Twitter handle: @AllenReisner

Rivals: 2 star TE
Scout: 2 star TE

Reisner came to the Hawkeye football team and worked himself onto the field as a contributor after not seeing any game time through the first four games of his Freshman season. He didn’t compile too many stats but heading into his Sophomore season he left spring practice listed at 3rd on the depth chart behind Tony Moeaki and Brandon Myers. He played sparingly but did haul in his first career touchdown against Wisconsin. His Junior season, Reisner played in every game including 3 starts along the way. When his Senior year rolled around, Allen finally had the starting job to himself and was a target that Quarterback Ricky Stanzi could rely on. He pulled in 42 receptions for 460 yards and catapulted  himself to a 2nd Team All-Big Ten recipient. When it came time for the NFL Draft, Reisner never got the call. However, once the lockout was lifted, Reisner signed a free agent contract with the Minnesota Vikings. However, when the roster was cut to 53 men, Reisner was not one of them. Instead, he signed on to the practice squad but was moved up to the active roster before the first game of the season. He remained with the team and played in each of the first four games of the season before being released by the team once again and being signed to the practice squad once again. For the Week 12 game, Reisner was activated from the Practice Squad. His 2011 stats:

Week 1 vs. San Diego Chargers: no stats
Week 2 vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: no stats
Week 3 vs. Detroit Lions: 1 tackle
Week 4 vs. Kansas City Chiefs: no stats
Week 12 vs. Atlanta Falcons: 1 reception – 5 yards
Week 13 vs. Denver Broncos: no stats
Week 14 vs. Detroit Lions: DNP
Week 15 vs. New Orleans Saints: DNP
Week 16 vs. Washington Redskins: DNP

Rivals: 2 star K
Scout: 4 star K

Donahue was a highly sought after Kicker/Punter out of Illinois. He finished his high school career with two state records for most PAT’s and for longest punt in a playoff game (90 yards). He was the conference Offensive MVP his Senior season as well as a USA Today All-American after kicking a 55 yard field goal. Despite all of those accolades, Donahue found himself with a redshirt his first year at Iowa. His Freshman season he took over punting duties as well as holding duties on place kicks. He finished the season as an Honorable Mention All-Big Ten Punter by both the coaches and media. His Sophomore season he continued all punting duties and finished the season with a 41.6 yard average. His average was good enough for 7th in the Big Ten and 35th nationally. After being named the Big Ten Special Team player of the week for his game against Minnesota, he was again named Honorable Mention All-Big Ten by the media. Junior season, Donahue’s average went down to 40.9 yards. Despite that, he was still named Honorable Mention All-Big Ten by the coaches as well as being named co-Big Ten Special Team player of the week after the Arizona game. His Senior seas0n, Donahue went into the season with a lot of expectations on his shoulders. He met those expectations by increasing his season average to 44.6 yards, with 15 of his punts going over 50 yards. His average was good for 3rd in the Big Ten and 15th nationally. He would again be named Honorable Mention All-Big Ten by both the coaches and media. He finished his Hawkeye career by handling punting duties in all 51 games. His 82 yard punt during his Freshman season is 2nd longest in school history. Despite his success, Donahue was not drafted but found his way on to the Detroit Lions roster after the lockout ended. When the rosters were set, Donahue was named the Lions Punter for the 2011 season. He was enjoying a great rookie year before he was injured in practice. The Lions Kicker, Jason Hanson, was hurt and the team was trying Donahue out as a temporary replacement. Unfortunately, he injured himself and after missing three games, the team placed him on Injured Reserve. His 2011 stats:

