After 59 days of deliberation Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz is finally ready to share with the world his choice to replace Norm Parker and it is Phil Parker. It is, to be sure, a big day for Iowa's reflective and purposeful coach. In all likelihood, if he has hired well, Parker will be the man that takes Ferentz and the Hawkeyes to the next level of success.

We know today is going to be more than the formal introduction of Phil Parker though. In fact that bit of news turns out to be just the tip of the iceberg, as we now know Ferentz is attempting to completely recreate his staff without bringing in more than a couple of new bodies.

To some today's announcement is likely to be viewed as if Ferentz bought a used table lamp and rearranged some furniture and is now going to try to claim a total makeover. But some might be won over, because if the sofa is comfortable and in good shape why replace it. It should be noted Ferentz is very unlikely to reference this metaphor or any other metaphor.

So what should we look and listen for today as Ferentz announces his new hire and the reorganization of his staff? Let me count the ways:

(after the jump)

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Oh, come on. You knew you were getting the job. (Credit: Gazette file photo)

Phil Parker is the defensive coordinator, Darrell Wilson makes a lateral move from linebackers to secondary, Reese Morgan somehow ended up as defensive line coach, and Jacobi's probably not wearing pants. There are still three openings on the staff, only two of those openings weren't open this time yesterday, and nobody is quite sure why just yet. We shuffle deck chairs with Morehouse, and you get to hear what happens.

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BHGPodcast 74

Lost in the hullabaloo surrounding the never-ending defensive coordinator search and the departure of Ken O'Keefe are two other openings on the Iowa staff: The defensive line coach spot vacated by Rick Kaczenski and KOK's own quaarterbacks coach spot. As Rick wrote yesterday, all indications are these two spots have been filled internally.

Defensive Line Coach: LeVar Woods

It was widely assumed that, regardless of what happened this offseason, Iowa would find a spot on the staff for administrative assistant LeVar Woods, who has been patiently waiting for a chance at a position coach position since 2008. Woods is a graduate of West Lyon High School in northwest Iowa, and played linebacker for Kirk Ferentz in his first two years at Iowa. After bouncing around the pro ranks for seven seasons, Woods returned to Iowa City to act as a non-coaching assistant, a position in which he has served during the last four years. Woods also runs an offseason football camp in northwest Iowa with other Hawkeyes from the early 2000s like Dallas Clark, Bruce Nelson and Nate Kaeding.

Woods has a story to tell: Despite being self-described as "not the most athletic kid in my class" at a small high school a stone's throw from South Dakota, Woods worked seven hours a day milking cows for a local dairy farmer, using the money earned to pay for speed & acceleration training, eventually earning him a scholarship at Iowa. His energy and work ethic are beyond reproach, his pedigree as a Ferentz player and assistant precisely what is necessary. On top of that, Woods coached defensive line during bowl preparation and has been holding himself out as defensive line coach during his first round of recruiting (the act of recruting itself being a strong indicator of the fact that the job is his). It looks like a fait accompli: LeVar Woods is the defensive line coach, and is a perfect fit for the spot.

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Hello, friends.

We're going to have a lot to discuss over the next few weeks about Iowa's next offensive coordinator. Obviously, a lot of us are salivating/masturbating over the prospect of a spread guru so that all quarters can be like the 2011 Pitt fourth quarter (because that's totally how it works), but the reality is that Ken O'Keefe's departure was hardly Kirk Ferentz's decision to make, so the notion that Ferentz would go in a decidedly different direction from a tactical standpoint probably needs a little more logical footing before it's something to seriously entertain.

Marc Morehouse over at the Gazette ran down the list of possible replacements from within, and there was this nugget about Erik Campbell buried in Lester Erb's blurb (A "Lester blerb," if you will) that I hadn't been aware of:

Lester Erb

He's been the journeyman of Ferentz's staff, starting with receivers in 2000, adding co-special teams and then moving to running backs and co-special teams.

If the hire comes from within, it's hard to say where he'd rank. Campbell has been offered a job nearly every year he's been at Iowa (Michigan came knocking when Brady Hoke took over).

Emphasis ours. So, this poses an interesting question about Campbell's desirability from outside, and one that has at least two plausible answers. And the question is this: Does Erik Campbell's status as a coveted assistant coach make him more likely to be promoted to Iowa's offensive coordinator?

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This is not hard news -- yet. What it is a rumor with a lot of smoke. The rumor in question is Ken O'Keefe leaving Iowa to become the Quarterbacks Coach for the Miami Dolphins (and new head coach Joe Philbin, who worked with O'Keefe on the Iowa staff for several years early in Ferentz's tenure).

Sayeth Morehouse:

I think KOK to the Dolphins has and or is happening. It's 5 on Friday, so you know what that means.

