Do you really believe this? ISU has some nice RB's and a couple of decent WR's but on paper there is not a home run threat there. Deep, yes, dynamic, not so sure. They could improve and prove me wrong (hope so). Also surprised by ISU's last few recruiting classes we've had some momentum, but it hasn't translated to recruiting success. ISU's 2025 class is ranked in the bottom 4 of the Big 12 (60 something nationally). That has to change.
Thoughts on next year?
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Matt Campbell seems to be recruiting good athletes with high character and work ethic to fit the culture of the Cyclone program. Don’t worry about recruiting ratings. Cam Ward was a zero star recruit whose best offer was Incarnate Word. Possibly the number one NFL Draft Pick.
Ratings are inexact. They are biased. Trust Campbell. Don’t be a rotter.
I'm not a rotter, I think MC has done a great job with the talent he has. I hope he retires at ISU.
Marcus Neal at safety will be a dawg next year.
I'm concerned about DE and the defensive scheme at large. I was confused Heacock didn't change anything 2nd half of the year. Also, which DEs will want to commit to us in a 3-3? You're sort of signing up for a defense that asks you to be blocked by two guys.
What scheme is good when 2nd level isn’t tackling well?
Does a 3-3 force more linebackers to play than a conventional 4-2 front?
Does a 3-3 challenge linebackers to make more tackles in the hole when our LBs are not a strength right now? (yes.. and yes) In lots of games against Iowa, Kansas, ASU, and Miami - you had 5 guys blocking on the offense, against THREE guys on defense. I'm not Bill Belicheck but I know that's not sustainable. In those games our D gave up well over 200 yards plus of rushing. Part of it is a scheme issue. If Jeff Woody and Ben Bruns are ******** about it we have to say they aren't clueless.
It's worked really well for a long time. Sure you need some adjustments, that's always the case, that's what Heacock does. Dom was hurt for a few games as well. We aren't getting any more d lineman in the portal unless one magically appears in April.
There’s no hiding bad tackling.
Changing schemes is a fools errand, and requires better recruiting at the most difficult position to recruit
DII rosters are filled with guys that fit the bill. They were all told they were too small or slow for D1
Losing Beau Freyler is someone who i think will be tough to replace. He has been hurt but his run support has been fantastic over the years. I believe he was someone the team looked up to on the defensive side of the ball. Loved physicality.
So, to answer that question would take about 25 pages. But I'll give it a go.
1. Stop watching the NFL and think " Iowa State can do that". Georgia doesn't do that. USC doesn't do that. Ohio State doesn't do that. They have the kids in college the NFL is using for that scheme. And they are like " F that, that won't work". So, if the best D linemen in college aren't doing... its not going to work at Iowa State.
When you watch the NFL, you are watching the 0.0001% of football players. So thinking that scheme can work at Iowa State, where we are a developmental program that's not rolling out a ton of NFL defensive linemen year in, year out... just no. That's not even apples to oranges, that's like apples to steak.
2. The NFL game is very different from college. Sure, its more similar in some ways, but its also very, very different. How many great running backs are there in the NFL? Barkley, Henry, then... IDK? Gibbs/Montgomery are good, but great? Say you go those two. After those four guys... who else? My point is, the NFL is 85% anymore quarterback driven. In college football, its 75-80% running back driven. If you can maul people up front and run the ball in college, you can win games. Hell, look at Arizona State. I really like their Quarterback, think he's good and has a crapload of potential, BUT... it was turn around and hand the ball off to a battering ram and they just won the Big 12 with that.
Put it another way.. We faced how many good to great quarterbacks this year? Two? Maybe, maybe 3? (Tech, ASU, Miami). When it comes to the ability to throw the ball, not scramble. At most 4 if you include the kid from Baylor. How many very good to elite RB's did we face?
Miami, Iowa, Tech, WVU, Kansas, Arizona State, UCF, etc... daring people to run inside in college football would be like waving a $20 in front of your middle school bully's face when it's just you and him in the locker room and no one else. Or walking thru the Serengeti covered in blood.
3. Putting slower linebackers on the field is never a good idea. Sure, they are faster than a defensive linemen, in theory, at least. But the problem there lies in that they are also (In theory) far less effective at taking on a 325 pulling guard or tackle slipping up to the second level than a defensive linemen. Why's that bad? Well, if you aren't athletic and can't scrape over the top, I don't even have to block you, I Just need to get in the way and now its out the gate.