Week 1 vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 5 punts – 44.6 yard average; 3 inside 20; long 60 yards
Week 2 vs. Kansas City Chiefs: 5 punts – 41.0 yard average; 2 inside 20; long 51 yards
Week 3 vs. Minnesota Vikings: 7 punts – 33.6 yard average; 1 inside 20; long 52 yards
Week 4 vs. Dallas Cowboys: 6 punts – 37.3 yard average; 1 inside 20; long 56 yards
Week 5 vs. Chicago Bears: 5 punts – 32.4 yard average; 3 inside 20; long 46 yards
Week 6 vs. San Francisco 49ers: 8 punts – 43.8 yard average; long 57 yards
Week 7 vs. Atlanta Falcons: 6 punts – 43.8 yard average; 2 inside 20; long 51 yards
Week 8 vs. Denver Broncos: 7 punts – 40.6 yard average; 1 inside 20; long 52 yards
Week 9: Bye
Week 10 vs. Chicago Bears: DNP
Week 11 vs. Carolina Panthers: DNP
Week 12 vs. Green Bay Packers: DNP

Rivals: 4 star LB
Scout: 4 star LB

Hunter was a highly touted Linebacker out of Pennsylvania, garnering 2nd-Team All-American status from USA Today. However, he would join the Hawkeyes and take a redshirt to start his collegiate career off. His Freshman season though, he left Spring practice as the 2nd-Team Outside Linebacker and saw action in his very first college game. He ended up seeing action in most of the games his Freshman year but it wasn’t until his Sophomore season that he truly made an impression. He again was listed as 2nd-Team WILL Linebacker but ended up starting every game of the season and accumulated 80 tackles along the way, which was 2nd on the team. His Junior season, Hunter started all but one game, missing the Minnesota game with an injury. He again was 2nd on the team in tackles, this time picking up 89 tackles. Hunter was the focal point at Linebacker heading into his Senior season, but battled injuries on multiple occasions. He started 11 games and played in the other two while injured. He led the team with his 90 tackles and also had 2 fumble recoveries which was most on the team. He was named 2nd Team All-Big Ten by the coaches and Honorable Mention by the media. He finished his Hawkeye career ranked 20th in tackles with 269. He was not selected in the 2011 NFL Draft, but once the lockout ended, he signed with the New Orleans Saints. Unfortunately, he was placed on Injured Reserve during the first week of camp when he tore his Achilles tendon in practice.

Rivals: 3 star S
Scout: 2 star S

Tarpinian came to the Hawkeye program as the 2005 Nebraska Gatorade Player of the Year. That accolade carried no weight once he joined the program however, as he redshirted in 2006. His Freshman season, he was injured once practice started in the fall. He saw action in all but two games and was awarded the Next Man In award for Special Teams. Tarp went into his Sophomore season as a starting Linebacker after spring practice ended. Unfortunately, he was injured to start the season and missed the first four games. But, he came back and played in the rest of the games during the season. His Junior year, Tarpinian was finally healthy enough to play in every game of the season. He picked up 11 assists to go along with nine tackles. He also picked up a fumble recovery in the first game of the season. His Senior year, the injury bug came back to bite Tarpinian. He was able to make an appearance in eight games, returning to the starting lineup during the Insight Bowl. He picked up 47 tackles throughout the season and finished his career as a four-time Academic All-Big Ten selection. He went undrafted in the 2011 NFL Draft but once the lockout ended, Tarpinian signed with the New England Patriots. He made the 53 man roster after the preseason but was released on the day of their first game. He was signed to their Practice Squad a few days later. Before the Week 3 game, the Patriots cut former Hawkeye A.J. Edds and signed Tarpinian to the active roster. He ended up starting one game before being injured and placed on IR before the Week 12 game. His 2011 stats:

Week 3 vs. Buffalo Bills: no stats
Week 4 vs. Oakland Raiders: 1 tackle
Week 5 vs. New York Jets: no stats
Week 6 vs. Dallas Cowboys: 1 tackle
Week 7: Bye
Week 8 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers: no stats
Week 9 vs. New York Giants: 1 tackle
Week 10 vs. New York Jets: 4 tackles
Week 11 vs. Kansas City Chiefs: DNP

