Coming off a pretty solid 2010 recruiting class that produced several All Big Ten performers and NFL Draft picks, the 2011 group didn’t enjoy the same level of success.
Once again, attrition was a big part of the theme of this class with just over half the class developing into starters and ten players either transferring or seeing their Iowa careers end due to injury.
There were only two NFL Draft picks in this class which Rivals.com ranked as the 31st best class in the country. While the class looked good on paper 4 four star prospects leading the way, the production probably wasn’t up to the level of the initial ranking.
We look back at the 2011 recruiting class and re-rank them based on their Iowa career.
The New Jersey native committed to the Hawkeyes in the middle of January prior to signing day and settled in at linebacker. Alston played as a true freshman for his first three years was a backup at linebacker and a core special teams player. Then in his senior year he moved into the starting lineup and had 94 tackles, including 6 for a loss, 3.5 sacks, and a pair of forced fumbles. Alston was named 2nd team All Big Ten in his senior year. Rivals Re-Ranking: ***
When you talk about living up to recruiting rankings, Blythe did just that. He was a the second commit of this class for the Hawkeyes and the in-state prep standout had a great Iowa career. After redshirting, he started 9 games at guard as a redshirt freshman. Started every game at center as a sophomore, and then played center and guard as a starter as a junior. He was named 2nd team All Big Ten as a junior. In his senior year he anchored Iowa’s offensive line at center. Blythe started 49 of the 50 games he played in at Iowa. He was 2nd team All Big Ten as a senior and also earned third team All American honors. He was a 7th round pick of the Indianapolis Colts. Rivals Re-Ranking: ****
When you talk about sleepers in this class, Bullock was one of them. He was a prospect Iowa became involved with late in the process after relatively little recruiting activity. Bullock turned out to be a nice find for the Hawkeyes. He played as a true freshman at running back and also saw kick return duties. As a sophomore, he started five games and missed half the season due to injury. Played in every game as a junior with a pair of starts, rushing for 467 yards. Then as a senior, he played in ten games before seeing his season end with two games left due to injury. Rivals Re-Ranking: ***
Coming out of high school, Campbell had quite a reputation for speed as a track standout in his prep career in Florida. Campbell’s football career never really took off. After redshirting he didn’t play in his second year with the Hawkeyes and eventually he left the football field and joined the Iowa track team as a sprinter. Then he left Iowa and finished his track career at Auburn. Rivals Re-Ranking: INC
In this class, Canzeri might be the best find for the Hawkeyes. Much like Bullock, he was flying under the radar in recruiting circles and then Iowa jumped in during the month of January and he signed with the Hawkeyes. Played as a true freshman and started for Iowa in the Insight Bowl. The next spring, he tore his ACL and missed the season. Canzeri returned the next year and rushed for 481 yards as the second string tailback. The following year he started one game and played in 11, rushing for 494 yards. In his senior year, Canzeri had a very strong finish to his career. He rushed for 256 yards against Illinois and was voted third team All Big Ten as a senior. Canzeri finished his career with 2,073 career rushing yards. Rivals Re-Ranking: ***
Coe as actually at one time a four star running back commit to the Hawkeyes. But, he never made it to Iowa City. Coe landed at Iowa Western Junior College where he grew into a defensive lineman. After his time at the JUCO level, Coe signed with Iowa State, where he was then dismissed from the team. Coe then landed at Akron, where he finished his college career. Rivals Re-Ranking: **
Collins looked like a promising prospect early on. While he wasn’t heavily recruited, Collins played on special teams as true freshman. In his sophomore year, Collins had some injury issues, but played on special teams in seven games. Then the following year he was dismissed during the season due to an off the field incident. Left Iowa and went to Savannah State. Collins ended his career at Ohio University. Rivals Re-Ranking: **
What might have been is the story of Cooper. The Maryland prep was a signing day decision that went the way of the Hawkeyes. He had a pretty solid offer list and was a good get for Iowa. Cooper redshirted as a freshman and then made a pair of starts and played in 12 games the following year. Cooper then played in every game the following year as a key reserve at defensive tackle. It seemed like he might work into a starting role the following year, but his career was essentially ended after two serious knee surgeries. Rivals Re-Ranking: **
Speaking of injuries, there is the career of Jake Duzey, who basically played wide receiver as a prep standout in the state of Michigan. He filled out and Iowa made him into a very good tight end when he was healthy. Duzey redshirted and then played as a reserve in 11 games the following year. In the next two years, Duzey started 13 of 26 games and caught 55 passes for 662 yards and 5 touchdowns. Unfortunately, he was hurt in the spring before his senior year and never fully recovered, even though he did play nine games in a very limited role. Duzey was injured again during bowl prep and in his senior year. Rivals Re-Ranking: ***
One of the really good success stories when it comes to patience in this class. The Nebraska native picked the Hawkeyes in late July prior to his senior season. Four years in a row, Fisher was academic All Big Ten. After redshirting in his first year, he saw action basically on special teams the next three years. Then Fisher finally got his shot in his senior year and made the most of it. Fisher started every game at linebacker and had 116 tackles on his way to honorable mention All Big Ten honors. Rivals Re-Ranking: ***
Grant was actually the first commit for the Hawkeyes in this class and he actually enrolled early, joining the Iowa program for spring practice. He played in ten games as a true freshman and caught one pass for 12 yards. Then he left Iowa to be closer to home after his freshman year. He transferred to Boston College and then left there and concluded his college career at Framingham State. Rivals Re-Ranking: **
