51 (?) Days Until Iowa Football: Coy Cronk

Nobody REALLY knows when the 2020 college football season will start, but BHGP is continuing its countdown based on our best estimate of when Iowa will receive it’s first kickoff to signal the beginning of the new year. Next on our countdown is a may who wore the same jersey number as legendary Iowa linebacker Fred Barr, who had 376 career tackles

and shares a name with Disney legend Kronk, a character who has the upper-body strength to be an elite pass protector but appears to have skipped leg day a time or two.

Coy Cronk - Senior

Lafayette, IN (Central Catholic)

6’5”, 315 lbs.

2020 Projection: Starting tackle/guard

Cronk was one of Iowa’s most important pickups of the off-season, a free agent with 40 career starts under his belt who is ready to be a plug-and-play addition to an offensive line that struggled at times in 2019. A four-year starter at left tackle, Cronk earned Freshman All-American honors playing for Indiana in 2016, and was named to the Outland Trophy watchlist during the preseason in 2019. Had an injury not sidelined him for the season during the fourth game of the year, Cronk might have had an opportunity to live up to these expectations.

Indiana’s loss was Iowa’s gain. The Hawkeyes’ reputation for producing NFL linemen drew Cronk into the fold as a graduate transfer, and he’ll have an opportunity to push for a starting role at either right tackle or one of the guard positions in 2020. Barring injury, Cronk’s absolute floor for the Hawkeyes is an often-used utility lineman who should see significant snaps all across the line. His ceiling: star right tackle, contender for All-Big Ten honors, and NFL draft pick. Injuries have been a limiting factor throughout Cronk’s career so there is certainly some risk that they could shorten his career in Iowa City the same way they did to another established grad transfer in James Butler. But if Cronk’s health allows him to stay on the field, he should see plenty of it in 2020.