(thegazette.com)
In my opinion, Clayborn was the best Ferentz Era Defensive Lineman for the Hawkeyes. There have been a lot of very good defensive linemen over the years but none were as dominating and productive as Clayborn. The St. Louis native joined Iowa as a four star recruit and he proved he was no bust. If it was not for a bit of a disappointing senior season, Clayborn probably would have been ranked higher.
Despite being a 4 star recruit, Clayborn redshirted as a true freshman due to Iowa having veteran defensive linemen. As a redshirt freshman, Clayborn along with fellow freshman Christian Ballard, was second team the whole year. However, Clayborn brought productivity and excitement off the bench. He ended up finishing with 2.5 tackles for loss and 2 sacks. As a sophomore, Clayborn became a starter and started making a name for himself. He ended up with 8 tackles for loss and 2 sacks. His junior year was one of the best years by any Hawkeye, on offense or defense. Part of an imposing defensive line which included Ballard, Karl Klug, and Broderick Binns, Clayborn ended the season with 11.5 sacks and 20 tackles for loss. He also had a key punt block and interception for a touch down against Penn State. He finished the season as First Team All Big Ten and Honorable Mention All-American in 2009. He was also named Defensive Player of the Year by College Football Academy Awards. He also was named the MVP of the 2010 Orange Bowl, after recording 9 tackles and 2 sacks. Many people thought he would go pro as a junior as he was projected as a top 10 draft pick. However, Clayborn stayed for his senior year. Now, some people consider his senior year a disappointment. It was nowhere as productive as his junior year, as he just finished with 3.5 sacks. However, he did face more double teaming from fullbacks and tight ends. He also battled an injury thanks to a chop block by Wisconsin. Iowa also had lot of injuries and inexperience at linebacker that year which I am sure was part of it. Despite a decrease in stats, he still was First Team All-American and All Big Ten.
Clayborn finished his career with 192 tackles, 37.5 tackles for loss and 19 sacks. After his graduation, Clayborn was a first round draft pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He had a very nice rookie season with 7.5 sacks. Despite some feeling disappointed by his senior year, there is no doubt few Iowa players have had better careers than Clayborn.
4. WR-Marvin McNutt: 2008-2011
4. WR-Marvin McNutt: 2008-2011
(hawkcentral.com)
I have noticed that many players in my list started their careers at a different position. McNutt, a native of St. Louis, started his Hawkeye career as a quarterback. After his redshirt freshman year, the 6'4 McNutt moved to WR which seemed to work out for everyone except for Big Ten defenses. He ended his career as statistically speaking, the best Wide Receiver in Iowa Hawkeye history and maybe the best overall?
After redshirting in 2007, McNutt was the team's third string quarterback. He played in a couple of games and completed one pass. However, going into his sophomre year he moved to wide receiver and I remember the coaches talking about and raving about him. He became a key player right away and even started 5 games. He finished the year with 34 receptions for 674 yards. He also scored a team high 8 receiving touch downs. Two of his touchdowns including the thrilling last minute TD catch against Michigan State and a 92 yard TD against Indiana. He actually got some notice nationally already as Pro Football Weekly named him Honorable Mention All-American. As a junior, McNutt became a full time starter and led the team in receptions(53) and yards(861). He also once again scored 8 touch downs, which was second on the team. He ended up earning 2nd team All Big Ten honors. Even though McNutt had better stats, senior DJK was awarded First Team All Big Ten. As a senior, without DJK lining up on the other side and Rick Stanzi throwing to him, McNutt had his best season. He ended up catching 82 passes for 1,315 yards and scoring 12 touchdowns. The 82 receptions ties the school record and the 1,315 yards broke the school record. McNutt also led the Big Ten in receiving yards per game(101.2). He was named Big Ten Wide Receiver of the Year, First Team All Big Ten, and Third Team All-American by Phil Steele.
