Locked On Hawkeyes - Daily Podcast On Iowa Hawkeyes Football & Basketball - Hawkeye Football Recruiting Updates with Brian Smith after latest commits

Episode Date: July 1, 2023

Trent Condon is joined by Locked On recruiting guru Brian Smith after a big week in Iowa football recruiting.A breakdown of of Reece Vander Zee and Brandon Hoffman and what they bring to the table for the Hawkeyes, some thoughts on the possibility of Iowa getting all of the prospects that visited last weekend and how the 2024 football recruiting class is coming together.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!FanDuelMake Every Moment More. Don’t miss the chance to get your No Sweat First Bet up to TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS in Bonus Bets when you go FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON.FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Back into the recruiting world today. Brian Smith joins us once again, our scout here on Lockdown. We break down the newest Hawkeye commits, the offensive line. It has been a problem lately. What has Iowa done to help that with the class of 2024? It's a deep dive into recruiting. Coming up today, Lockdown Hawkeyes. You are Lockdown Hawkeyes, your daily podcast on the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. Welcome in. I'm Trent Condon, and this is the Lockdown Hawkeyes podcast. Thanks for making Lockdown Hawkeyes your first listen every day. We're available wherever you get podcasts. You can also find us on YouTube. Just search Lockdown Hawkeyes. Hit that subscribe button.

Helps us get in front of more Hawkeye fans. Today, it is recruiting. After last weekend, what has been already very fruitful with three commits, along with a preferred walk-on candidate, making their commitment to the Iowa Hawkeyes. We'll talk about that and a couple other things with our man from lockdown, our scouting director, Brian Smith, who joins us again here today. Brian, thanks for joining us as always. How are you doing? Doing well, sir. How about yourself?

Doing well. Now, first things first. So your last couple of appearances, we've gotten some feedback. Now, one thing we have to get right, and I got to do this right out. I let it go the first couple of times. It's Ference, not Ference, Ference, Brian Ference rhymes with parents. And for a guy that's been around for 25 years, I can understand a few Hawkeye fans got a little butthurt about that, Not getting his name right. You are not alone though, Brian. Absolutely not. You are not the only person to do it. Hell, when he was hired, I was in college at the time. Nobody remembered

him. He was the offensive line coach under Hayden Fry. Nobody remembered the name. We all wanted Bob Stevens, obviously. Yeah, the connections and all that. And who is this guy? Nobody knew how to say his name, but yes, Ferretts rhymes with parents. So just had to help you out. And, you know, he had the people out there getting all excited on the comment section on Twitter there. So Barrett's is the name. But Brian, seriously, great to have you on here and a lot going on.

I want to just start with what we've talked about a couple of weeks ago. You know, this big recruiting weekend that most every team across the country now does and the way that they do it. Now, I was already got three commitments of recruited guys, also a preferred walk-on that had some FCS offers that's already made a commitment as well as a preferred walk-on. But there is a real conversation in Hawkeye recruiting circles that they brought in eight guys that were uncommitted along with all the guys that were already committed that took their official visits last weekend. And it sounds like from the Hawkeye recruiting people, there's a real chance they get all eight of those guys that had offers. I mean, that's something I don't follow recruiting at the same level as you.

You follow it in a national scale. But have you heard anything like that? Just the sheer volume, bring in 11 guys that are already committed, eight more that are uncommitted, and a real possibility that every single one making an official visit is going to end up committing to the Hawkeyes. The only times that I've seen that is when there's like five guys or something. To get up to eight pushing ten kids, I'd really have to go back and look.

That's a really – because it only takes one to make that false. I can't remember one. Good on the Hawks. I don't know what they're doing all of a sudden. You don't think of Iowa as a quote unquote recruiting juggernaut, but that's pretty impressive. Great stat, man. That's what I'm going to have to ask my buddies about on the recruiting trail, because I do not remember one. You know, for the most part, Iowa is somewhere between 25th and 40th, pretty much every single year in recruiting for the last quarter century now of Kirk Ferens. That's kind of their spot. There's the outlier, the 2005 class that was in the top 10. They've

had a couple of top 20 classes, but that's usually the range that they are in. And they're once again trending that direction. But, you know, they're going out there looking for some versatile kind of guys. And a guy that we've touched on before and the commitment that they got is Reese Vanderzee. So it sounded like for the longest time it was between Iowa and Iowa State. I know Nebraska tried to get involved and just couldn't gain any traction there with that new coaching staff. But it ultimately became an in-state kid.

