"Vandervelde" Is Dutch for "Hamstring Pull"   Lost in all the kerfluffle over the media coverage of James Ferentz's reign of terror minor youthful indiscretions was the status of Julian Vandervelde, who may or may not be injured:

Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said Tuesday that Iowa offensive lineman Julian Vandervelde hasn’t had surgery, but he also didn’t confirm or deny that the junior suffered some sort of training injury recently.

"He hasn’t had surgery," Ferentz said. "During the course of training, we’re going to have guys who get injured. If there’s an announcement to be made, we’ll make it. But right now, nothing pending."

There's smoke here, and I'm almost certain there's fire; Ferentz would dismiss this rumor if it were patently false.  Whether that fire will spread to August camp or (heaven forbid) the regular season is anyone's guess.  "No surgery" is a good sign, I suppose.

Morehouse, who broke this in the first place, speculates on the impact of a potentially-hobbled Vandervelde:

[I]s Iowa’s OL built to take this?

I want to say yes. There are a number of bodies who could play guard, including seniors Dace Richardson, Andy Kuempel and Dan Doering. Sophomore Adam Gettis might also be ready for prime time. This assumes senior Rafael Eubanks (or freshman James Ferentz) takes on the center spot. Vandervelde got a look there during spring ball. Kirk Ferentz said it wasn’t just a ceremonial deal.

Right guard appears to be the biggest question mark on the offensive line, but center isn't far off.  Some speculated that, with the resurrection of Dace Richardson at left guard, Vandervelde would move to center.  Any injury, regardless of its severity or duration, limits the amount of time Vandervelde could prepare for such a move, and makes the possibility of Eubanks or James Ferentz at center all the more likely.

All the Marbles   Michigan forward (and son of the all-time leading Iowa scorer) Roy Marble Jr. unofficially visited Iowa City this week, and walked away with a scholarship offer.  Marble has offers from Detroit, Providence (yeah, with that guy), and Buffalo, and interest from Michigan and MSU.  Marble Sr. indicated he's hoping for Iowa, but the decision is firmly in his son's hands.

Missed in most of the stories from this weekend (but expertly placed at the top by John Bohnenkamp) was the Marbles' encounter with Duez Henderson during a Prime Time League game:

Duez Henderson was lining up as a Prime Time League teammate was getting ready to shoot free throws.

Henderson looked at the first row of the bleachers underneath the basket and saw the man who is Iowa’s all-time leading scorer.

Henderson, a former Hawkeye, nodded, then glanced over at the man’s son.

"Hey, little Roy," he said, winking and smiling. "Hope to see you here soon."

Roy Marble Jr., grinned. So did his father.

The lesson: Duez Henderson is, was, and always will be cooler than any of us.

Caring is Creepy   The Harty Party reports 4-star Kansas running back Joseph Randle has Iowa on his short list and is planning a visit:

"I'll take an official visit to Iowa for sure," Randle said to GoPowercat.com, which covers Kansas State athletics.


"I want to be able to play early," Randle said. "I want to go somewhere where I can be developed as a player and I want a school with good and loyal coaches."

Randle also said he would like to attend a college that is within driving distance to his home in Kansas. He plans on making his campus visits during the football season.

Randle, who has offers from half of the Big XII among others, isn't anywhere near a decision; he's planning on taking visits during the fall.  That said, between this news and the gossip on other recruits, it looks to be a good year for recruiting.  That's the extent of my recruiting knowledge, and I feel somewhat fortunate for that.

Miscellany   The Big Ten Network is running another "Iowa Day" on Monday, with Tate to Holloway highlighting things at noon.  Maize n' Brew go after my #1 football pet peeve: Misdiagnosis of the end around.  Ron Zook, revolutionary?  And believe me: Nobody is better equipped for writing a story about a dry humping inflatable shark than Oops Pow Surprise.