Twitter handle: @TSash

Rivals: 3 star ATH
Scout: 3 star S

Tyler Sash came to Iowa from Oskaloosa and his first year on campus decided to take his redshirt. His Freshman season coming out of spring practice, Sash was listed as the 3rd team Strong Safety but was starting by the second game of the season. Sash would pick off his first career interception against Iowa State University and that became a theme of his career with the Hawkeyes. His Freshman season, Sash had 5 interceptions, ranking first in the Big Ten with .42 per game. His Sophomore season, Sash ranked 3rd on the team with 85 tackles to go along with his 6 interceptions which led the team. He was a 1st Team All-Big Ten player and also a 3rd Team All-American after his Sophomore season including one of the more spectacular plays of the season with an 86 yard interception return that bounced around and off a couple players before he gained control and ran it back for a touchdown. In 2010, Sash was the leader of the secondary as the Junior would end up finishing 3rd on the team again in tackles with 79 and add 2 more interceptions to his total. One of the more amazing plays of the season for Sash he started, but didn’t end up finishing. After the season ended, Sash was named 1st Team All-Big Ten again and decided to skip his Senior season to enter the NFL Draft. He left Iowa with 13 career interceptions which place him 5th overall in Hawkeye history. His decision to enter the draft resulted in the New York Giants selecting him at the end of the 6th Round with the 198th pick. His 2011 stats:

Week 1 vs. Washington Redskins: 2 tackles
Week 2 vs. St. Louis Rams: No stats
Week 3 vs. Philadelphia Eagles: 1 tackle
Week 4 vs. Arizona Cardinals: 1 tackle
Week 5 vs. Seattle Seahawks: 2 tackles
Week 6 vs. Buffalo Bills: 1 tackle
Week 7: Bye
Week 8 vs. Miami Dolphins: 1 tackle
Week 9 vs. New England Patriots: 2 tackles; 1 forced fumble
Week 10 vs. San Francisco 49ers:  1 tackle
Week 11 vs. Philadelphia Eagles: 2 tackles
Week 12 vs. New Orleans Saints: no stats
Week 13 vs. Green Bay Packers: 2 tackles
Week 14 vs. Dallas Cowboys: no stats
Week 15 vs. Washington Redskins: no stats
Week 16 vs. New York Jets: 2 tackles

Twitter handle: @fail_proof

Rivals: 3 star G
Scout: 2 star OL

Vandervelde was in the national spotlight well before he stepped foot on the field at Kinnick Statdium. In 2000, he was a member of the Davenport Little League team that participated in the 2000 Little League World Series. When the time came, Vandervelde joined the Hawkeyes as an Offensive Lineman and despite redshirting his first year, ended up starting his first ever game with the Hawkeyes. He missed some games along the way due to injuries, but Julian was a constant presence on the line for his Hawkeye career. He finished his career by being recognized as a 2nd Team All-Big Ten selection his Senior season and was an Academic All-Big Ten performer all four years at Iowa while finishing with 37 starts along the Offensive Line. Vandervelde also was an operatic singer and had the privilege to sing the National Anthem prior to a visit by President Barack Obama at the University of Iowa. After his collegiate career ended, Vandervelde was selected in the 5th Round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles with the 161st pick.

Rivals: 2 star LB
Scout: 2 star LB

Klug was a recruit the Hawkeyes stole out of the state of Minnesota and when he first got to school, he spent that year using his redshirt. His Freshman year, Klug was not on the depth chart for most of the season and his only playing time came against his home state school where he picked up the first tackle of his career. In 2008, Klug would leave spring practice listed as 2nd on the depth chart and made his mark to fans by becoming the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week while compiling 9 tackles, 2 sacks and a forced fumble against Florida International. He would play in all but one game his Sophomore season and head into his Junior year as a starter along the defensive line. He would rack up 65 tackles, with 13 for a loss as well as 4 sacks and 2 forced fumbles. He was rewarded for his efforts by being recognized by the coaches as an Honorable Mention All-Big Ten player. His Senior year followed the same template and he added to his stats with 57 tackles. He had 13 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks, both of which led the team. He was named 2nd Team All-Big Ten and looked to continue his playing career, despite having what many “experts” considered to be a size problem for an NFL Defensive Lineman. But, that wasn’t enough to scare of the Tennessee Titans who picked Klug in the 5th Round with the 142nd pick overall. His 2011 stats:

