The Iowa Hawkeyes got another verbal commitment for their class of 2013 as they landed QB Nic Shimonek, from Corsicana, Texas.

Shimonek is listed at 6-4 and weighs in at 188 pounds. According to his profile on Be Recruited, he has been the starting QB since his freshman season.  Last season, he completed 193 of 291 passes for 2,939 yards and 37 touchdowns. He led his team to a 13-1 record and a Texas Class 2A Division II state semifinals appearance.

According to Rivals, the only other FBS School that he got an offer from was SMU.  He was starting to draw the attention of bigger schools such as Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Nebraska before he signed with Iowa.  He was a bit off the radar because he is not ranked by any of the major recruiting services.

Shimonek is an outstanding athlete and excels in basketball and baseball as well.  Last week, he threw a no-hitter in the Region II-2A area round playoffs.

When Iowa hired former Texas offensive coordinator, Greg Davis, many of the fans wondered if this would help them recruit in Texas. So far it is having early returns as Rivals states that Greg Davis was the coach who recruited Shimonek.  As long as Davis is part of the coaching staff at Iowa, it is highly probable that recruiting classes are going to have more kids from Texas in them.  Davis might have taken some time off from coaching but that doesn’t mean that he lost his contacts with the Texas prep coaches.

Nic Shimonek might not have a lot of hype surrounding him but this is a good pickup for Iowa because he has the tools to develop into a solid quarterback.  He might be the first Texas recruit by Greg Davis but I look for there to be more of them as it gets closer to signing day next year.

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* – Nic Shimonek photo credit: via Go Friday Night

Phil Steele, who is one of the best in covering college football, began releasing his top forty teams for the 2012 season.  At number 38 is the Iowa Hawkeyes.

In his forecast, he discusses the Hawkeyes schedule and says “Iowa’s schedule gives them a great shot at a potential 5-0 start and a chance to top LY’s 7 win total”.  Iowa opens the season with 5 games (Northern Illinois, Iowa State, Northern Iowa, Central Michigan and Minnesota) that are easily winnable before a bye heading to Michigan State.  After opening against Northern Illinois in Chicago, the Hawkeyes play 4 straight home games.  If Iowa can manage to win their first five games, then they will be on their way to a 8 or 9 win season. Iowa can’t afford to let teams like Iowa State or Minnesota beat them if they want to win more games than last season.

Steele also states that Iowa has the 68^th most difficult schedule. This is not the toughest schedule that Iowa has ever had but they do face both of  the Michigan schools on the road. The other road games they have are against Northwestern and Indiana which are definitely winnable.

Also in his preview, he gives a brief description of how the Hawkeyes have done against their opponents in the past which is very interesting.  He goes into great detail with his previews and all of them are a must reads heading into the college football season.

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* –  James Vandenberg photo credit: via Bleacher Report

The matchups for the Big-Ten-ACC Challenge were announced and the Iowa Hawkeyes will be playing Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA on November 27^th.

Iowa has played Virginia Tech twice before, once in 2006 and again in 2009 with both games resulting in a loss for the Hawkeyes.  The Hawkeyes have had very little success in the Big-Ten-ACC Challenge and have a 2-9 overall record since the two conferences started playing annually.  With the exception of Nebraska, the Hawkeyes have the least amount of wins against ACC teams in this challenge.

Virginia Tech will have a new coach next season after firing Seth Greenberg which caused some of their top players to leave the program.

After the firing of Greenberg, freshman Dorian Finney-Smith announced that he would be transferring after a season in which he was named to the ACC all-freshman team.  Then to make things worse for the Hokies, top incoming freshman Montrezl Harrell asked the school to be released.

James Johnson now takes over as head coach of the Virginia Tech basketball team and begins the process of trying to rebuild their program. This will be a transition year for the Hokies and the Hawkeyes are going to have a great opportunity to get a nonconference road win over them. Once again, the Big Ten is going to be one of the best conferences in college basketball and the Hawkeyes are going to need to get as many wins as possible in the nonconference part of their schedule to keep inline for a postseason bid.

The Hawkeyes are returning majority of their top players from last season and have an outstanding freshman class coming in which gives them a solid chance of getting their first win ever over Virginia Tech.

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* – Big Ten/ACC Challenge photo credit: via Beyond The Bets

21 NFL teams had rookie minicamps over the weekend and that meant several former Iowa Hawkeyes got their first taste of professional football.

It was a mixture of drafted and undrafted players that participated in these workouts. A couple of former Hawkeyes were battling injuries and others were on teams that did not have a rookie minicamp over the weekend.

Here is an update on the Hawkeyes that took part in NFL rookie minicamps over the weekend.

Riley Reiff (Detroit Lions)

He is expected to compete for a starting job right away and he took snaps at both left and right tackle over the weekend. Chris McCosky, of The Detroit News, tweeted that Reiff was one of the more impressive performers at the Lions’ rookie minicamp.

