2015 Defensive Depth Chart - We will be better, much better.

I love these guys that predict doom and gloom every year...a number of whom are thinly veiled Iowa fans who simply come here to backhandedly slam our Cyclones...and then crow about how right they are. Our program has ALWAYS struggled to compete, so it hardly shows insight on your part when you cry that the sky is falling every pre-season.

Yes, I was wrong on our linebacking corps last year...or better yet, a year ahead on their development. I underestimated just how much our LB play would be degaded by atrocious DL play. Guilty. Harris, Mills and Northrup will be a FAR better trio than many here are willing to acknowledge...and I will gladly make the assertion that they will round into a very solid group in 2015 if they avoid injury. So have at it again next year, boys, if I'm wrong. In the meantime enjoy wallowing in your defeatism!

The. Worst. In. The. Country. That is a hole to climb out of......
 
Don't forget the attrition due to various player transfers and dismissals - the prominent ones that immediately come to mind are Charlie Rogers, Coe and Irving. For a program with as little margin for error as ISU has, you just can't survive that kind of turnover.

Paul will be walking on eggshells this winter......
 
Hey, I was just thinking that what this thread really needed was some hard hitting analysis from Wesley Bot.

I would love to see what his wife says about him if she has the same type of attitude and personality. That would be a helluva "glass is completely empty" type of relationship. Where one spouse has absolutely nothing good to say about the other. And each day is filled with constant complaining and ******** about their wretched lives and complete lack of love for each other.
 
Here were the #'s of scholarships at each position this year.....

QB (1 starter)- 4 scholarships, will be 5 next year---- 4 guys deep this year, 5 guys deep next year
RB (1 starter)- 6 scholarships---- 6 guys deep
WR (3 starters)- 10 scholarships---- 3.33 guys deep
TE (1 starter)- 5 scholarships---- 5 guys deep
OL (5 starters)- 18 scholarships---- 3.6 guys deep

DT- (2 starters)- 6 scholarships---- 3 guys deep
DE- (2 starters)- 8 scholarships---- 4 guys deep
LB (3 starters)- 11 scholarships---- 3.67 guys deep
CB (2 starters)- 7 scholarships---- 3.5 guys deep
S- (2 starters)- 6 scholarships---- 3 guys deep

This is just a real quick analysis, so it could be off, but I think it's pretty accurate. I've also listed how deep we are with scholarship players at each position.

Just going off these numbers, it would appear that we are thinnest at the DT and the Safety positions. And we are the deepest at QB, RB, and DE positions. Of course, this was this year. I will try to also do this for next year and post those results, assuming we land the current verbal commits. That will probably be more interesting.

Of course, you could debate whether or not we start 1 or 2 RBs, and 1 or 2 TEs. If you feel like you need to have 2 starting RBs and 2 starting TEs, those numbers above change. Then it makes it look like we are thin at RB and TE versus being deep like it shows above.

Probably the most interesting thing I got out of this was that we are actually deeper at the LB spot than we are at the WR spot numbers wise. That doesn't seem possible? I guess maybe because the WR group is really solid from top to bottom and the LB spot is full of some marginal Big 12 talent.

Also, not sure we need 5 scholarship QB's next year either. That seems like overkill to me. Yes, it is the most important position on the team, but if you only went with 4, that would leave another spot open for the DL for instance. We will have Sam Richardson, Grant Rohach, Lanning, Run DLC, and DeLira all at QB next year. That's too many guys standing on the sidelines holding clipboards IMO.
 
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Here were the #'s of scholarships at each position this year.....

QB (1 starter)- 4 scholarships, will be 5 next year---- 4 guys deep this year, 5 guys deep next year
RB (1 starter)- 6 scholarships---- 6 guys deep
WR (3 starters)- 10 scholarships---- 3.33 guys deep
TE (1 starter)- 5 scholarships---- 5 guys deep
OL (5 starters)- 18 scholarships---- 3.6 guys deep

DT- (2 starters)- 6 scholarships---- 3 guys deep
DE- (2 starters)- 8 scholarships---- 4 guys deep
LB (3 starters)- 11 scholarships---- 3.67 guys deep
CB (2 starters)- 7 scholarships---- 3.5 guys deep
S- (2 starters)- 6 scholarships---- 3 guys deep

This is just a real quick analysis, so it could be off, but I think it's pretty accurate. I've also listed how deep we are with scholarship players at each position.

