As the Iowa Football team has proved over the years with their mantra of "Next Man In", no one player is indispensable. However, some players certainly have a greater impact on the game than others. With that in mind, we take a look at the ten most important Hawkeye players in 2012.

The idea behind this is not to say any other players aren't important, but if one piece of the puzzle were lost, then the impact could be greater. In defining the ten most important players in 2012, we do so with the following criteria in mind: overall ability, leadership, and the depth chart. What that means is if this player were out of the lineup, the impact felt would be larger.

With that criterion in mind, we take a look at the Ten Most Important Hawkeyes heading into the 2012 season.

1. James Vandenberg - On the offensive side of the football, no position is as important as quarterback. It's where the offense starts and without good play under center, a team's fortunes will likely sink. James Vandenberg heads into the 2012 season as the heavy favorite to start at quarterback. Let's be honest, if anyone beats out Vandenberg, who has one year of experience as a starter under his belt, then either someone really came along quickly or Vandenberg fell apart. No other quarterback on the Iowa roster has thrown a pass and that alone makes the Keokuk native the most important Hawkeye player headed into the 2012 season.



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