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Can Iowa bully it’s way BACK to offensive line dominance?
Mark Kallenberger- Junior
Bettendorf, Iowa (Bettendorf)
6’5”, 295 lbs
2020 Projection: Rotational Guard
Kallenberger saw spot action early in 2019 on an offensive line that was searching for at least one guard to truly standout.
That never really happened as Iowa saw five different guys start at the guard positions all season, without any one setting himself from the pack (injuries playing a factor into this as well).
Iowa’s still searching for that guy in 2020, and Kallenberger is at least near the top of the list. After helping mop up Miami The Lesser, Rutgers, Iowa State and Middle Tennessee, Kallenberger made the first start of his career against Penn State at right guard.
He went on to start there against Purdue and Northwestern, then switched over to the left side against Wisconsin. He took a seat behind Kyler Schott against Minnesota, Illinois and Nebraska, but then came back with a vengeance as he started at left guard in Iowa’s domination against USC in the Holiday Bowl.
Now, we’re looking at fight between Schott, Kallenberger, and Justin Britt for two guard spots, with probably one or two other names up for consideration there as well.
Kallenberger also has experience on the bookends, as he backed up Alaric Jackson on the blindside in 2018. His versatility and experience probably puts him at the top of the list for any holes that need plugging on the line in 2020, which means we should get used to see a lot of this guy.
A heralded recruit from Iowa’s backyard, things are poised for Kallenberger to breakout in 2020.