Just going off these numbers, it would appear that we are thinnest at the DT and the Safety positions. And we are the deepest at QB, RB, and DE positions. Of course, this was this year. I will try to also do this for next year and post those results, assuming we land the current verbal commits. That will probably be more interesting.

Of course, you could debate whether or not we start 1 or 2 RBs, and 1 or 2 TEs. If you feel like you need to have 2 starting RBs and 2 starting TEs, those numbers above change. Then it makes it look like we are thin at RB and TE versus being deep like it shows above.

Probably the most interesting thing I got out of this was that we are actually deeper at the LB spot than we are at the WR spot numbers wise. That doesn't seem possible? I guess maybe because the WR group is really solid from top to bottom and the LB spot is full of some marginal Big 12 talent.

Also, not sure we need 5 scholarship QB's next year either. That seems like overkill to me. Yes, it is the most important position on the team, but if you only went with 4, that would leave another spot open for the DL for instance. We will have Sam Richardson, Grant Rohach, Lanning, Run DLC, and DeLira all at QB next year. That's too many guys standing on the sidelines holding clipboards IMO.

DeLira will probably redshirt so it's no big deal. And for the remaining four that assumes no position changes or transfers. Too early to tell with that stuff, and if you're going to err with QBs you probably want to have more than you think you'll need. When you consider how critical the QB position is anymore, I don't mind the staff keeping the funnel full.
 
I've never minded having a lot of scholarship QB's. CPR has said he wants one each recruiting class and he's stuck with it. In a lot of seasons that may seem like overkill, but when one's a redshirt and there's always the possibility of injuries or transfers I can see why he does it. It also helps that a lot of the QB's we've recruited can move to other positions. Hodge was a QB and is a DB now. Lanning could play almost anywhere that's not the line. Tiller was a Chizik recruit but became a decent receiver. Had Barnett stayed I could have seen him move to receiver.
 
I've never minded having a lot of scholarship QB's. CPR has said he wants one each recruiting class and he's stuck with it. In a lot of seasons that may seem like overkill, but when one's a redshirt and there's always the possibility of injuries or transfers I can see why he does it. It also helps that a lot of the QB's we've recruited can move to other positions. Hodge was a QB and is a DB now. Lanning could play almost anywhere that's not the line. Tiller was a Chizik recruit but became a decent receiver. Had Barnett stayed I could have seen him move to receiver.

Hodge isn't on the team anymore. Just to clarify. But your point is still a good one.
 
I think they expected Miller to pick things up quicker than he did. They also expected C.J. Morgan to stay around. Even then there would have been little to know depth, considering linebackers like Knott and Brackens were both recruited as safeties. I think there is some truth to the idea that this staff focused on offense in recruiting. Linebackers were probably the area least focused on, which kind of makes sense since we really only need two.

Good point, I forgot about CJ. If memory serves me correctly, Pavlenko never made it to campus and Smith didn't last long after he got here? After that season was over, I thought that would have been a perfect time to offer 2 Juco Freshmen, who probably hadn't been recruited yet, offer them, redshirt them and have them in place once AJ and Knott graduated. That's a tactic Chizek employed a couple times in the OL and it really worked out. Instead we tried to move Safeties to LB and offered a couple Iowa kids schollies who normally would be walk on candidates.
 
There is a big difference too between George, being aggressive and being in the wrong gap, vs. what we saw in the LB core this year at the end of the season looking completely lost and out of position (ie. 8 yards down field running away from the ball when the RB is running right up the gut the entire time). Saw it time and time again. As Jack Whitver said, some of these guys are not Division I players, plain and simple. Put the best guy out there at all times in the LB core. Rotate the DL. The Mike is the QB of the defense.

I agree. Can't teach these guys to get bigger faster and more athletic. George was a different level of athlete than the guys who played last year. I know exactly what you are talking about with them looking lost.
 