That was quite a career for a kid that came in as a quarterback. McNutt became the school's all time leader in receiving yards(2,861) and receiving touchdowns(28). Iowa has had few, if any, wide receivers with his size and skills. He was never the fastest wide receiver in the country, but few were better or more productive during his sophomore, junior, and senior years. McNutt, by all accounts, was also a great leader off the field and was a great representative of Hawkeye Nation. McNutt is now a member of the Philadelphia Eagles as he was drafted in the fifth round of the 2012 draft.
3. LB-Chad Greenway: 2002-2005
(espn.go.com)
(inforum.com)
Since this is my blog, I had to show a picture of Greenway as a Hawkeye and a Viking. Greenway is probably the best ex-Hawkeye to play for the Purple since Paul Krause. Sometimes it is easy to forget were Greenway started. The pride of Mt. Vernon, South Dakota, Greenway was not heavily recruited after playing 9 man football. Greenway overcame injuries early in his career to become the best WILL at Iowa in my memory and another Iowa Hawkeye to become a NFL First Round Pick.
After redshirting in 2001, Greenway hurt his knee at the beginning of the 2002 season. He did come back and ended up playing as a backup. He ended up finishing the season with 15 tackles. As a sophomore, Greenway moved into the starting lineup along with fellow sophomore Abdul Hodge and neither one ever looked back. As a sophomore, Greenway totaled 132 tackles, 13 tackles for loss and 2 sacks. He was named Second Team All Big Ten as a sophomore. As a junior, Greenway recorded 113 tackles with 8 tackles for loss. He also recorded 3 sacks and 3 interceptions. Greenway was named First Team All Big Ten, First Team All-American by Pro Football Weekly, and 2nd Team All-American by CNNSI.com. Another thing that made Greenway so special was he was also a key player on special teams. He was named the Special Teams Player of the Year. Greenway had another great year for his senior year, recording a career high 156 tackles and 10 tackles for loss. He ranked 1st in the Big Ten with 14.0 tackles per game. He was once again First Team All Big Ten and Second Team All-American.
Chad Greenway finished his career with 416 tackles. That is good for fifth all time. He recorded 10 tackles or more in a game 25 times. Greenway was as fast as a linebacker as the Hawkeyes have had. His speed helped in protecting the outside run. As I mentioned, Greenway was a first round pick for the Minnesota Vikings in 2006. Unfortunately, he tore his ACL on the opening kickoff of the first preseason game and missed his first season. Greenway came back and has had a very nice career ever since for the Purple. Last year he made his first Pro Bowl and signed a nice new contract. He is now considered a veteran leader for the Vikings.
2. OT-Robert Gallery: 2000-2003
(bleacherreport.com)
I think most Iowa fans agree that one of biggest keys of the Hawkeye turnaround in the early 2000's was the development of their offensive line. So many Iowa offensive linemen have been named All Big Ten, All American, or made the NFL that sometimes we take it for granted.. However the group of Gallery, Eric Steinbach, Bruce Nelson(both in my top 20), David Porter, Andy Lightfoot, and sub Ben Sobieski, is considered the best unit. Of that unit, Robert Gallery was the best. His older and younger brother both played for the Hawkeyes as punters, but Gallery was known for crushing defenders and protecting the quarterback's blind side.
Gallery was recruited as a tight end, and after redshirting in 1999, he actually started out as a tight end. As a redshirt freshman, Gallery started at tight end, and had 3 receptions for 52 yards. However, lucky for Hawkeye players and fans(but not for opponents, Iowa moved him to the right tackle before the Big Ten season started. Gallery ended up starting the last 6 games and was part of a line that helped Ladell Betts to run over 1,000 yards. As a sophmore, Gallery moved to left tackle and he was part of a line that again helped Betts achieve 1,000 yards rushing. With Gallery and company in the OL, Iowa scored 32.6 points and 393.5 yards per game. As a junior, Iowa made the Orange Bowl. They finished 8-0 in the Big Ten and 11-2 overall. Their quarterback was player of the year and runner up for the Heisman Trophy. I am guessing Banks will admit he owes a lot of that to the offensive line. Steinbach and company were all seniors, while Gallery was a junior. Gallery ended up being named first team All-American. After that year, some thought Gallery would end up going pro. However, he came back and had a phenomenal senior year. Despite losing some key players, Iowa once again had a very nice year. Gallery was a big part of that. He was named First Team All Big Ten, First Team All American, Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year, and Outland Trophy Winner.
