Caring Is Creepy 2012: Have A Seat, Jaleel Johnson
by RossWB on Jul 7, 2011 4:47 PM CDT
in Iowa Hawkeyes Football
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Additional highlights here and here.
Defensive tackles are widely considered one of the biggest white whales in recruiting: it's damn hard to find guys who have the size and talent to excel at the position. Historically, Iowa has tried to solve this particular problem by finding an undersized-but-athletic kid and letting Doyle bulk him up to deal with the pounding of Big Ten football. There have been plenty of success stories from that particular route: Jonathan Babineaux, Matt Kroul, Mitch King, and Karl Klug to name a few. Of course, the downside to that approach is that it typically takes a few years to pay off, which limits the use you can get out of a player and can create depth issues if things go awry. (See: 2005 Iowa, when a lack of other options forced Iowa to turn to King and Kroul, redshirt freshmen who were still undersized; they became very good, but they their lumps in those early years.)
So it was exciting when Iowa landed a beast like Carl Davis (6'5", 300 lbs.) two years ago or Darian Cooper (6'1", 275 lbs.) last year. Davis was a consensus 3* recruit who had offers from a good chunk of the Big Ten (Wisconsin, Michigan State, Illinois, Indiana), while Cooper was a 3-4* recruit with offers from a slew of Big Ten schools (Michigan, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Illinois), plus Florida, West Virginia, UCLA, and Georgia Tech (among others). And now this year Iowa's adding Jaleel Johnson (6'2", 277 lbs.), a Chicago-area recruit with a host of quality offers, including Michigan, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Illinois, Minnesota, Boston College, Arizona, and Tennessee. Johnson has the recruiting plaudits, too: he's a consensus 4* recruit and a top-20 position recruit from Rivals (#11 DT), Scout (#20 DT), and ESPN (#18 OG).
Based on his video highlights, Johnson has great size (duh), as well as good speed (one of the clips features him sprinting downfield on a coverage team to block guys out of their cleats) and the ability to deliver some good hits (he crushes some dudes in those clips). Having talent like that available on the defensive line is very exciting indeed. Again, Iowa's obviously done quite well with the "bulk 'em up" approach and I'm sure there will continue to be a place for guys like Klug and King in the Iowa line-up for years to come, but there's also something to be said for guys who arrive on campus with a lot of natural talent and size. On an unrelated note, it's good to see Iowa continuing to have recruiting success in the Chicago area -- Chicago is too close to Iowa City and has too much talent for Iowa not to make it a priority recruiting territory.
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It will be exciting to see what this young man can do for the Hawks.
Things are looking good for Iowa.
Go Hawks!
Formerly known as SpoWAHawk
TOUCHDOWN IOWA! TOUCHDOWN IOWA! - Gary Dolphin
I LOVE IT! I LOVE IT! I LOVE IT! - Jim Zabel
It's interesting to me that most of those highlights are on offense/return teams.
Also interesting that a kid of his girth isn’t playing over the center on defense.
….I guess what I’m saying is that this is interesting.
"They're not people, James Ingram. They're Jimmy Buffett fans."
Maybe I'm wrong
but he does seem to stay a little high on defense and could probably use his hands better
"but he is a worthless man, otherwise he wouldn't be so good a piper" -Antisthenes
I agree, but I think that's pretty common for big, strong kids coming in.
The bull rush is pretty effective at the high school level when you’re an athletic 300+ pounder.
"They're not people, James Ingram. They're Jimmy Buffett fans."
by SomeJerkPoster on Jul 7, 2011 5:07 PM CDT up reply actions
*
Just noticed Jaleel is a svelte 277. Sorry, Jaleel.
"They're not people, James Ingram. They're Jimmy Buffett fans."
by SomeJerkPoster on Jul 7, 2011 5:08 PM CDT up reply actions
I think he has great hands.