He's from northwest Iowa. Certainly Ames is a lot closer than Iowa City. The way that Iowa State has used big X receivers is a lot closer than Iowa City. The way that Iowa State has used big X receivers a lot better than what Iowa has done there. Yet Iowa got it. And Northwest Iowa, even though Ames is closer, that is very much a Hawkeye hotbed part of the state. That's the way that it's been for certainly my whole lifetime of 43 years. It's just the reality of what it is there. But when you have a guy like Vanderzee, big receiver, Iowa State's had success. What do you think Iowa did to sell him of what he can do in this offense,

the kind of player that he can be? And getting past, hey, yeah, you might catch more balls over there, but ultimately your best home is in Iowa City. We believe we can turn you into a player much like Iowa State can. Wide receiver, a position Iowa's not great at recruiting. I would guess that they're trying to sell him on, you can be the reason we move up the ladder. I mean, if you're not selling that, I'd be disappointed.

I mean, obviously you want to get better. Iowa's passing game has been terrible. So, hey, man, why don't you come here and make us be different? That would be the first thing I would guess. And I'm just going to go to your point from your intro about him. I'm guessing there's a lot of people in his family that prefer Iowa. To be honest, I bet that's the biggest factor. That is often the deal.

I grew up in Indiana, and it was Indiana or Purdue, and there was no in-between. I mean, period. I mean, like, fist fights the whole nine, and I'm sure it's similar. No, I mean, it's ugly. and it's the same deal in Iowa. So why in the world would I think that that wasn't a factor? I bet you, if you did a silent poll behind the scenes of his family, it would lean strongly to the color yellow and it wouldn't be the one that's in a. Absolutely. We got plenty of that. Him as a prospect, he's a big receiver, 6'4", 6'5". He's got the size to him. What about the speed? I know you've watched film on him. What do you see as it pertains making that jump up, playing small school Iowa football, going up to the Big Ten? You still got to have some wheels to you. What do you see speed-wise with Vander Zee in that big frame?

vanderzee in that big frame i would guess electronic he's a four seven kid which is still moving everybody's like oh he's not four four there are only a few guys that really run that right off the bat every kid i meet tells me he runs four or five all right i and i stand next to the end of the line at some of these combines i know what the numbers are you can only lie until you get on that line and then i can make eye contact with you and make fun of you when you lie to me i've seen kids run four nine that told me they ran four five so we didn't have an interview at that point so they just got marked off the list but with that being said his speed is a little bit different because they're going to throw jump balls to him he's a different guy in the red zone some of the best receivers i've ever seen like i I grew up in Indianapolis Colts fan and Marvin Harrison had incredible ball skills and fast and all that,

but it wasn't exactly a jump ball guy. Cause he wasn't that big. He's a different kind of receiver. This kid will take it off your head, even though you know what he's going to do. That's very frustrating. Cause he's at least six, four. He's a big dude. I think he's going to be two 32, 35 when he's done filling out he's kind of a flex tight end type of guy yeah what look does he catch the football he's got great hands too yes and that's the bottom line iowa is not going to go get josiah trader from miami you know what i mean they're not going to get those kids so they have to do it a little bit differently i still think

they can get some more kids than they do but they're going to probably have to prove it on the field. Receivers are usually pretty picky about where they go and I get it. They're connected to the quarterback position. So Iowa got a player that I think can play early and he's got an upside. Earner, maybe not, but he's faster than you think and the size makes up for it anyway. Well, you mentioned that flex tight end very well could be the case for Gavin Hoffman. Sure. Get him down from the Kansas City area on the Kansas side of things. It was Missouri.

It was Arizona State. He's a kid that his recruitment definitely has ballooned here during the spring and into this summer. Iowa gets on campus. I told you before we started recording, Brian, talked to one of the parents that was on the trip, and this was the one they weren't exactly sure about. It was difficult, they said, to kind of get a read from the family and from him. But he was one of the first after the weekend to make his commitment.

What do you see from him? He's got the frame and tight end you. It's definitely something that continues on, and people continue to talk about it with George Kittle and what he has done kind of creating tight end you offseason and what he's done there and all the great tight ends that have come from Iowa. What do you see from Hoffman? I was a little bit surprised at how well he moved in short area space. Usually longer guys struggle with that. He's not the shortest kid either. He's got some size to him.

