Top two-star recruits of the Ferentz era
A big part of Kirk Ferentz's legacy at Iowa, and the secret to his success, has been the development of underrated prospects into All-Big Ten performers and NFL Draft picks.
In this "Ferentz at 20" feature, we take a look back at the best two-star prospects that Iowa has signed during Ferentz's tenure and the success that they achieved on the field.
For the purposes of this article, we are looking at scholarship recruits only. We will be doing a separate feature on the top walk-ons of the Ferentz era. With that in mind, let's dive in.
While Bob Sanders pre-dates the current version of Rivals, he was a two-star on the previous site as a lightly recruited defensive back out of Erie, PA in 2000. It was Kirk Ferentz's mentor, Joe Moore, that reached out to his former pupil and recommended the Hawkeyes offer, saying Sanders could help them on special teams if nothing else. Sanders, of course, did that and a whole lot more during his time at Iowa, earning first team All-Big Ten honors three times. After college, Sanders was a second round pick by the Indianapolis Colts in the 2004 NFL Draft. There, he won a Super Bowl and was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2007.
A lightly recruited 225-pound in-state tight end in the Class of 1999, Robert Gallery grew into a 320-pound All-American offensive lineman at Iowa. Like Sanders, Gallery played a key role in Iowa's turnaround early on in the Ferentz era, holding down the left tackle position and setting the tone upfront on offense. A two-time first team All-Big Ten selection, Gallery won the Outland Trophy as the nation's top lineman and was a consensus first team All-American as a senior in 2003. In the 2004 NFL Draft, the Oakland Raiders selected the Masonville native in the first round at No. 2 overall, the highest draft pick of the Ferentz era.
On the advice of Reese Morgan, Kirk Ferentz offered a late scholarship to Josey Jewell in 2013 when his other options were UNI and Luther at the time. Jewell quickly proved it was worth the risk as he worked his way into the lineup at middle linebacker as a redshirt freshman and never looked back, finishing his career with 43 starts and his portrait on the wall as a first team consensus All-American in 2017. Jewell is also the only player in the Ferentz era to be voted a three-time team captain. This past spring, the Denver Broncos selected the Decorah native in the fourth round of the NFL Draft.
Chad Greenway pre-dates the current version of Rivals, but was a two-star prospect on the previous site coming out of South Dakota in the Class of 2001. Greenway, who played 9-man football in high school, was a quarterback and defensive back that developed into a linebacker in college and finished as a three-year starter for the Hawkeyes, earning first team All-Big Ten honors and second team All-American honors twice in his career. After college, Greenway was a first round pick by the Vikings in in the 2006 NFL Draft, the No. 17 overall selection, and enjoyed an 11-year career in the league, all with Minnesota.
Originally a two-star running back out of New Jersey in the Class of 2004, Shonn Greene picked Iowa over offers from Rutgers, Wisconsin, Clemson, Tennessee, Minnesota, and Syracuse. Academic issues led to a year at prep school before he ever arrived in Iowa City and later a year at junior college in the middle of his career, but it all paid off in 2008 with Greene winning the Doak Walker Award and being named a consensus first team All-American. After rushing for 1,850 yards and 20 touchdowns that season, Greene left Iowa a year early and was a third round pick in the 2009 NFL Draft by the New York Jets.
A hometown recruit, Nate Kaeding came to Iowa as a two-star kicker in the Class of 2000, which was before the current version of Rivals was around. Kaeding came in and quickly took hold of the placekicking job for the next four years, breaking all of the school records along the way. In 2002, he won the Lou Groza Award and received several All-American honors, and then as a senior in 2003 he was named a consensus first team All-American. After college, Kaeding was a third round pick by the Chargers in the 2014 NFL Draft and enjoyed a nine-year career in San Diego, including two selections to the Pro Bowl.