Go to the army combine video that’s 1:35 long and view the last two, vs. 5-star OT Jordan Diamond and 4-star No. 1 C Evan Boehm. He almost literally breaks the back of Diamond. (starting at 1:05)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsphO_EZ7-Q&feature=player_embedded
In the past 10 years, just four team owners have not paid a luxury tax and are not on pace to pay one this year: Donald Sterling, Jerry Reinsdorf, Chris Cohen (Golden State), Bob Johnson (Charlotte).
Two owners’ teams averaged an operating income of over +$10 million per year while their teams have lost over 60% of their games: Donald Sterling and Jerry Reinsdorf.
I've seen the video and can appreciate your point
but personally I don’t put much stock into padless one-on-one drills, though hopefully these are indicative of improvements he’s made since the season.
"They're not people, James Ingram. They're Jimmy Buffett fans."
by SomeJerkPoster on Jul 7, 2011 6:06 PM CDT up reply actions
If he ever scores a TD, like Clayborn did,
be prepared for his awesome end zone dance:
We will become more intensity!!! --What Reading Rambler thinks Tom Brands should do.
Whilst screaming,
“Did I do dat?” (NSFW unless you work with HawkEye Yellow)
"They're not people, James Ingram. They're Jimmy Buffett fans."
by SomeJerkPoster on Jul 7, 2011 5:19 PM CDT up reply actions
Excellent!
We will become more intensity!!! --What Reading Rambler thinks Tom Brands should do.
by WaterlooChazz on Jul 7, 2011 5:22 PM CDT up reply actions
Better than Excellent - It's Boneriffic!
It’s okay to get a little creepy over a 4 star isn’t it?
It's so sad how a family can be torn apart by something as simple as a pack of wild dogs.
by FiveSecondRuleChef on Jul 7, 2011 6:10 PM CDT up reply actions
And me and my buddies at the bar would be all
/sorry I’ve wanted to post that for a while
Sorry if I took a simple quip that was meant as a rebuke for a single-minded poster and turned it into a completely uninteresting and inconsequential tangent.
-McCann't
by Eyeheartfreedumb on Jul 7, 2011 10:03 PM CDT up reply actions
Flight of the Concords
NOT austrailian!
"GO HAWKS!" - only cure for Hawkeye Envy
by BentNotBroken on Jul 7, 2011 11:16 PM CDT up reply actions
Yes
FOTC
Sorry if I took a simple quip that was meant as a rebuke for a single-minded poster and turned it into a completely uninteresting and inconsequential tangent.
-McCann't
by Eyeheartfreedumb on Jul 7, 2011 11:32 PM CDT up reply actions
Too many mother uckers
"GO HAWKS!" - only cure for Hawkeye Envy
by BentNotBroken on Jul 7, 2011 11:43 PM CDT up reply actions
Uckin with my shi
Sorry if I took a simple quip that was meant as a rebuke for a single-minded poster and turned it into a completely uninteresting and inconsequential tangent.
-McCann't
by Eyeheartfreedumb on Jul 7, 2011 11:49 PM CDT up reply actions
...
Hiphopopotamus vs. Rhymenoceros
They aren’t all like that, but I love when they do their rap thing.
Sorry if I took a simple quip that was meant as a rebuke for a single-minded poster and turned it into a completely uninteresting and inconsequential tangent.
-McCann't
by Eyeheartfreedumb on Jul 8, 2011 12:03 AM CDT up reply actions
My name is the
hiphopopotamus, my lyrics are bottomless…
…
…
I will haunt your dreams and eat your children.
Ain't no party like my nanna's tea party
"If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bull." - W.C. Fields
Here's a few more.
Too many Dicks on the Dance Floor
We’re Both in Love With a Sexy Lady
“Carol Brown” (Choir of Ex Girlfriends)
"West Texas seems to be full of fake boobs providing a comfortable shade for well-developed pot bellies" - Lycurgus (06/24/2011)
by BStylin Hawkye on Jul 8, 2011 8:50 AM CDT up reply actions
The R.Kelly piss-take is epic
but Sello Tape from season 1 will always be my favorite.
