You knew it was just a matter of time before AIRBHG unleashed his holy wrath again; we just didn't quite expect him to rob from the cradle, figuratively speaking. But that's just what he did; incoming freshman running back Rodney Coe is academically ineligible and heading to Iowa Western Community College:
Per the Rivals guys, Coe indicated that he still wants to come to Iowa after his JUCO sojourn is up, but... we've seen this show before and it usually doesn't end happily where Iowa is concerned. Two years is a long time and there will be a lot of schools pursuing Coe if he performs at the level that earned him a 4* ranking in high school. Why Coe is going to a junior college rather than a prep school (something many other academically-challenged players have done, including Shonn Greene) remains a mystery.
There have been a few success stories from players who flunked out of Iowa and head to toil in the JUCO ranks -- Shonn Greene, Amari Spievey, and Clinton Solomon spring to mind. The key difference is that they spent 1-2 years at Iowa before going the JUCO route; they'd made connections with the coaches, their teammates, their fellow students, and the community. Coe has visited Iowa a few times as a high schooler and talked to a few coaches -- just a bit different. We certainly hope Coe makes it to Iowa in 2013 -- but we're not exactly holding our breath. (Coe will also have some company at the running back position at Iowa Western; former Cedar Falls Rapids Washington standout Andre Dawson is transferring away from UNI to IWCC.)
Damn you, AIRBHG.