A two-star prospect coming out of the Dallas area in 2014, Josh Jackson chose Iowa over scholarship offers from Nevada, Colorado State, and New Mexico State. After bouncing around between cornerback and wide receiver early on in his college career, Jackson found a home on defense and got his first start in Iowa's bowl game to end the 2016 season. Then in 2017, Jackson's career took off like a rocket as he led the nation with eight interceptions, tying a school record at Iowa. Following the season, he earned consensus first team All-American honors and was a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award. In April, the Green Bay Packers selected Jackson in the second round of the NFL Draft with the No. 45 pick overall.
Jonathan Babineaux is another player that pre-dates the current version of Rivals, but he was a lightly recruited two-star fullback out of Port Arthur, TX in the Class of 2000 for the Hawkeyes. At 6-foot-2 and 235 pounds, Babineaux actually played fullback for a year at Iowa before moving to the defensive line where he quickly found a home first at defensive end and then at defensive tackle. As a senior in 2004, Babineaux earned first team All-Big Ten honors and was selected by the Falcons in the second round of the 2005 NFL Draft and played in the league for 12 years, all with Atlanta.
A high school quarterback, Micah Hyde was under recruited despite having an older brother at Michigan State, and committed to Iowa over MAC offers in late January of 2009. Once at Iowa, Hyde in the ground running, playing as a true freshman and developing into a three-year starter for the Hawkeyes. As a senior in 2012, he earned first team All-Big Ten honors. After college, Hyde was selected in the fifth round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers. This past season, he earned Pro Bowl honors as a member of the Buffalo Bills.
Coming out of Erie, PA in 2002, two-star cornerback Jovon Johnson only had offers from Iowa and Kent State, but quickly made a name for himself once he got to college. As a true freshman, Johnson found his way into the lineup for the Hawkeyes' during their run to the Orange Bowl in 2002 and was a mainstay all four years, earning first team All-Big Ten honors as as senior in 2005. After being cut in the NFL as an undrafted free agent, Johnson has enjoyed a standout career in the Canadian Football League and was named most outstanding defensive player of the year in 2011 for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
After receiving a late offer from the Hawkeyes, in-state tight end Brandon Myers switched his commitment from UNI to Iowa right before signing day in 2004. After taking a couple years to develop, Myers became a regular starter as a junior in 2007 and then earned first team All-Big Ten honors as a senior in 2008. In the 2009 NFL Draft, Myers was a sixth round pick by the Oakland Raiders and played in the league for eight years after college.
A two-star prospect out of Connecticut in 2006, Amari Spievey chose Iowa over Wisconsin and Rutgers. In college, he had to leave Iowa City for a year and go to junior college to straighten his academics out, but returned and became a two-year starter at cornerback. After earning second team All-Big Ten honors in 2008, Spievey was named first team All-Big Ten in 2009, and then left Iowa a year early to enter the NFL Draft where the Detroit Lions selected him in the third round in 2010.
Texas native Howard Hodges came into Iowa as a lightly recruited two-star linebacker in the Class of 1999, but left five years later as a first team All-Big Ten defensive end. Along the way, Hodges grew from 195 pounds to over 250 as a senior and racked up 21 career sacks, earning first team All-Big Ten honors in 2002 and second team in 2003. After college, Hodges signed with the San Diego Charges as an undrafted free agent and spent two years in the NFL.
Wrestling at 215 pounds in high school, Mike Daniels was an undersized defensive end in the Class of 2007 that grew into a defensive tackle at Iowa and ultimately a Pro Bowl caliber player in the NFL. In 2007, Daniels chose Iowa over Temple, committing just a week before signing day. In college, he emerged as a full-time starter his junior and senior year and earned second team All-Big Ten honors in 2011. In the 2012 NFL Draft, the Packers selected Daniels in the fourth round and he has blossomed in Green Bay, earning Pro Bowl honors last season.
Coming in as an undersized defensive lineman, two-star prospect Karl Klug had no other scholarship offers in high school, but developed into an all-conference performer at Iowa and has since carved out a nice career in the NFL as well. After filling out his frame, Klug started 26 consecutive games as a junior and senior for the Hawkeyes and was named second team All-Big ten in 2010. After college, Klug was selected in the fifth round by the Titans in the 2011 NFL Draft and played in Tennessee for seven years before being cut this off-season.