Less memorable than Sam Okey's Hawkeye career.
by Kyle McCann't on Jul 8, 2011 9:23 AM CDT up reply actions
Bus Driver's Song (alluded to in S2, but never performed) is my favorite.
I was extremely bitter when they set up the episode to play the song and then never actually made good on the efforts.
by The Mexican't on Jul 8, 2011 9:38 AM CDT up reply actions
Someone who knows naught about Flight of the Conchords
should surely also see this one
"If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bull." - W.C. Fields
I can't believe I had forgotten about that one.
Fantastic
"West Texas seems to be full of fake boobs providing a comfortable shade for well-developed pot bellies" - Lycurgus (06/24/2011)
by BStylin Hawkye on Jul 8, 2011 12:07 PM CDT up reply actions
The addition of space-filler DTs such as Davis, Cooper and Johnson,
and the fact James Morris will probably be a four year starter at MLB all but assures Morris will leave the U of I as the football team’s all-time leading tackler.
Thanks for the curse of injuries that will now plague Morris.
We will become more intensity!!! --What Reading Rambler thinks Tom Brands should do.
by WaterlooChazz on Jul 7, 2011 5:43 PM CDT up reply actions
I realize that living in Texas distorts my perspective, but are HS football games in Chicago generally this sparsely attended? FWIW, I only watched a couple minutes of highlights.
role players, lunchpale guys with a high motor, etc.
Sorry if I took a simple quip that was meant as a rebuke for a single-minded poster and turned it into a completely uninteresting and inconsequential tangent.
-McCann't
by Eyeheartfreedumb on Jul 7, 2011 11:33 PM CDT up reply actions
Totally disagree.
Johnson went to Montini Catholic which, like many parochial school outside of the city proper, is struggling to fill enrollment goals. There are only a handful of Catholic schools (Notre Dame, Providence, Mt. Carmel, Benet) that consistently do well in this regard; hence, small attendance in the stands since the Catholic schools largely play each other. A small student body hurts to begin with but the fact that the school is in DuPage County, which has some of the largest public schools in the state, doesn’t help the fanbase. One final (but important) note; most of the footage taped at these games comes from the home stands, which means the smaller visitor’s section (especially if the team had to travel a larger distance) isn’t always the best way to get a feel for how popular the sport is.
Less memorable than Sam Okey's Hawkeye career.
by Kyle McCann't on Jul 8, 2011 9:43 AM CDT up reply actions
I think he went to St. Joseph's in Westchester last year and transferred/is transferring to Montini this year.
St. Joe’s is famous for their basketball (I think that’s where Tony Freeman played; one of the players in the film Hoop Dreams played there; pretty sure their HS coach holds the state record for wins all-time) but I don’t recall them being known as a football power.
"They're not people, James Ingram. They're Jimmy Buffett fans."
by SomeJerkPoster on Jul 8, 2011 11:13 AM CDT up reply actions
St. Joseph's long-time coach:
Gene Pignatore. His big claim to fame used to be that he coached Isiah Thomas, but who wants to take credit for being Zeke’s mentor anymore?
We will become more intensity!!! --What Reading Rambler thinks Tom Brands should do.
by WaterlooChazz on Jul 8, 2011 11:52 AM CDT up reply actions
every kid who thinks they got the stuff
needs to watch hoops dreams,,,,
Long Live the Pellican Whore - like FOREVER
Cue up the high school dick swinging
Man, I miss spanking these guys in high school.
Also, playing in the same conference, we played almost exclusively home Saturday games…and they were as well attended as ya could have figured, but it’s no Texas. St. Joe’s is shit at football and doesn’t really have a stadium or anything, and a lot of the places they’re on the road at in this video are the same way.
Not very indicative of attendance OR quality of play from the Catholic schools — cue up JCA – Providence and we’re talking some hitting and some fans in a Texas-sized concrete stadium.
by George Washington Eagleclaw on Jul 9, 2011 4:17 PM CDT up reply actions
This guy knows what he's talking about.