Marvin McNutt (Philadelphia Eagles)

He joins a very talented group of wide receivers in Philadelphia and is looking to contribute anyway he can.  McNutt was looking to make a good first impression and develop a good relationship with the coaching staff over the weekend. This is what McNutt said heading into the Eagles minicamp:

I want to develop a good relationship with the coach staff as well as getting out here and getting my feet wet with the NFL

Shaun Prater (Cincinnati Bengals)

He was the first of the Bengals three fifth-round draft picks and suffered some soreness while a participating in practice. This not that uncommon among rookies and should not affect him moving forward.

Mike Daniels (Green Bay Packers)

He was drafted in the fourth-round by the Green Bay Packers but did not take part in any practices because of a shoulder injury. Daniels underwent labrum surgery after the Hawkeyes’ season ended and the Packers held him out of drills over the weekend as a precautionary measure.

Markus Zusevics (New England Patriots)

He had the unfortunate luck of suffering a torn left pectoral muscle at the combine that prevented him from being drafted. He signed as an undrafted free agent with the New England Patriots and has very legit shot of making the team. According to Greg Bedard, of the Boston Globe, Zusevics is one of three UDFA that have the best chance of making onto the Patriots roster.

Brad Herman (New England Patriots)

Like Markus Zusevics, he also signed as a UDFA with the New England Patriots. Herman is a long shot to make the team but he is using this opportunity to learn from the Patriots’ Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez. This is what  Herman had to say about this opportunity:

They’re great tight ends. I couldn’t learn from a better group of guys, and I can just do my part to help with the team’s success.

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The Philadelphia Eagles announced that they have reached a 4-year agreement with former Iowa Hawkeye great Marvin McNutt.

The Eagles selected McNutt in the sixth round of this year’s NFL Draft with the 194th overall pick. He had 82 catches for 1,315 yards and 12 touchdowns last season as a senior. McNutt earned some very impressive honors last season by being named first-team All-Big Ten by both the coaches and media. The biggest honor that he received for a superb 2011 season was winning the Richter-Howard Receiver of the Year award, given to the Big Ten’s best wide out.

McNutt becomes the third Hawkeye selected in this year’s NFL Draft to sign a contract as Jordan Bernstine and Adam Gettis reached agreements with the Redskins already. Now that just leaves Shaun Prater, Mike Daniels and Riley Reiff left to sign contracts but that should change soon.

Watch this video on YouTube.

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* – Marvin McNutt photo credit: via Sporting News

]]> http://thehawktalk.com/2012/05/10/philadelphia-eagles-ink-wr-marvin-mcnutt-to-a-four-year-deal/feed/ 0 http://thehawktalk.com/2012/05/08/iowa-gives-offer-to-class-of-2014-dete-peyton-newell-from-hiawatha-ks/ http://thehawktalk.com/2012/05/08/iowa-gives-offer-to-class-of-2014-dete-peyton-newell-from-hiawatha-ks/#comments Tue, 08 May 2012 10:20:05 +0000 Robert Crowe http://thehawktalk.com/?p=3806 Tweet

The Iowa Hawkeyes have given an offer to DE/TE Peyton Newell from Hiawatha, Kansas to be part of their 2014 recruiting class according to a tweet sent out by Preps2Prospects.

Newell is not yet ranked by Rivals or Scout but both are stating that he has received an offer from TCU as well as Iowa. He is listed at 6’2”, 270 pounds. He put up some very impressive numbers from last season as sophomore on both sides of the ball. Here are his stats from last year that have been provided by Preps2prospects:

74 tackles, 26 tackles for loss, 4 forced fumbles, 6 sacks, 4 blocked PATs, 1 blocked punt – 12 catches for 246 yards and 3 TDs  

Per Scout.com:

Height: 6’2″

Weight: 250

40 – 4.85

Shuttle – 4.49

Broad Jump – 9’0″

Bench Press – 185lbs. 27 Times (320 lbs.); 155 lbs 30 times

Squat (450 lbs.)

Vertical -30.5

As of right now, it is listed that he only has offers from Iowa and TCU but he will surely receive many more as it gets closer to his senior season. He will be a junior next season but he will be a player for Hawkeye fans to keep an eye on as it gets closer 2014.

Watch this video on YouTube.

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* – Peyton Newell photo credit: via Be Recruited

The Iowa Hawkeyes have known that they will be playing Penn State at 7 p.m. on October 20^th since last week and now more of their kickoff times have been revealed.

For the second straight year, Iowa will play Nebraska in the Heroes Game the day after Thanksgiving with an 11 a.m. start time that will be televised on ABC.

Iowa’s homecoming game against Minnesota will be at 11 a.m. on September 29^th as they try to return Floyd of Rosedale to Iowa City.  The Hawkeyes will also have a pair of 11 a.m. kickoffs on the road as both the Northwestern and Michigan State games will start at that time.

