The growth of the #Chaingang over the last 4 years culminated in a dominant 2022. Unfortunately, in college football, the players leave eventually and that is the case for Caleb Sanders and Reece Winkelman. However, the cupboard is far from bare with the depth that has been created in the last 4 years. Even with Sanders and Winkelman, the Jackrabbits rotated heavily in 2022. With a new defensive line coach in Jalen Bibbs, it will be interesting to see if the heavy rotation continues.
Defensive Ends
The defensive end position has plenty of guys who can step up and become THE guy. The biggest question I have about this group is who will step up in the key pressure packed moments and make play. It felt like Winkelman did this so many times throughout his career. So who’s next? #94 Cade Terveer (6-3, 255, SR) has been the fulltime starter opposite Winkelman the last two years. He is a high effort player who is great against the run and pass. He had 24 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and 5 QBH in 2022. Bibbs shared that Terveer had a terrific winter, spring, and summer and that he has all-conference potential this season. Opposite him is #48 Quinton Hicks (6-1, 260, SR) who battled through injuries in 2021 and had a really nice stretch in the middle of the season. He finished with 23 tackles, 2 sacks, a forced fumble, and 4 QHB. Quinton plays with such joy that it was fun to see him get back to that last year after getting healthy. He has upped his weight and Bibbs credits him with being a leader in the room. #53 Caden Johnson (6-3, 240, SR) plays with his hair on fire and is an awesome change of pace defensive end. He ended last year with 21 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 QBH, and 1 FF. Bibbs used the words “aggressive, powerful, nasty, and unrelenting” to describe Johnson and that sounds about right from what we have seen over the years in Caden. I’m excited to see what he will do with a few more snaps per game.
#95 Zac Wilson (6-3, 245, SR) really came on in 2023 as he earned a spot in the rotation. Wilson showed some really good burst off the LOS and Bibbs says his change of direction ability is really good. He recorded just 6 tackles but was much more active than that shows. #90 Randy Keumogne (6-3, 235, SR) has battled injuries throughout his career with the Jacks. Randy has special athleticism and tools that are hard to find. Randy will return to the lineup midway through the year according to Bibbs. Here’s hoping he becomes the pass rushing demon that I think the coaches envisioned when he signed in 2020. #57 Levi Vanden Bos (6-3, 245, So) and #58 Aidan Murphy (6-4, 230, RFr) are unknown commodities at this point but will need to continue to develop and mature because they will absolutely be needed in 2024 with so many potential graduates on this roster. Vanden Bos is a name that has come up in multiple conversations as a guy who is starting to click and who Bibbs trusts on the field to make plays.
The big addition to the group is #8 Blake Peterson (6-4, 260, SR), a transfer from Iowa State who is originally from Beresford. Peterson played in 28 games over 3 years at Iowa State and had 21 tackles and 2 sacks. Iowa State plays a 3-4 defense which relies on down linemen to eat blocks. It will be fun to see Peterson’s talents turned loose in the Jackrabbit 4-3. Bibbs says that Peterson battled through injuries this spring but he ended on high note in the spring game with a great game. He said he’s very good in the run game and has powerful hands. He has all the tools to be a difference maker! Another addition to this group is #99 Dawson Ripperda (6-4, 240, RFr) who transferred in from Northern Illinois. Ripperda was a stud in high school and recorded 138 tackles, 29.5 TFL, and had 13.5 sacks in his last two years at West Lyon High School in NW Iowa. Ripperda has very good bend, athleticism and twitch. He’ll compete to be part of the rotation this fall!
The Jacks are adding two true freshmen in #63 Nicholas Wells (6-3, 235) and #97 Reis Kirscheman (6-3, 230). These two are both high effort players who showed some that they were technically sound on their high school tape. Kirscheman participated in the All-American Bowl in December and had a really impressive showing recording a few sacks.
Defensive Tackles
Much like defensive end, I’m watching for impact plays from this group in 2023. There is plenty of quality depth but who becomes the guy? #98 Ryan Van Marel (6-4, 295, SR), #52 Jarod DePriest (6-5, 285, SR), #92 Brian Williams (6-1, 285, SR), #93 Max Baloun (6-6, 285, JR) and #55 Aaron Wolfcale-Holsten (6-1, 280, SO) all were part of the rotation last year and all had their moments. Van Marel started opposite of Sanders and had 19 tackles and 2 sacks. He is the player that I am looking at to take another jump in 2023 and truly dominate. Bibbs called Ryan “the old man in the room” and shared that he had an awesome spring. He has ecome a leaer in the room and thinks he’s in line for a great senior season. DePriest flashed last season and his hit on Missouri States QB was one of the most vicious sacks I can remember. Bibbs says DePriest wans to impose his will in the backfield and brings a nasty mindset to the field. He ended the year with 20 tackles and 2 sacks. Williams transferred in from D2 Valdosta State before last season and had really high hopes. Unfortunately, an early injury derailed much of the early part of the season. He still finished with 7 tackles in 9 games. He looks like he could be an impact player as well this fall. According to Bibbs, he brings terrific power and bend. He needs to stay healthy because he will have a huge season if he does. The biggest surprise of last season were the flashes from Max Baloun. He was a disruptive player in limited opportunities, including at Iowa, and ended the season with 7 tackles and 2 sacks. If he makes a similar jump to last years, he has All-MVFC potential. The next piece to this puzzle is Wolfcale-Holsten. He appeared in just 9 games and had 5 tackles but he was REALLY disruptive at times. I think these five will continue to form a really solid rotation for the Jackrabbits. Due injuries and rest he got plenty of snaps this spring and made the most of them. He has fluid hips and uses his hands well according to Bibbs.
At this point we don’t know a ton about #59 Grant Conaway (6-3, 270, JR), #51 Logan Green (6-3, 270, RFr) and #91 Jace Sifore (6-4, 265, RFr). Conaway transferred in from Orange Coast College before last season and was hurt in the preseason. His tape showed an explosive player. His knee injury from last year puts him on a similar timeline as Randy and he should return midseason. Green and Sifore were highly regarded recruits who spent their first year getting bigger and stronger. Bibbs shared that Logan Green is an extremely strong kid that is hard to move off the line of scrimmage. He used the phrase “run through your soul” and that got me pretty pumped for Logan’s future. Coach Rogers has also pointed him out as a player that has made a jump in an interview with Matt Zimmer. Much like the defensive end position, they will need to continue to improve and grow this year because they must be ready to contribute in 2024.
Finally, #96 Bryce Hawthorne (6-3, 245) is part of the incoming freshmen class. Hawthorne showed great quickness off the ball and plays with good leverage for a young man his size. A year in the weight room and on a college meal plan and he should turn into a monster. Bibbs is very excited about his future with the Jackrabbits and thinks he can turn in to a great one.
Again, I have no questions about the talent of this group. My biggest question is who makes the plays when the game is on the line and the quarterback must be disrupted? Who steps up and does that because we saw it from Sanders and Winkelman on a pretty consistent basis. This group can do it but I just wonder who. Should be fun to see it play out!
Go Jacks!
Matt