We recruited a guy a couple years ago named Floyd Mattison I think. Great athlete but didn't pan out at LB.

Also what happened to Justin Webster?
 
We recruited a guy a couple years ago named Floyd Mattison I think. Great athlete but didn't pan out at LB.

Also what happened to Justin Webster?

Another miss at LB. Moved to RB, haven't heard anything about him since.
 
Another miss at LB. Moved to RB, haven't heard anything about him since.

Recruited as an Athlete. I know he started at RB. And then they moved him to defense. And then back to RB. Just completed his RS Freshman season.
 
The. Worst. In. The. Country. That is a hole to climb out of......

I'm a glass half empty guy when it comes to our football team. There has been nothing in our past - recent or otherwise - that leads me to believe we are just on the cusp of average-ness let alone greatness like some are on the verge of declaring. We have new players, we have players that we all hope are developing, but these are the same players that, en masses, have garnered little or no national attention. On top of our last or next to last place recruiting for so many, many years...

Next year our defense HAS to be better. Because of the new talent, and because many people's jobs depend on it.
 
I'm a glass half empty guy when it comes to our football team. There has been nothing in our past - recent or otherwise - that leads me to believe we are just on the cusp of average-ness let alone greatness like some are on the verge of declaring. We have new players, we have players that we all hope are developing, but these are the same players that, en masses, have garnered little or no national attention. On top of our last or next to last place recruiting for so many, many years...

Next year our defense HAS to be better. Because of the new talent, and because many people's jobs depend on it.

Such hyperbole. WHO has said that our Iowa State Football team is on the edge of greatness or even suggested we are on the verge of greatness?

Some think that the recent commits along with a return from injuries of many players will bring better results. Most optimistic people are just hopeful for a bowl game and with some luck and everything going our way that we will win 6 to 7 games.

For those of us who actually have lived more than half a century, that would not be so bad. Although we would like to experience better, we understand how tough the job is. We will know in a year where we stand. We have been down this road many, many times.
 
Such hyperbole. WHO has said that our Iowa State Football team is on the edge of greatness or even suggested we are on the verge of greatness?

Some think that the recent commits along with a return from injuries of many players will bring better results. Most optimistic people are just hopeful for a bowl game and with some luck and everything going our way that we will win 6 to 7 games.

For those of us who actually have lived more than half a century, that would not be so bad. Although we would like to experience better, we understand how tough the job is. We will know in a year where we stand. We have been down this road many, many times.

That's the thing though. You're already talking about winning 6 or 7 games and making a bowl next year, and it's still December. By August, you'll be believing we can win 8 or 9 games, just like a lot of other people.

I think we all need to realize that if we double our wins from this year, we'll win 4 games next year. That's if we DOUBLE our win total from this year. Tripling our win total from this year, and getting 6 wins, is most likely not going to happen, and it's better if we all realize that right now.

Our defense this year was possibly the worst I've seen at Iowa State, and that is saying a TON. I sat through some really horrible years back in the day where we had absolutely no talent whatsoever on the field, but at least guys were generally in the right position on the field. Our talent wasn't horrible this year, but guys were never in the right spot, which is kinda scary. Made me really question Wally big time.

I know this won't make anyone happy, but winning 4 or 5 games is probably the best we'll see next year.
 
That's the thing though. You're already talking about winning 6 or 7 games and making a bowl next year, and it's still December. By August, you'll be believing we can win 8 or 9 games, just like a lot of other people.

I think we all need to realize that if we double our wins from this year, we'll win 4 games next year. That's if we DOUBLE our win total from this year. Tripling our win total from this year, and getting 6 wins, is most likely not going to happen, and it's better if we all realize that right now.

Our defense this year was possibly the worst I've seen at Iowa State, and that is saying a TON. I sat through some really horrible years back in the day where we had absolutely no talent whatsoever on the field, but at least guys were generally in the right position on the field. Our talent wasn't horrible this year, but guys were never in the right spot, which is kinda scary. Made me really question Wally big time.

I know this won't make anyone happy, but winning 4 or 5 games is probably the best we'll see next year.

I am saying 6 to 7 games would be great.
 

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