Now your safeties have to stay in the center of the field because they have to protect against the seam, which means they're going to be a step or two slow helping on a vertical or something down the sideline. Kinda like the 4th down play against AZ State. Beau and James fly up field, paranoid about Skat. Receiver leaks by and its a huge play.
4. Lastly, in college football, I won't even block that sucker. You know how many rush yards Hansen would have had if defenses lined up in a wide 9? Dude, Stevo or Moore or whomever is slipping up into the B gap, the Tackle just needs to chip or wall off the wide 9, we have a double team on one of your interior tackles play side to LB, the back side guard needs to just not die against the other guy in a one on one, back side tackle can go right now to the 2nd or 3rd level unless that edge is a absolute freak then again, if I just do zone read action that guy has the QB so yeah, tackle straight to the LB. So two of your LB's are dead are covered. Stevo takes the 3rd LB one on one, I like that matchup.
And now, I have Carsen running through the A or B gap, and you're nearest unblocked or unaccounted for defender is either an A) Outside linebacker B) Safety or C) edge rusher who first has to get off a chip by the tackle, then make sure the QB doesn't have the ball so he's not doing crap. Complete non-factor in the run game.
If you wanna line up in a wide 9, I am going to out number you C gap to C gap 6 to 4 before I even count the ball carrier. And F it, if I want to run the quarterback on something like a QB power or Q follow, I now out number you inside 7 to 4. At best, its 6 on 6. BEST CASE and that's if you put all 4 LB's head up to inside the tackle which would be insane because then all I have to do is run speed option at your edge guy and either keep or pitch the ball depending on what he does and your F'ed and completely leveraged. Or jet sweep, etc.
So again, you're giving my 315 pound earth movers a 5 yard start, uncovered, right to the 2nd level + at absolute worst, an even numbers count to running the ball without counting the ball-carrier and more likely, given me an advantage? Dude, that's like letting a semi pull out from the stop light and then try to stand in front of it with your car AFTER it gets moving.
There's a reason almost no one ever does that on a down to down basis in college football. You simply can't watch the NFL and think - oh, that scheme will work. Because, no, no it won't. There might be a play here, or a play there. Sure.
Coverages? Coverages can work because that's about speed, athleticism and zone coverages a thing. But up front?
Give me the absolute best defensive line - peak Georgia from a couple years ago when they had Carter or Alabama when they had Mount Cody. Line them up in the wide 9 against the worst NFL offensive line. And they will die. My point is, there is as much difference between the dudes playing Oline and Dline in the NFL as there is between me and a billionaire. We might be the same species, but that's about it. The NFL is a quarterback driven league. The college game is a running back driven game.
And I've not even got into how the run fits change for the line backers, how they are taught to take on blocks would change, the differences in responsibilities in pass coverage, the problems with how your DL would have to adjust their run fits - these guys were all recruited for this defense. That's not something you can just change. Its hard going from a 4-3 to a 4-2. We don't have the personnel as of today to make a permanent switch to anything. Maybe that changes if we bring in a few more bodies in the portal, etc...but as of 12/30/24? Nope.
I'm not as confident in next year. Biggest concern is the defense.
There's been rumors of him switching to defense. If he can follow in the footsteps of Tampa and porter, that would be a huge win for both him and Iowa State
Oh **** for real? That would be insane. But it worked out for both Tampa and Porter so why not?
Sure it worked well when it was new, then what happened? Teams adjusted to it, and to run it requires high level athletes, the type of players that ISU does not have in abundance, playing at the LB position. With Mike Rose types of players it worked well, with what we were running out there this season, it was completely different.
I am not for scraping entirely, I am saying we were told we were going to play more four man fronts this season, which did not happen. Was that because of injuries or something else we do not know, but to say it worked well this season and at times in the past would not be true. Teams have adjusted to it, and its time for the defense to also adjust.
Did you hear the news that a portal DE did not want to visit ISU b/c of the 3 man front? That caught my attention. We don't need to make it harder to recruit d lineman than it already is..
I’m not sure of the rules or if I’m reading the participation report correctly, but does McLaughlin qualify for a redshirt year? He played 5 games but it was my understanding that bowl games don’t count and you can play up to 4 games in the regular season.
Looks like Brahmer just missed that threshold.
Looks like Brahmer just missed that threshold.