Gallery, known for his long hair, was massive at 6'7/320 lbs. He was also a very nice athlete despite being so big. He was known for dominating players in the interior or plowing down defensive backs 20 some yards down the field. Iowa has had so many good offensive linemen under Ferentz, but none were as dominant as Gallery. Gallery was also a smart kid as he was a three time Academic All Big Ten. After graduating from Iowa, Gallery was the number two overall pick by the Oakland Raiders in the 2004 draft. He may of never been the dominant player in the pros as he was in college, but he had a very solid career. Gallery just announced his retirement last week.
1. S-Bob Sanders: 2000-2003
(thegazette.com)
(hawkeyesports.com)
It is fitting that the number one player on the list was once a lightly recruited kid out of high school, since this program has had so much success with walk-ons and little known recruits. Demond Sanders, a 5'8 safety from Erie, Pennsylvania, had few offers when Iowa offered him. When he came to Iowa, he went by Bob, and became an Iowa legend. It seems like every year there is some new hot shot safety that fans are calling, The Next Bob Sanders, but there is only one Bob Sanders. Iowa has had some good safeties since and some have gone on to the NFL, but none are close to Bob Sanders. His hard hitting, toughness, and play making helped make Iowa's Defense the "Bullies of the Big Ten".
Nicknamed "The Hitman", Bob Sanders never redshirted and started out as key contributor on special teams and key backup. However, Sanders would end up starting the last 4 games at strong safety. I remember when Sanders and another true freshman by the name of Benny Sapp moved into the starting lineup, Iowa just had a different attitude. Sapp only lasted a little longer, but for Sanders, it was beginning of a great career at Iowa. Sanders ended up with 52 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, and 1 sack as a freshman. He also had 2 forced fumbles and was named Honorable Mention All Big Ten. As a sophomore Sanders was a full time starter. He finished the season with 122 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 1 sack, and 4 interceptions. He ended up earning First Team All Big Ten Honors as a sophomore. As a junior and senior, Bob Sanders ended up being First Team All Big Ten both years. Sanders is just the 9th player from Iowa to be First Team All Big Ten for three years. As a senior, he was also named 2nd team All-American. Sanders finished his career with 348 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, 7 interceptions, and 13 forced fumbles.
While Sanders's stats are impressive, stats were never the main thing to support Sanders being number one on the list. As mentioned earlier, Sanders was the heart and soul of the "Bullies of the Big Ten". Opposing players had to always worry where "The Hitman" was lurking as he was as big of a hitter as I have seen at Iowa. He was also a nice athlete and quicker than given credit for. Many forget what an excellent special teams player Sanders was as well for Iowa. In my opinion, no player represented or personified what it means to be an Iowa Hawkeye more than Bob Sanders. At 5'8, Sanders was "pound for pound" the toughest Hawkeye ever.
In the 2004 NFL Draft, Sanders was selected in the 2nd round by the Indianapolis Colts. Not surprisingly, Sanders had a very nice career in the NFL. Legendary coach Tony Dungy nicknamed him "The Eraser" due to him correcting mistakes of teammates. In 2007, Sanders was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year, and he also won a Super Bowl for the Colts. He was known as the leader of the Colts Defense. He is also a two time Pro Bowler.
Sites I used to research the top 50:
www.hawkeyesports.com
www.hawkeyelocator.worldpress.com
www.totalfootballstats.com
www.bleacherreport.com
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