"They're not people, James Ingram. They're Jimmy Buffett fans."
by SomeJerkPoster on Jul 9, 2011 11:31 PM CDT up reply actions
Believe me
there’s a reason why I didn’t forget to include Providence; they’re elite as elite gets.
Less memorable than Sam Okey's Hawkeye career.
by Kyle McCann't on Jul 10, 2011 1:32 AM CDT up reply actions
I think this is why he's heading to Montini
Since they have won the last two 5A state titles. Not sure if he’d get more exposure there and that doesn’t seem to be a problem for him (a moot point anyway). At the very least, he might get better coaching(?) and be on a team that is very good for their size school.
This does allow me to ask my niece if she has any classes with him this fall as she’ll also be a senior at Montini. Caring just got creepy by proxy.
I wonder if, being so near a big city, there is just more to do on a Friday evening.
Whereas, in Iowa, or Texas, in smaller towns, half or more of the town goes to the football game on Friday night?
We will become more intensity!!! --What Reading Rambler thinks Tom Brands should do.
by WaterlooChazz on Jul 8, 2011 12:11 AM CDT up reply actions
See above.
Just depends on the school. No, it’s not like Texas football, but games at places like Wheaton-Warrenville South, Maine South or Homewood-Flossmoor do just fine with attendance.
Less memorable than Sam Okey's Hawkeye career.
by Kyle McCann't on Jul 8, 2011 9:45 AM CDT up reply actions
One more note:
while watching that video you might notice the unusual amount of daylight for a Friday evening game. A few public schools and most Catholic schools in the Chicagoland area (weirdly) play their games Saturday mornings/afternoons. Considering how important Big Ten/Notre Dame football is to the area, that doesn’t go a long way towards improving attendance at high school games.
Less memorable than Sam Okey's Hawkeye career.
by Kyle McCann't on Jul 8, 2011 10:19 AM CDT up reply actions
Yep.
We will become more intensity!!! --What Reading Rambler thinks Tom Brands should do.
by WaterlooChazz on Jul 8, 2011 11:53 AM CDT up reply actions
when i was a kid
the suburban league
which used to be one of the premier leagues in the state
played football on saturday afternoon
after all the only college competiton
was jNW,,,,,,
Long Live the Pellican Whore - like FOREVER
Who was in that league?
Obviously, a lot of the conferences have changed over the years and this list doesn’t give the breakdowns. Through much of the 90’s the DuPage Valley (home of Chuck Long, Tony Moeaki, The Feujter, Heisman candidate Chris Brown, etc.) was the end-all, be-all in Illinois although that’s changed a bit as of late.
Less memorable than Sam Okey's Hawkeye career.
by Kyle McCann't on Jul 9, 2011 11:57 AM CDT up reply actions
I love players like King and Klug
But recruiting these types of more ready-made players on a consistent basis is what puts programs over the hump. If we ever want to take that next step, this has to happen.
They say you're a pitcher, you're sure not much of a dresser. We wear caps and sleeves on this level, son.
B-b-b-b-b-but MSU is the new elite!
All their fans said so!
I ate the blue ones ... they taste like burning.
When MSU fans were falling all over themselves on OTE comparing '10 MSU to '09 Iowa
there weren’t very many convincing comebacks for comparing MSU’s 2 losses (blowouts at full-strength) to Iowa’s (squeakers without their starting QB).
Less memorable than Sam Okey's Hawkeye career.
by Kyle McCann't on Jul 9, 2011 12:00 PM CDT up reply actions
The truly amazing comparison between the two teams going forward
is the personnel losses MSU suffered are almost identical in number and in the positions played. A lot of skill players coming back for MSU’s offense but losing 3/5 of its Oline? Boy, that doesn’t sound familiar at all. On defense: returning most of the Dline but losing two, highly proficient, multi-year starters in the LB corps plus your top corner back? Yeah, not at all like 2009 Iowa losing Angerer and Edds to graduation and Spievey to the NFL.
I ate the blue ones ... they taste like burning.
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