacker spot with redshirt freshman Nick Wilson seeing second-team reps there. Redshirt freshman Angelo Garbutt backs up Jewell. Mends and Hockaday are trading good and bad days on the weakside, along with redshirt freshman Justin Jinning.

'These guys are working together. It's a small group,' Wallace said. 'The nice thing about a small group is the closeness is there. They all try to coach each other. They all try to critique each other which is building unity, but also building accountability throughout that room.'

More: Aaron Mends has the tools, just needs the experience

Jewell's season and story was the big reveal in 2015. Jewell received one of the final scholarships in the 2013 class, receiving an offer from the Hawkeyes on Super Bowl Sunday that year. Niemann's season got a little lost in that comet. It, however, also was important for Iowa's defense to make the strides it made (Iowa was No. 66 in the nation with 168.3 rush yards allowed last season).

Iowa's defense fell apart on the perimeter in key games during 2014. Last season, that was Niemann's job and it was a big part of the improvement. Wallace said some offensive coaches might describe what Iowa does personnel-wise on defense as a 4-2-5 because of what Iowa's scheme asks out of the outside linebacker.

'He's out in space. He has to be a little bit more of a hybrid,' Wallace said. 'We ask him to do some things that probably eight years ago you weren't asking that player to do. So, he's got to be able to run a little bit better than maybe he was eight years ago.

'But that's really the nature of football, talking about the zone read (rush offense where the QB is a runner). That's where it's going. There's more on the perimeter and less up the middle, unless you're playing Wisconsin or Michigan State.'

In addition to coaching linebackers, Wallace also handles Iowa's punt return team. Last season, Jewell, Niemann and senior Cole Fisher played on that unit and at least a few other special teams. Their snap counts piled up.

Wallace is well aware of that fact and does want to see his reserve linebackers earn spots in the special teams core. Still, it's not a given. They have to earn those spots.

'We're going to continue to use who is needed on special teams,' he said. 'As the season increases, and last year we were fortunate to enjoy a 14-game season . . . there are a lot of miles on the tires.'

Video: Seth Wallace, Pt. 3

Wallace mentioned Fisher's workload specifically. Fisher led the team in snaps and special teams snaps.

'Cole Fisher is a good example of somebody that we probably rode as hard as we could, so to speak,' Wallace said. 'Over the course of a 14-game season in the Big Ten, that starts to wear on you.'

Special teams drills are sewn into the entirety of an Iowa practice. The Hawkeyes run walk-through special teams drills before practice. They have a live-speed special teams during practice. There's a 'special teams emphasis' at the end and then any post-practice work.

It's a talent search.

'Anytime we can find somebody that can replace a starter, we're going to,' Wallace said. 'That's what we're doing right now. . . . We're trying to develop those guys and sell the fact that they can increase their value by being a member of our special teams.'

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