The only Big Ten games left to release the start times for are at Michigan and Indiana and a home game against Purdue.  If I had to guess, I would also tend to believe that these games will be at 11 a.m. as well.

* – The Swarm photo credit: via Hoopla Now

It is never too early to look ahead to next year and see if any current Iowa Hawkeye players could potentially be the programs next first round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft.

After the 2012 NFL Draft, the Iowa Hawkeyes have had three straight players drafted in the first round (2010 Bryan Bulaga, 2011 Adrian Clayborn and 2012 Riley Reiff) and there is a real possibility that streak could continue next year.  If a recent 2013 NFL mock draft is correct, then Iowa’s Keenan Davis will be the fourth straight Hawkeye selected in the first round.  They have Davis being drafted as the 30^th pick overall and being taken by the Green Bay Packers.

Keenan Davis will be Iowa’s primary receiver this season and if he can turn into an elite wide out then there is a legit shot at him being a first round pick.

Davis came into Iowa as a highly touted recruit but struggled to get on the field in his first two seasons. Last year as a junior, Davis had a breakout season and caught 50 passes for 713 yards and averaged 14.3 yards per catch. His best game came against Pittsburgh in 2011, when he had 10 catches for 129 yards and 1 touchdown.

NFL Draft Scout has Keenan Davis is listed as the 7^th best college wide receiver heading into next season. The one thing that Davis has working against him is that NFL general managers and head coaches don’t seem to have a lot of respect for Iowa wide receivers.

As of right now, it is almost impossible to try to predict the first round of next year’s draft because there are players who come out of nowhere and sneak into the first round.  If Davis can emerge as one the top wide receivers in the Big Ten then there is certainly a shot that he could be a first round draft pick.

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* – Keenan Davis photo credit: via Naples News

The reaction was so negative last year when the new trophy for the Iowa-Iowa State football game was revealed that they decided to scrap it and let the fans vote for a new one.

The Iowa Corn Growers Association asked both school’s fans to submit some ideas for a new a trophy and they narrowed down over 500 of them to three finalists. After the final three were chosen, it was the fans turn to vote and decide the winner.

The voting began on April 14^th and ended last night with trophy 1 winning by landslide. I wrote this with some time left to still vote but barring a major comeback, trophy 1 will have won by a significant margin.

Trophy 1 had almost 7,000 more votes than the next closest trophy which was design number 2. The new trophy will be presented to the winner of the Iowa-Iowa State football game which will be played on September 8^th at Kinnick Stadium.

Unlike the first trophy design, this new trophy actually shows some reference to football. The last trophy, which had a family on it, did not have anything to with the game of football causing the design to be mocked locally and nationally.

I don’t know why they have to play for a trophy but since they are I am glad this new design is going to be used over the old one.

The 2012 NFL Draft concluded on Saturday and there were 6 Iowa Hawkeyes that were selected over the three-day process.

It didn’t take long for the first Hawkeye to get drafted as Reilly Reiff was selected by the Detroit lions with the 23^rd pick on Thursday night.  After that, the next Hawkeye wouldn’t get drafted until the fourth round, when Mike Daniels was drafted by the Green Bay Packers with the 132^nd overall pick.

Adam Gettis and Shaun Prater were each taken in the fifth round. Gettis was drafted by the Washington Redskins with the 141^st pick overall and Prater was taken by the Cincinnati Bengals with the 156^th pick overall.

The sixth round finally saw Marvin McNutt get drafted as he was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles with the 194^th overall pick. There were a lot of people (including myself) shocked that he went this late in the draft.  I thought he would be taken in the third or fourth round but somehow he slid into the later rounds.

The last Hawkeye selected in this year’s NFL draft was Jordan Bernstine and he was taken in the seventh round by the Washington Redskins with the 217^th overall pick. He has a great opportunity to contribute right away on special teams which will help him get early playing time.

Overall there were six Iowa Hawkeyes taken in this year’s NFL draft and five were signed as undrafted free agents.  Here is a look at all eleven Iowa Hawkeyes that will be rookies on NFL rosters when training camp begins.

Riley Reiff-1^st Round, 23^rd Overall Pick- Detroit Lions

Mike Daniels-4^th Round, 132nd Overall Pick – Green Bay Packers

Adam Gettis-5^th Round, 141st Overall Pick – Washington Redskins

Shaun Prater-5^th Round, 156th Overall Pick – Cincinatti Bengals

Marvin McNutt- 6^th Round, 194th Overall Pick – Philadelphia Eagles

Jordan Bernstine- 7^th Round, 217th Overall Pick – Washington Redskins

UDFA

Broderick Binns – Signed with Arizona Cardinals

Eric Guthrie – Signed with Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Brad Herman – Signed with New England Patriots

Tyler Nielsen – Signed with Minnesota Vikings

Markus Zusevics – Signed with New England Patriots

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* – Marvin McNutt photo credit: via Philly Sports Nut