If you can make people miss, that changes the kind of routes and where they play you at. people miss that changes the kind of routes and where they play you at bubble screens short passes like slants and under routes that becomes a bigger deal and that's not exactly been Iowa's strength of weight those kind of players they need more of it and again he's got the wingspan they're getting some big receivers I don't really care if you call it flex tight end or receiver it's the same thing to me anyway uh flex tight end might be counted on to block a little more, but this kid's added about 20 pounds, depending on what you believe based on the recruiting rankings and all that in these services in the last year. I think he's another kid that can wait 230 or more and still be just fine because he makes plays after the catch. So

I was getting players that quite frankly, they need to get on the perimeter. They had to get better outside the numbers. I know the first time I came on this show, I talked about it and it's probably always going to be their bugaboo because there just aren't as many of those kinds of guys in that area. They're just not. I could throw a rock and hit one where I live right now. And it's because I live in central Florida. They're everywhere. It's not that way there. So anytime they can get one, it's a more important recruiting win for Iowa. Well, Iowa's cleaned up, certainly, in the state of Iowa. We're going to talk about one more candidate when we come back.

Devin Kennedy, an intriguing one. He is the lowest-rated recruit, at least according to the recruiting service, on three. But he's a guy with NFL pedigree, with his dad, Jimmy Kennedy. We're going to talk about him. And kind of one of those guys that Iowa can mold in a different way. We'll do that as we continue here on Locked on Hawkeyes. Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel.

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So I want to go to one more guy before we talk some more generalities. I also want to get some offensive line thoughts from you, Brian. But Devin Kennedy, kid just started playing football a year ago. He's gained since last August 50 pounds. His dad was an NFL first round draft pick, was an absolute monster in the middle. Now he is more of a defensive end. He's a very angular kid. You can see he has size at like 12 tackles last year because he's just learning the game, but a program like Iowa and Brian, you know, the way I would does it is drill

after drill after drill. So fundamentally sound hands in the right place. It is incredibly boring to watch. I had been there for a couple of practices where they let us in for 15 minutes. Watch, I've been there for a couple of practices when they let us in for 15 minutes. It is not exactly a fun practice, but it is about the fundamentals. A kid like this, with the pedigree that he has, even as he's just learning football, this seems like a great candidate for Iowa. I don't know if you could draw it up much better, and I'm guessing that members of his family let him know that. If you're a kid that's already, I don't know,

been through the tutelage with a lot of trainers and stuff, I mean, you can still go to Iowa and get good coaching, but it wouldn't be as important. This is an example. Ryan Mack is committed to Miami, and he's a kid. His dad played at the University of Miami, been around football his whole life. He's got more technique than some college kids do.

He's still got a year of high school. It's because of who he's been around. That's one thing, but that's the exception, not the rule. This kid's only played football for a year. He's just massive. So he's a big ball of clay. What do you do when you have a kid like that? You better find him somebody that can help him quickly

and let him understand that, hey, this is a long process. Lineman, doesn't matter if it's O or D. Hand placement, that stuff you were talking about that's so boring is also the reason certain guys get paid and certain guys go home and sit on their couch. It's the difference. There's a lot of 300-pound dudes. The ones that do technique right are the ones that get paid.

So he's got the body. I mean, would it shock anybody if he ended up being all Big Ten at Iowa? You know what I mean? This is like an Iowa story right out of a playbook man and so I think it's kind of cool too because obviously the NFL player his dad was a dude yes he was not he was not fun you better double team him he caused a lot of problems so I'm not saying he's going to be as good as his dad I have no idea but you

can't teach the frame and Iowa has the coaching that you look for. They're so sound on defense. They're so sound on offense with what they do in the trenches. It's kind of hard not to root for this kid. Final thing for you today, Brian, and speaking of that offensive line, the last two years have been a disappointment, and it was awful a year ago. You know, look at the individual pieces that they've had. Tyler Linderbaum a couple years ago, what he did in the middle and what he became already as a rookie in the NFL.

Obviously, Tristan Wirth, just an absolute behemoth out there. You go back to Balaga and on and on. I mean, we can play this game all day long, but the offensive line has been bad the last two years. It's been attrition. It's been recruiting misses. Some of their highest regarded guys have flamed out, injuries, those kind of things. It's going to happen. So Iowa, they're going deep into this one.