Um... wow.

EDIT: And confirmation from the Des Moines Register, too. It's really happening, people.

We'll have much more on this as soon as we get more information.

We entered Wednesday knowing that National Caring Is Creepy Signing Day could bring new signings to Iowa's 2012 recruiting class: Texas defensive end Aaron Curry and New Jersey wide receiver Ian Thomas were scheduled to announce their decisions Wednesday morning, with Iowa a finalist for both men. Well, neither Curry nor Thomas opted for Iowa, but Iowa added two new commitments anyway. Enter: lineman Reid Sealby out of Illinois and wide receiver George Kittle out of Oklahoma, two lightly-recruited prospects who emerged out of the blue to earn scholarship offers at the last minute.

Kittle has some definite Hawkeye bona fides: his father, Bruce Kittle, was an offensive lineman on Iowa's 1981 Rose Bowl team, and his cousin, Henry Krieger-Coble, is a current tight end at Iowa. The elder Kittle has since gotten into coaching and been an assistant under Bob Stoops at Oklahoma since 2010 (he's currently the tight ends/offensive tackles coach). The younger Kittle played wide receiver, tight end, and free safety at Norman High (His quarterback there? Zach Long, Chuck Long's son.) and his position at Iowa is also in flux. He certainly has the frame to add more mass (he's listed at 6-4, 200 lbs. and he looks almost comically skinny in several photos), which is probably why he's currently projected as a tight end or linebacker at Iowa. Rivals pegs Kittle as a 3* recruit, while Scout, ESPN, and 24/7 Sports all list him as a 2* prospect; depending on the service he also had offers from Air Force, Navy, and Weber State.

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The Hawkeyes needed immediate help on the defensive line after losing Thomas Nardo, Broderick Binns, Mike Daniels and Lebron Daniel to graduation. Despite starting three seniors along the defensive front four the line was average at best. Binns and Daniels will get a chance in the NFL and their departure leaves Iowa scary thin for 2012. The coaching staff did an excellent job on the recruiting trail hitting the Chicago area for two four-star (rated by Rivals) recruits. Don't expect these guys to start right away but after a red shirt season should compete for a spot in Iowa's two-deeps.

I'm going to look at the Youtube videos and tell you a little bit about what I like about these guys. Now, I'm not "breaking down film" because 1.) I'm not a football coach 2.) YouTube highlights aren't "film" and 3.) that's all just silly really. However, I do have a BS in Kinesiology and well, it's just discussion among us fans.

(click on the player name to review previous Caring is Creepy and YouTube videos)

Jaleel Johnson (6'2" 277)

Defensive Tackle

Lombard, Illinois

Rivals 4 *

I saw Johnson's team play live on Comcast in the Illinois state championship game. He's a big kid, definately jumped out on your screen. He may already be bigger than the 277 Rivals has for his weight. He looked closer to 300. And he looked out of shape too which is scary considering it was the last game of the season. There could have been an injury that we didn't know about that held him out of drills in practice. I don't know, but he didn't always pursue the ball which was a negative.

His technique needs work but that's something college coaches aren't concerned with. They plan to coach these guys up. The more raw the better. There's less poor technique to correct that way.

Probably the biggest positive I saw with Johnson was his pop. He really moved the guy across from him when he got his pads under his man. There was more than one play he had the center three yards in the backfield and moving backwards. That combination of his size, strength and pop could potentially make for a solid defensive tackle.

2011 outlook: Iowa's depth is a question mark at defensive tackle but I think Johnson still takes a year to learn the Iowa system. There have been message board rumors that he may still have "work to do" to get qualified. That's certainly a story to watch this Summer.

Fun Fact: Jaleel is named after Jaleel White of Family Matters fame.

Faith Ekakitie (6'2" 255)

Defensive End

Lake Forest, Illinois

Rivals 4*

Probably the biggest thing that jumps out at you on Ekakitie's YouTube's is his athleticism. He grabs a pass out of midair to make an interception from his defensive end position and shows the ability to break down and change direction in the backfield.

If you need more proof of the kid's athleticism watch him play some hoops. Both former Hawkeyes Adrian Clayborn and Christian Ballard played basketball in high school. They both could move their feet and that's probably why they are in the league.

2011 outlook: Like Johnson, expect a red shirt season to gain some weight. The Hawks need help right away but if it's from true freshmen then expect a long season.

Fun Fact: Faith found the inspiration to write his own story via his personal blog after running across Hawkeye Beat on the Twitter.

Daumantas Venckus (6'4" 220)

Defensive End

Weston, Florida

Rivals 3 *

I don't know a ton about Daumantas other than he played against some of the best competition in the country. His YouTube videos are full of impressive stats and other information like a 5.1 GPA (what?). But, that kind a thing is self-reported so, who knows.

