LUNCH LINKS HAVE GRIT

Iowa football media day has come and gone, and as usual, nothing largely of consequence was gleaned from Kirk Ferentz or otherwise.

Naturally, recruiting came up once or twice in conversation as Iowa builds on its best recruiting class ever on paper, making first-year recruiting coordinator Kelvin Bell a popular guy among reporters, who confirmed that Iowa recruits do, in fact, have a special grit to them.

We learned Ryan Boyle is going to play receiver this season, probably, and we also heard that ...

wait for it

KICKING CONTROVERSY

Well maybe not a controversy so much as two guys with basically no experience between them battling for a position, but still. It looks like Miguel Recinos has a leg up on Mick Ellis, but I imagine all it takes is one missed extra point in practice to swing the door wide open for all other challengers. Iowa has four kickers and two punters in camp right now, which is a lot of bodies kicking the ball, and telling that the coaches might have some urgency in filling that hole on the depth chart.

NAMES IN THE PAPER

-Iowa is making more national press after getting named No. 15 in the coaches poll last week. ESPN stated Desmond King was the eighth-best player in the country in its preseason rankings. Not the eighth-best player in the B1G. Not the eighth-best DB. The No. 8 player. What a time.

-The Cleveland Plain-Dealer polled local beat reporters to rank the best players in the conference, and King ended up No. 2 on that list.

Josey Jewell landed at No. 21, while CJB got the No. 12 spot.

-CBS Sports ranked the top-25 college programs for sending players to the NFL, and what do you know, Iowa got on that list too, coming in at No. 17:

Over the last decade, only Ohio State and Penn State have produced more draft picks out of the Big Ten than Iowa. Kirk Ferentz, who is entering his 18th season as the Hawkeyes head coach, has a strong reputation in NFL circles for his ability to find, develop and groom players ready for the next level. And the 2017 class of Iowa players could be one of Ferentz's better groups of draftable prospects, led by the first-round ability of cornerback Desmond King.

Other musings

-Iowa players and coaches talk about their favorite plays from last season.

-Jonathan Parker remains in a drawer after undergoing a foot surgery that will leave him on the bench for 6-8 weeks.

-Iowa’s warpath on the recruiting trail is getting recognized nationally:

-Despite his fumbling tendencies of the past, the fact that Akrum Wadley is near the top of the depth chart may be the most telling tribute of NEW KIRK so far.

-Looks Like Marvin McNutt is starting himself a football camp.

-Kids Day at Kinnick is happening this Saturday