And they hit the chance portal for a couple of guys that are going to come in and help out this year with the team. Those guys that took their lumps the last couple of years as underclassmen, now they're juniors. And the offensive line recruiting, though, for Iowa, they're going and bringing in four guys. Cody Fox is a guy that would have been a pretty big regional recruit, but he committed two years ago almost now. So he's a guy also small school football. That's one that I always wonder about, those small school guys. I mean, it's one thing when you're playing, you know, you're playing one of the big schools, a suburban school in Illinois, or you're playing down there in Florida in some of the big classes classes even here and the increase in Iowa at the big school level. But as an offensive lineman, I mean,

how difficult is it for you to scout somebody that's just 120 pounds bigger than everybody else? And you know what you can do when you're going up against a defensive lineman, there's 170 pounds at the high school level. How do you scout that? How do you watch that film knowing yeah, he's going to be bigger and stronger than everybody else? What else are you looking for? Feet. Everything starts below the ankles, man. Their flexibility and their stance, how they shoot out of their stance,

how explosive they are. Then you just kind of eye the frame. Those are the basics that I've been taught by guys that get paid to coach O-line. And then we get down to the effort stuff. Do they hustle on screens, outside zone? I'm not taking the lazy kid, even if he's athletic. That's not a good culture thing.

But a place like Iowa, do you think that – I mean, anybody on that staff. I mean, that's not going to go well. So I think that you have to look at those. And then finally, just pure power. There are certain guys that just move people, but then there are other guys like, this is just ridiculous. So I know it makes it more difficult with some of the small school kids. And it's been that way in Nebraska too. Even when Osborne was there, it was the same thing. They took a lot of like eight man football guys. How do you scout that? He's mauling this kid. Well, he should maul this kid. So, you know, Iowa staff, I doubt it's going to be any different. They're

going to look at the effort and the athleticism, and then you just got to trust your strength and conditioning program. One of the ways that guys get ranked differently is based on where they go. Like, this is not an uncommon conversation. If a kid commits to Iowa, especially if it's a small school kid and it's an O-lineman, we're not worried about it. We know he's going to get coached. Now, but if it's a quarterback, look, we're not as confident. It's just true. So you've got to be realistic about it. Iowa has done such a good job even before this coaching staff,

where they even had Hayden Pryor, always a good offensive lineman. It's just been a staple with that program forever. So there's a little comfort there. Absolutely. Hey, Brian, always enjoy our conversations. Thank you so much for joining us here today. And it sounds like there's going to be a few more commitments around the corner. We'll make sure as they come in here in the next couple of weeks, we'll get you on again and talk a little bit more about the future Iowa Hawkeyes. Thank you, Brian. Take care. Thank you. That's Brian Smith, our scouting director here. You can find him on Twitter at FBScout underscore Florida.

A lot of great content from him as we talk Hawkeyes. We'll come back, put a cap on things here on this edition of Locked On Hawkeyes. Thanks for joining us here today. And as always, thanks for making Locked On Hawkeyes your first listen every day. Trent Cotta back with you one final time on the Locked On Hawkeyes podcast. As always, thanks for making Locked On Hawkeyes your first listen every day.

So as we wrap things up here today, a lot of recruiting conversation, a lot going on as we flip the calendar now into a new month. And that means a lot happening in the world of the Hawkeyes. A lot to talk about, a lot to get excited about,

about this Iowa football team for 2023. We talked about the future, but coming up this season, what we have going on, there is plenty of expectations with the squad. And the developments on the recruiting, excuse me, on the gambling investigation front, the new NCAA guidelines that have been handed down. We talked about that earlier last week. And I think a really important thing for Iowa football and some of the concerns that still

lingered out there, I think they have dissipated even more with what we heard on that front. So plenty going on there. The ramp up, the expectations are going to be there every day. We're also having fun this summer. You can go back and check out what we have on the throwback Thursday additions as we go back and take a look back at some of our favorite teams in Iowa football and basketball history. And a lot to talk about, obviously, with that. We will continue on that route coming up next week. We have plenty for you here on Lockdown Hawkeyes. Getting ready for that holiday season. I'll still have you covered on a podcast

a couple of times next week as we come to you. Locked On Hawkeyes, we're a little bit off the daily schedule, but we'll be ramping right back up. There is a lot to talk about with Iowa football, Iowa basketball, of course, the women's basketball team, getting ready for fall sports. There's always something happening in the world of Hawkeyes, and thanks for making Locked On Hawkeyes your first listen every day. That'll do it for today. We'll talk to you again

next week. Have a great weekend and go Hawks.