The Iowa Hawkeyes boasted one of the nation’s top defenses in the 2023 college football season. Their performance earned Hawkeye defensive coordinator Phil Parker the Broyles Award which is handed out to the nation’s top assistant coach.
Iowa’s defense surrendered just 14.8 points and only 282.5 yards of total offense to opponents to rank fourth in scoring defense and seventh in total defense in 2024.
A lot of Iowa’s success was predicated on a stingy front seven that successfully limited the run game for the opposition. The Hawkeyes allowed just 111.8 rushing yards per game, ranking 15th in rushing defense.
Iowa hopes for more of the same in 2024 from a unit that brings back starting senior defensive linemen Deontae Craig and Yahya Black. In its initial spring two-deep, junior defensive tackle Aaron Graves and senior defensive end Ethan Hurkett made up the rest of the Hawkeyes’ projected starting rotation.
Junior defensive end Max Llewellyn, sophomore defensive tackle Luke Gaffney, junior defensive tackle Jeremiah Pittman and sophomore defensive end Brian Allen made up the rest of the Hawkeyes’ spring two-deep.
247Sports’ Cody Nagel put together a Big Ten defensive line power rankings headed into the 2024 college football season. The Hawkeyes check in at an impressive No. 5 in the new-look Big Ten.
Nagel caught up with Hawkeye Insider’s Sean Bock for a breakdown on Iowa.
“The Hawkeyes feel they have a solid core group that can take the next step. This could be a breakout year for Deontae Craig on the edge as he will need to take a big step forward in a bigger role. Iowa has a strong duo on the inside, but there are still question marks about the depth. Iowa will need a formidable third and fourth interior option to step up,” Bock said of Iowa’s defensive line group.
Nagel shared some of his thoughts…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/247sports-shares-iowa-football-big-223531072.html
Author : Hawkeyes Wire
Publish date : 2024-06-26 22:35:31
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