The Ohio prep was a late June commit to Iowa in this class. He came in and played right away as a true freshman in limited duty and had one reception during the season. His playing time continued to grow in the next two years with three starts at a junior at tight end. Then in his senior year, Hamilton started all 13 games and had 18 receptions for 175 yards and three touchdowns. Rivals Re-Ranking: ***
The JUCO transfer from Iowa Western joined the Hawkeyes for spring ball. Then he had an auto accident in April with significant injuries. He eventually left the Iowa program in December and did not continue to play college football. Rivals Re-Ranking: INC
In a class with several players with similar career profiles, Hillyer had a slow climb to increased playing time. The Texas prep redshirted as a true freshman and then started to work his way on to special teams duty, which he maintained thru much of his career. Hillyer had 12 starts in his Iowa career and caught 39 passes for 467 yards and 3 touchdowns. Rivals Re-Ranking: ***
Law was a very popular pickup for the Hawkeyes in this class among Iowa fans. The Maryland prep committed to Iowa in November and expectations were high for him coming in. He played primarily on special teams as a true freshman and then as a sophomore, he made four starts at safety. As a junior, he moved back into a special teams and reserve role at safety. Law then transferred from Iowa and landed at Towsen University. Rivals Re-Ranking: **
When Lomax committed to Iowa, he probably figured he would end up playing cornerback for four or five years. He played as a true freshman at corner and did a nice job. A shoulder injury put him on the sidelines for his second year at Iowa, but he was the starting cornerback for the first game of the following season. Then another injury occurred and Desmond King emerged. Lomax moved to safety during bowl prep and it took. He started all but one game in his final two years at safety for the Hawkeyes. Lomax finished his career with 200 tackles and a pair of interceptions. Rivals Re-Ranking: ***
When signing day for this class arrived, Lowdermilk was a last minute addition to this group. The son of a former NFL player wasn’t heavily recruited out of Ohio, but turned out to be a pretty good player for the Hawkeyes during his career. He played as a true freshman and was basically a special teams player in his first two years. Then he moved into the starting lineup at safety and finished his Hawkeye career with 191 tackles and 4 interceptions. Rivals Re-Ranking: ***
The in-state prep was the third prospect to commit in this class. The multi-sport athlete redshirted in his freshman year to adjust to college football and then played in nine games, with one start in his second year on campus. Played the next year on special teams and as a reserve tight end, primarily as a blocker. His junior year was cut short due to injury, but played in ten games, starting three, and had a pair of receptions. In his senior year, Krieger Coble started ten of Iowa’s 14 games and had 35 receptions for 405 yards and one touchdown. Rivals Re-Ranking: ***
McCall is the son of a former boxer and was a good get for the Hawkeyes in this class. He was the type of power runner that seems to do well in Iowa’s run game. He played as a true freshman and rushed for 61 yards in his first game before breaking his ankle. He returned later in the season and had four yards rushing against Purdue. He was then suspended the final two games of his freshman year and left the team that winter. Transferred to Southern Illinois where he played for two years before being dismissed from the team late in the season. Rivals Re-Ranking: **
Every class seems to have a prospect that just can’t seem to stay healthy and McMinn was that guy in this class for Iowa. The tall and skinny Illinois native redshirted in his freshman year to put on weight, The following year he missed the end of the season due to injury, but played in six games as a reserve defensive end. The next year he played in only one game and missed the rest of the season, again due to injury. In his final year before foregoing his final year, he played in a pair of games and missed much of the season due to injury. Rivals Re-Ranking: **
The big defensive end looked the part when he arrived on campus. And he was a player at a need position that seemed like he could help early on. Unfortunately, by the middle of his freshman year, Raymond left Iowa and eventually transferred to Syracuse, where he had a pretty decent career, starting seven games in his senior year. Rivals Re-Ranking: **
It was a pretty interesting recruiting battle for the Hawkeyes with Rudock. He committed during the summer and Iowa held on to him after a later run by Miami,FL to keep him close to home. Rudock redshirted as a true freshman and then served as the backup the next year and did not see action. The following year he won a three man battle for the starting QB job and threw for 2,383 yards and 18 touchdowns. The following year, Rudock once again started and threw for 2,436 yards and 16 touchdowns. In the Tax Slayer Bowl, Iowa opened up the competition at QB and shortly after the game, C.J. Beathard was named the starting QB moving forward. Rudock then opted to take a 5th year graduate transfer option and played his final year at Michigan, where he started at quarterback, throwing for 3,017 yards and 20 touchdowns. Rudock was a 6th round pick of the Detroit Lions. Rivals Re-Ranking: ***
The Texas native was recruited to Iowa to play linebacker and was at the position for his redshirt freshman year. He moved to defensive end and while appearing in the two deeps from time to time, especially later in his career, he never could break thru for significant snaps. Spears did play a bit on special teams from time to time as well and had five career tackles. Rivals Re-Ranking: **
The east coast prep was a very late add for the Hawkeyes in this class. With a need for more defensive lineman, Iowa signed Tsopanides in late June of 2011 and brought him in for fall camp. His Iowa career never took off. After redshirting he did not see action the next two years. Then in his junior year, he played in one game before leaving the program. He transferred to New Haven College where he played his senior year. Rivals Re-Ranking: **
The Illinois prep was a really important get for the Hawkeyes in this class on the offensive line. He was highly decorated coming out of high school. After redshirting as a freshman, he played in seven games and made one start the following season. As a sophomore he started every game at right guard. In his junior year he missed a couple of games due to injury, but started 10 games at right guard. Then in his senior year, Walsh really hit his stride, starting all 14 games at right guard, earning 2nd team All Big Ten and honorable mention All American honors. Rivals Re-Ranking: ****