Week 1 vs. Jacksonville Jaguars: 2 tackles
Week 2 vs. Baltimore Ravens: 2 tackles; 1 sack; 2 forced fumbles
Week 3 vs. Denver Broncos: no stats
Week 4 vs. Cleveland Browns: 2 tackles; 1 sack
Week 5 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers: no stats
Week 6: Bye
Week 7 vs. Houston Texans: 4 tackles
Week 8 vs. Indianapolis Colts: 2 tackles; 1 sack
Week 9 vs. Cincinnati Bengals: 1 tackle
Week 10 vs. Carolina Panthers: 2 tackles
Week 11 vs. Atlanta Falcons: 1 tackle
Week 12 vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: no stats
Week 13 vs. Buffalo Bills: 1 tackle; 1 sack
Week 14 vs. New Orleans Saints: 2 tackles; 2 sacks
Week 15 vs. Indianapolis Colts: no stats
Week 16 vs. Jacksonville Jaguars: 1 tackle; 1 sack

Rivals: 3 star QB
Scout: 2 star QB

Ricky Stanzi became not only a Hawkeye hero, but an American hero during his time at Iowa. He redshirted when he first came to Iowa City and in 2007 he played only a few snaps while listed as the co-second team backup to Jake Christensen. Then in 2008, the Stanzi era officially began. After a Quarterback battle through camp, Christensen and Stanzi continued to battle as the season began. Jake started the first game of the season with Stanzi also playing and then the rotation flip-flopped for the next game. This continued through the first four games of the season until Stanzi took control of the team and never let go. He started 11 of the team’s 13 games and finished 4th in the Big Ten in passing efficiency with a 134.8 rating. In 2009, there was no controversy heading into camp and the team went on a ride that few saw coming. Despite throwing 15 interceptions to go along with his 17 touchdowns, Stanzi led the Hawkeyes to a 9-0 start before being injured in the Northwestern game. Along the way there were exciting games and multiple come from behind wins, few more exciting than this. But, after he was hurt the Hawkeyes endured their first loss of the season with inexperienced James Vandenberg taking over. Despite a great team effort the following week in Columbus, the Hawkeyes again fell victim and with the Big Ten title on the line, lost their 2nd conference game of the season. Stanzi would heal up and make it back for the team’s bowl game, when Iowa returned to the Orange Bowl to face ACC champion Georgia Tech. The Hawkeyes were victorious and went into Stanzi’s Senior season filled with high expectations. But, it was the post-game interview on the field that put Stanzi at the head of the class as far as American pride when he answered one question. The following season, despite an outstanding statistical season for Ricky, including setting a single season Hawkeye record for passer efficiency with a rating of 157.63, the Hawkeyes didn’t quite live up to the hype and finished the season with an Insight Bowl victory over Missouri. Stanzi would finish his collegiate career with a 26-9 record, 3rd in Iowa history with 56 touchdown passes, 3rd in Iowa history with 7377 passing yards and 4th in Iowa history for completions with 542. He also became the only Hawkeye and only the third Big Ten Quarterback to start and win three bowl games. When it came time to enter the NFL Draft, Stanzi was in an absolutely loaded class for Quarterbacks and fell to the 5th Round where he was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs with the 135th pick overall. He was the Emergency Quarterback for most of the season but when the Chiefs picked up Kyle Orton as their starter, Stanzi became the back-up.

Rivals: 4 star TE
Scout: 4 star DE

Ballard came to Iowa City as a highly recruited Tight End and became one of 11 true Freshman to play right away. But, it was on the defensive side of the ball where Ballard would make his mark. Initially his playing time was sparingly but his size and presence at the Defensive End position was too hard to ignore. By his Sophomore season, Ballard was a starting End and would pick up 40 tackles over the course of the 2008 season. The next season, the Hawkeyes had a dilemma on their hand. They had too many Defensive Ends and wanted to get all of they guys on the field. So, they moved Ballard inside to the Defensive Tackle position due to his size and versatility and the move paid off. With Adrian Clayborn and Broderick Binns on the outside the inside was stacked with Ballard and Karl Klug and the Hawkeyes now had one of the best Defensive Lines in the country. Over the course of the 2009 season, Ballard accumulated 9 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks on his way to being recognized as Honorable Mention All-Big Ten. His Senior season, Ballard became a key member of the line as he was asked to play both Defensive Line and Defensive End positions due to fatigue and injury along the line, as well as the arrival of Mike Daniels. Ballard again would be recognized as Honorable Mention for Big Ten Conference play and due to his ability to play both positions, his stock in the NFL Draft began to climb. However, a failed drug test at the Combine may have caused him to slide down the board and he was picked in the 4th Round with the 106th pick overall by the Minnesota Vikings. His 2011 stats:

Week 1 vs. San Diego Chargers: no stats
Week 2 vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 1 tackle
Week 3 vs. Detroit Lions: no stats
Week 4 vs. Kansas City Chiefs: no stats
Week 5 vs. Arizona Cardinals: 1 tackle
Week 6 vs. Chicago Bears: 1 tackle
Week 7 vs. Green Bay Packers: no stats
Week 8 vs. Carolina Panthers: no stats
Week 9: Bye
Week 10 vs. Green Bay Packers: 3 tackles
Week 11 vs. Oakland Raiders: no stats
Week 12 vs. Atlanta Falcons: 1 tackle
Week 13 vs. Denver Broncos: 3 tackles
Week 14 vs. Detroit Lions: no stats
Week 15 vs. New Orleans Saints: 1 tackle
Week 16 vs. Washington Redskins: no stats

Twitter handle: @AJaClay

Rivals: 4 star DE
Scout: 4 star DE

Clayborn came to the Hawkeyes as a highly touted recruit out of St. Louis. He left the Hawkeyes as a highly touted Defensive End with pundits projecting him to be drafted in the 1st Round of the NFL Draft. Clayborn redshirted his first year on campus and when his Freshman season finally came, he played in every game, albeit not making a huge impact statistically. The next year Adrian started all but one game and was 2nd on the team with 8 tackles for loss, as well as playing a big part in the team’s upset over 3rd ranked Penn State in Kinnick Stadium. His Junior year, Clayborn put his name on the NFL radar by starting every game and contributing 20 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks and 4 forced fumbles. In the Orange Bowl against Georgia Tech, Clayborn became a household name by absolutely dominating the game with 9 solo tackles including 2 tackles for loss and 2 sacks, earning himself the MVP of the game. He was named 1st Team All-Big Ten after the season and there was a lot of speculation about whether he would leave early for the NFL Draft. He made the Iowa faithful extremely happy when he returned for his Senior year, finding himself on numerous preseason All-American lists. While becoming a focal point for opposing defenses, Clayborn led the Hawkeye defense again and was a 1st Team All-Big Ten and a consensus All-American Defensive End when the season ended. In a year that was filled with defensive talent, Clayborn was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the 20th pick of the 2011 NFL Draft. He became the first Hawkeye Defensive Lineman to be drafted in the 1st Round since 1958. His 2011 stats:

Week 1 vs. Detroit Lions: no stats
Week 2 vs. Minnesota Vikings: 2 tackles
Week 3 vs. Atlanta Falcons: 2 tackles; 1 sack; 1 forced fumble
Week 4 vs. Indianapolis Colts: 2 tackles; 1 sack
Week 5 vs. San Francisco 49ers: 2 tackles
Week 6 vs. New Orleans Saints: 2 tackles
Week 7 vs. Chicago Bears: 3 tackles; 1 sack
Week 8: Bye
Week 9 vs. New Orleans Saints: 2 tackles
Week 10 vs. Houston Texans: 4 tackles
Week 11 vs. Green Bay Packers: 2 tackles; 1 sack
Week 12 vs. Tennessee Titans: 3 tackles; 1 sack
Week 13 vs. Carolina Panthers: 5 tackles; 0.5 sack
Week 14 vs. Jacksonville Jaguars: 4 tackles; 1 sack; 1 forced fumble
Week 15 vs. Dallas Cowboys: 4 tackles; 1 sack; 1 forced fumble
Week 16 vs. Carolina Panthers: 4 tackles