Following in the footsteps of high school teammate Drew Tate, Charles Godfrey committed to Iowa in the Class of 2004 over offers from Missouri and Pittsburgh. With the ability to play both cornerback and safety, Godfrey got on the field as a true freshman at Iowa and ended up with 28 career starts, mostly at corner, earning second team All-Big Ten honors as a senior in 2007. After college, Godfrey was a third round pick by the Carolina Panthers in the 2008 NFL Draft and went on to play nine years in the league.
Coming in as a tall, skinny wide receiver, Scott Chandler was a two-star prospect in 2003, choosing Iowa over SMU. By his second year in the program, Chandler had made the transition to tight end and played a key role in Iowa's run to the Capital One Bowl in 2004. In all, he finished his college career with 117 catches for 1,467 yards, the most of any tight end in the Ferentz era, and was named second team All-Big Ten as a senior in 2006. After college, Chandler was a fourth round pick by the San Diego Chargers in the 2007 NFL Draft, and enjoyed a nine-year career in the league with stops in Buffalo, New England, and Dallas.
Ohio native Anthony Hitchens was a two-star prospect without a position it seemed when he got to Iowa in 2010, playing running back and safety before ultimately finding a home at linebacker. It was a natural fit for Hitchens, as he went on to be one of the Big Ten's leading tackles during his two years as a starter at Iowa. As a senior, Hitchens earned second team All-Big Ten honors, and was a fourth round pick by the Dallas Cowboys in the 2015 NFL Draft. This off-season, he signed a new five-year, $45 million contract with the Kansas City Chiefs.
On the advice of Frank Verducci Sr., Kirk Ferentz decided to take a look at an undersized running back out of New Jersey in 2013 named Akrum Wadley. Once the Hawkeyes offered, Wadley switched his commitment from Temple to Iowa the week before signing day. In college, Wadley had his ups and downs early on, but emerged as a dynamic playmaker for the Hawkeyes, rushing for over 1,000 yards as both a junior and a senior, earning third team All-Big Ten honors this past year. After going undrafted, Wadley was signed as a free agent by the Tennessee Titans in April.
After initially committing to Bowling Green, two-star wide receiver Kevonte Martin-Manley flipped to Iowa once the Hawkeyes offered a scholarship after his senior season. Following a redshirt year, Martin-Manley was a mainstay in Iowa's receiving corps for four years, finishing as the school's all-time leader in career receptions with 174 and 13th in yards with 1,799.
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Honorable Mention: Bradley Fletcher, Adam Gettis, Clinton Solomon, Kyle Schlicher, Ryan Donahue, Jordan Canzeri, Brett Van Sloten, Mike Humpal, and Allen Reisner.
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In all, 13 two-star prospects have earned first team All-Big Ten honors under Kirk Ferentz:
Bob Sanders (x3)
Robert Gallery (x2)
Nate Kaeding (x2)
Howard Hodges
Chad Greenway (x2)
Jonathan Babineaux
Jovon Johnson
Shonn Greene
Brandon Myers
Amari Spievey
Micah Hyde
Josey Jewell
Josh Jackson
*This does not include walk-ons Dallas Clark and Bruce Nelson, who were also first team All-Big Ten selections.
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Also, 13 two-star prospects have earned second team All-Big Ten honors under Ferentz:
Clinton Solomon
Kyle Schlicher
Scott Chandler
Marcus Paschal
Charles Godfrey
Mike Humpal
Ryan Donahue
Allen Reisner
Karl Klug
Mike Daniels
Adam Gettis
Anthony Hitchens
Brett Van Sloten
*This does not include walk-ons Kevin Kasper, Derek Pagel, Grant Steen, Rob Bruggemen, Marshall Koehn, Mike Meyer, and Brett Greenwood, who were also second team All-Big Ten.