Transfer Spotlight – Iowa OL Coy Cronk
At CFB Saturdays we recognize that the landscape is always changing in College Football and the undeniable impact transfers have had on our beloved sport in recent history. Transfers have gone on to make College Football Playoff runs, win the Heisman, the National Championship, and become top NFL Draft Picks (Joe Burrow recently accomplished all of the above). Over the next few days, we will take a look at the potential impact of top transfers in 2020 in our Transfer Spotlight Series. Today we take a look at Iowa OL Coy Cronk.
Coy Cronk – A Four Year Left Tackle
Coy Cronk started his college career in 2016 and started all 13 games that season. He was named a 247sports True Freshman All-American that season and continued that momentum throughout his career. As a sophomore he started 12 games at LT and as a junior he started another 11. He entered his senior season on award watch lists and received some mid-round NFL Draft projections.
In his final season Cronk was injured in the fourth game and was replaced by freshman Matthew Bedford who played very well. Cronk took advantage of the four game redshirt rule and preserved another season of eligibility. With the younger Bedford developing into a star (much like Cronk did as a freshman), the senior elected to enter the transfer portal.
A Good Fit within the Conference
In January Coy Cronk announced that he would be transferring to the Iowa Hawkeyes. There he would join legendary head coach Kirk Ferentz and play for a team known for producing excellent players in the trenches (#9 in our Position U rankings). With Tristan Wirfs gone to the NFL Draft (13th Overall selection) and former left tackle starter Alaric Jackson plagued by injuries throughout this past season, there was a need for a player with Cronk’s abilities.
The grad transfer will be expected to fill an immediate starting role, most likely at tackle. It should be noted, however, that the Hawkeyes are known for training their offensive linemen to play multiple positions along the offensive line. This could end up being a major benefit to Cronk who can demonstrate positional flexibility to potential NFL suitors. The move makes sense for both sides and should lead to another strong unit upfront for the Hawkeyes.
An All Around Player
In reviewing Coy Cronk’s film it quickly becomes evident that there are no glaring flaws in his game. Cronk is a well put together player with excellent size (6’5” 325) and displays good strength at the point of attack as well as with his punch in pass protection. He possesses above average flexibility and athleticism for a starting tackle at the power five level and moves with relative ease when asked to pull or get out in front of a screen. This is a player who understands how to play the game, is very competitive, and executes his assignments consistently.
The only knock on Cronk is that he is not exceptional in any particular area of his game. Yes he is above average to good at everything, but this is not a player with the upside of the best tackles in the game. This does not hurt his performance against most opponents but when facing elite pass rushers he can struggle at times.
A Key Piece to Iowa Offensive Line
Iowa returns left tackle Alaric Jackson (#7 OT) who has started 34 games at the position (ahead of even Wirfs) and been a standout. Despite his play being affected by injuries throughout the season, Jackson was still named 3rd Team All-Big Ten. Coy Cronk will likely start at right tackle, although he could face some competition from junior Mark Kallenberger who started five games at guard in 2019. Kallenberger has the ability to play tackle but we expect him to start at guard. At the other guard spot senior Cole Banwart and former walk on Kyler Schott will compete to start. Both players have starting experience and should benefit from a healthy competition. The Hawkeyes also return starting center Tyler Linderbaum (#10 G/C) who was an All-Big Ten honorable mention.
This is going to be an experienced and talented offensive line unit in 2020 and Cronk helps elevate the talent, depth, and competition to another level. It will be especially important in a transitional year at quarterback with Spencer Petras expected to take over for the graduated Nathan Stanley. Petras put up some gaudy numbers in high school (over 4,000 yards passing and 50 TDs as a senior) and will benefit from having such a strong unit protecting him and opening lanes for the running game.
The team will also return its top four receivers as well as top receiving tight end in Sam LaPorta (benefit of the doubt goes #3 TE U Rankings). This very well could be the best returning receiver group in Ferentz’ tenure. The top two running backs including sophomore Tyler Goodson also return to round out the offense.
Whether or not Petras will be up to the task of being the starter remains to be seen, but the pieces are certainly in place for him to have success. The addition of a player the caliber of Coy Cronk cannot be understated and now the Iowa offense has a chance to be pretty darn good in 2020.
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