riley moss

Previously: Iowa Offense

We now shift gears to look at the Iowa defense, which in terms of the change in danger level, it is the equivalent of moving from a plastic spork to a chainsaw. Iowa's defense is currently ranked 1st in SP+ and this is coming off a year in which the Hawkeyes were 5th in SP+ defense. They returned most of the starters from last year's defense and have plugged in new pieces, most of whom have been successful. Through four weeks, the Hawkeyes have allowed just 23 points. The results are astounding, but what do we see under the hood? Let's take a look: 

The Film: Still rolling with the Rutgers footage. Yes, Iowa State is a better offense but there have been a couple changes in Iowa's personnel since then that made going with the most recent game a smarter decision in my mind. Plus, the Rutgers game showcased how Iowa can get you in ways that wasn't as clear with ISU, so it's a better showing of the Hawkeyes at their mightiest. 

Personnel: Click the picture for big, or here for the PDF. 

The defensive line features four down linemen who, in the game I saw, always rushed the passer. They have two starting DTs, the burly Noah Shannon and the lighter Logan Lee. Those guys play a lot, but so does Lukas Van Ness, the rare player to have his circle filled yet be in the "bench" column. Van Ness can play DT or DE, rotating in for starter-level snaps between the two positions. John Waggoner starts at one DE spot that we might describe as a SDE, with a hand in the dirt and a heavier weight, while Joe Evans is at the other DE spot, the one that sometimes rushes from a stand-up posture. Evans subs out for Van Ness, as well as Devontae Craig or Ethan Hurkett on some occasions. 

The linebacker level sees both Jack Campbell and Seth Benson return as rock-solid starters. Campbell, 1st team All-B1G and 2nd team All-America last season, is a star, while Benson ain't a bad player either. The Iowa Hawkeyes have recently transitioned the third LB role into being a hybrid space player, with Sebastian Castro playing the "CASH" while Logan Klemp plays the "LEO". The CASH is indistinguishable from a nickel corner, while the LEO is indistinguishable from a SAM linebacker. Klemp is now the LEO because of an injury to Jestin Jacobs during the Rutgers game, which is a noteworthy development as that's a significant downgrade in experience. Jay Higgins is next up at the LEO, meanwhile the backup at CASH can probably be found in the secondary paragraph. 

The secondary has returning star Riley Moss as the headliner of the positional group, an expert Cover 2 corner who knows how to hoover up interceptions. Opposite him is now first-time starter Cooper DeJean, who has been excellent this season and has already received the star designation. Those two players seldom leave the field, though the injury to Terry Roberts is a contributing factor to the shallow depth here. TJ Hall and Jamison Heinz are nominally the reserves at that position. Kaevon Merriweather returns at strong safety and is still a star in run defense, while Quinn Schulte has had few bumps thus far replacing Dane Belton at free safety, settling in comfortably in this system. Both Merriweather and Schulte leave the field so rarely that discussing the backups is not a productive use of time. 

[AFTER THE JUMP: defensive clips]

Previously: Quarterback, Running Backs, Receivers, Offensive Line, Defensive Line, Linebacker 

We have made it to the end. The Enemy, Ranked 2022 reaches its conclusion today with defensive backs rankings. As I mentioned in the LB post, I'm counting DB-shaped hybrid space players here, so most teams will have five starters listed, whether that's for a HSP or a true nickel. At the end of this piece, I will briefly drop in special teams rankings and then will wrap this whole series up by reviewing what we learned about the opponents on Michigan's 2022 schedule. 

12. Hawaii 

Hawaii starts at the bottom on all three defensive articles and this one is pretty clear as to why: there are five DB slots and they do not have a single returning starter. Most of these players were not even on the island last season, as the secondary is largely built through transfers. Transfers who barely had roles elsewhere, mind you. Projected DB starters JoJo Forest and Hugh Nelson II are both former or current transfers. Forest arrives from Oregon State after not seeing the field a year ago, while Nelson was Hawaii's #3 corner last season, a year after transferring from Georgia. He did not do particularly well in that role. Reserves are ex-benchwarmer transfers from Maryland and Iowa State and starting nickel Malik Hausman transfers from Arizona after being exclusively a special teams player. 

It doesn't get much better at safety. Leonard Lee was on the scout team the last two years and Matagi Thompson was a 2* recruit in 2021 who didn't see the field that fall. Backups Noa Kamana and Meki Rei also have little experience, the latter a transfer from Washington. It's a DB room that is cobbled together from players who were not good enough to see the field on defense a year ago, either at Hawaii or elsewhere. Several of the transfers didn't arrive until the summer, so to say this will be a messy patchwork is an understatement. It's likely going to be brutal. 

[AFTER THE JUMP: A defensive article where Iowa ISN'T #1?]