On Iowa with Marc Morehouse

James Morris . . .

You guys all know that Solon sophomore James Morris is in the books for the class of 2010. He's the earliest verbal for Iowa in the Kirk Ferentz era.

Here are some extra quotes:

"For a lot of guys it [recruiting] ends up being a hassle. I didn’t want it to be that for me, so I figured I’d just get it out of the way early and not really have to worry about it. Just worry about being a high school kid."

"I talked with coach Ferentz and he said, 'We’ve been following you since our camp here last year. We’ve been impressed with the way you’ve handled yourself on and off the field, we’d like to extend you a scholarship offer.' That was basically it. I said, 'I’ve wanted to be a Hawkeye my whole life. I’d love to accept and commit right now.' "

Also, Morris had a few "recruiting aides" come his way. Basically, these are folks who, for a fee, will help kids through the recruiting process, stuff like exposure, highlight reels and what-not. For a fee, remember.

"That’s my word for it (recruiting aides). Guys, that say, 'Hey, we’ll market your son or daughter to a college.' We’ve been approached by some of those kinds of people. They try to give you tips. I didn’t have a whole lot of involvement with them. It’s almost like an agent for a high school kid. My whole philosophy is, if you’re good enough, they’ll find you. They (schools) want athletes with good grades and people who aren’t liabilities."

James had two As and two A-minuses last semester (or quarter). He's preparing to take the ACT this summer. (I think that's about a year earlier than most, but things might've changed in my 20-plus years since the ACTs.) No worries here. And from what I've been told by our prep guy, Jeff Dahn, who covered Solon quite a few times last fall, Morris' football is just as good.

More tomorrow.

Kirk Ferentz talks at 4.

I'll be writing quarterbacks and grayshirts.

Handicapping running back . . .

It's sort of a ridiculous notion, to try to figure out this race at running back before it even starts, but why not? Blogs are built on ridiculous notions, right?

Jeff Brinson, 5-11, 211

I have read the clips and I am a believer. I haven't seen him live, but just going by body type and stats and high school accomplishments, I think the high end here is a better Ladell Betts, a little stronger and faster but just as dependable. Iowa really needs a "money in the bank" back, like Betts and Albert Young '05 were. He had coaches bumping into each other coming in and out of his house, he said.

Thirty offers will clog a guy's living room. He runs the 4 x 100 and throws the shot and discuss. He's also an exemplary student and citizen, two huge deals with last year's headlines. He first heard from Iowa in ninth grade.

"It was a tough decision to leave home, but it was more trying to find the best balance between football and academics. Iowa had the best feel for both."

Nate Guillory, 5-9, 180

He has "Damian Sims" written all over him. Going off what Coffeyville CC coach Jeff Lieker told me, I see Guillory as a home run hitter. If he gets into space, he'll take it the distance. The red flag is that Guillory's vision hasn't been developed for a zone blocking system. CCC was a scheme school. The big adjustment for a running back is realizing the zone takes time and patience. Lieker said Guillory will have to throttle down and let the blocking come together. He also said that Guillory will have to answer the call when he's asked to receive and block.

Guillory is in class and will participate in spring practice.

Jevon Pugh, 5-10, 210

I really liked what I saw of Pugh last fall. I was double-taking the whole season, thinking I was seeing a Jermelle Lewis clone. I don't like the fact that he registered late. I know a lot of you out there don't think that item was news, but most if not all freshmen register in December. It just show some instability. Not that that's a fatal flaw. He'll be a great story if he's the guy next fall.

Jewel Hampton, 5-9, 200

He could be a Sims-type. He could also be an Albert Young. I don't know the exact measureables or body type. I think he's the hungriest on the roster. He's the one who could come in, potentially, with the biggest chip on his shoulder. His only other offer was Ball State. I think there's something to be said for the "chip" factor, something I'm sure you guys all think Iowa has sort of lost in the last two seasons.

"I couldn't believe it when I heard it (Iowa's running back situation), but when I heard it, I had to jump right on it."

I know Brinson won't have stepped foot on campus before next fall, but I also think that Albert Young would've played a lot his true freshman season if he wouldn't have suffered a broken leg in the 2003 fall camp.

Iowa finished 92nd in the nation in rush offense last season, averaging just 125.26 yards a game.

Let me know what you think.

EDIT: I'm not mentioning Shonn Greene because I have no idea if he's returning to Iowa City. Coach Ferentz can't really comment because he's a recruitable athlete. That's a no-no according to NCAA rules. If he re-enrolls in Iowa City, I believe it won't happen until next fall. I think the longer he's away, the less likely he'll return, but there's nothing solid here. I think it's safe to say that if he does return, heck yes he'll have a say in how this all shakes out.