At 6'4" he has good size to play the defensive end spot. He's reportedly already added some weight to his 220 pounds posted at Rivals. He'll have a lot of competition at that spot for playing time with Ekakitie and Ott joining him in this class.

2011 outlook: DVC will need a year or two to add some pounds to play defensive line in the Big Ten. Expect him to make a rise up the depth chart around the start of his third year on campus.

Fun Fact: Despite being a defensive linemen, Venckus idolized former Hawkeye Derrell Johnson-Koulianos. He's such big fan that he added a hyphen and another last name and is now Daumantas Venckus-Cucchiara.

Drew Ott (6'4" 235)

Defensive End

Giltner, Nebraska

Rivals 3*

Ott is no doubt the greatest football player in the history of Giltner, Nebraska. Ott, playing 8-man football, earned Parade All-America honors. Despite being projected as a defensive end, hopefully his career path is similar to the last Parade All-American Iowa pulled out of Nebraska. Seth Olsen was an all-Big Ten offensive tackle and is still bouncing around teams in the NFL.

Ott was a do everything guy at Giltner. When you're born for division one football and the rest of the field is full of 140 lber's it's not surprising you fill the stat sheet with whatever you want. Iowa's most famous 8-man footballer, Chad Greenway is in the Top 5 in the NFL in tackles. He's done quite well. Another, Tyler Blum, suffered back injuries and didn't get beyond a few snaps at Iowa.

2011 outlook: Ott will need to add some weight to play defensive line in the Big Ten. I predict a career path similar to Dominic Alvis. The prediction for both Venckus and Ott are the same. Expect them to show up in the two-deeps at the start of their third year on campus.

Fun Fact: Drew loves syllables, he really does.

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Sure, caring is creepy. That's why we generally leave it to the Rivals/Scout guys. But once their signature goes on the dotted line of an Iowa letter of intent, caring ceases to be creepy and becomes essential. So, without further ado, your objects of affection and/or scorn (sometimes both at the same time) for the next four or five years.

MAURICE (REESE) FLEMING, JR.
Defensive Back
Curie Metropolitan HS (Chicago, IL)
3* Rivals, 3* Scout, 4* ESPN, 3* 24/7 Sports

You Might Remember Him From Such Posts As: Have A Seat, Reese Fleming

Fleming was one of the earliest recruits to verbal to Iowa in this class and, in many ways, one of the most important. A knee injury robbed him of most of his senior season and may delay his on-field debut at Iowa (he tore an ACL, so when we'll see him in black and gold is TBD), but he put his time off to good use: he rehabbed like a demon and (more importantly) recruited the hell out of fellow Chicago-area kids on Iowa's behalf. We've seen this before: Jake Christensen was the Pied Piper to several Chicago-area kids in the vaunted 2005 recruiting class and Nico Law helped sway a few D.C.-area prospects Iowa's way a year ago. It's always nice to see kids who are already that invested in the Iowa program.

Fleming looks like a potential difference-maker on the field, too. He has good size, some great highlights (available at the link above or at the excellent GoHawks blog), and he plays a position (defensive back) that's far from settled right now. He could fill out and become a safety alongside Nico Law or he could develop into a cornerback and replace Micah Hyde in a year. Fleming has also talked frequently about playing both ways and while that sort of thing is basically unheard of at Iowa... it's a fun idea to ponder (especially when you see how good he looks with the ball in his hands in the highlight vids). We wish a full and speedy recovery to Fleming and look forward to seeing him on the field, hopefully sometime soon.

2012 Outlook: Redshirt if he's not fully healed; Special Teams if he's healthy

Fun Fact: While his high school's nickname was the Condors, as a long-time Spider-Man fan Fleming has always fancied himself as more of a Vulture man.

LARON TAYLOR
Linebacker
Cass Technical HS (Detroit, MI)
2* Rivals, 3* Scout, 3* ESPN, 3* 24/7 Sports

You Might Remember Him From Such Posts As: Have A Seat, Laron Taylor

Taylor is something of an oddity in this class: he might be the only linebacker in the entire crop (depending on where Nate Meier ends up), which is unusual given Iowa's predilection towards loading up on linebackers and transforming them into players at other positions if needed. But there were ten freshman or sophomore scholarship linebackers on the Iowa roster last year, so there wasn't an immense need for linebackers in this class. Taylor represents the latest in the trend of smaller, quicker linebackers that Iowa has been targeting of late (6-0, 200). Given the logjam ahead of him, he should have time to bulk up a little before he needs to see the field.

2012 Outlook: Redshirt

Fun Fact: His high school renamed itself after the ancient Greek oracle Cassandra after an earlier name in honor of the ancient Greek queen Clytemnestra proved to have a disastrous nickname.

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