Peterson: New Iowa State assistant coaches are looking forward to spring competition for roles
AMES – Iowa State’s new special teams coach has faith in Jace Gilbert. The new offensive line coach lifts weights right alongside the guys he coaches.
The new special teams coach also said that competition is wide open to see who attempts the first field goal in the Sept. 2 home opener against Northern Iowa. The offensive line coach said he’s looking for the meanest and nastiest players he can find.
Thursday was Jordan Langs' and Ryan Clanton’s first press conference since joining Matt Campbell’s staff, and, quite honestly, both are coaching positions that need the most attention.
Langs, the special teams/running backs coach, is Campbell’s first on-field special teams coach since he’s been Iowa State’s head coach. He’s said some schemes may change, and that includes looking into why three punts were blocked during last year's 4-8 season.
Clanton is in charge of a line that includes returning starters at every position except center. It’s also a unit that was a reason for one of the Cyclones’ worst-performing offenses in recent memory.
Here are snippets from 40 minutes with two of the newest Cyclones football staffers.
LANGS: Let’s say it’s Day One. Who’s kicking field goals?
That’s pertinent, given that Gilbert, a freshman last season, was 12-for-20 for a team that lost three games by 3 points or less.
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“We know we’ve got to play better,” Langs said. “The great thing is, the foundation is there.
“There will be competition. We believe in Jace. We think Jace is a phenomenal athlete. We think Jace, even with a few of his struggles last year − we really think highly of him. We like where (Keegan Shackford) is at, too.”
So, who’s the kicker? That might not be determined until fall, and let’s not forget that walk-on Kyle Konrardy of Dubuque Senior will join the competition in the summer.
CLANTON: What’s he looking for in an offensive lineman?
His mind immediately went to former Northern Iowa great Trevor Penning, a former NFL first-round pick from Mason City Newman High School.
“When you ask Trevor Penning about why he’s playing offensive line, you’ll figure it out really fast,” Clanton said. “He plays with bad intentions − very bad intentions. That’s him as a player. He truly defined playing to the echo of the whistle, but as soon as you got off the field, he was a great leader. He had the ability to flip it on and off.”
Clanton had two offensive linemen drafted the past two seasons at Northern Iowa – Penning and Spencer Brown. Iowa State hasn’t developed an offensive lineman good enough to be drafted since Carter Bykowski in 2013.
“It’s about the full development of the player,” Clanton said. “With those two guys, they had the frame, they’re both tough kids from the state of Iowa who we thought could fill out.”
CLANTON: Starters return at all positions, except center.
Left tackle Tyler Miller has 12 career starts, left guard Jarrod Hufford has started 21 games, right guard Darrell Simmons has 36 starts, and right tackles Jake Remsburg and Grant Treiber have combined for 22.
“Right now, we have extremely talented players,” Clanton said. “The offensive linemen we have here are experienced, and the young talent is good.”
Later, he said: “The coolest thing about this place is the people, the facilities, the nutrition – everything that surrounds this place. You have every tool to get this job done.”
So, who starts replacing Trevor Downing at center? Clanton knows the position. He’s played it. He’ll figure it out.
LANGS: The No. 1 tailback spot is open for business.
If Jirehl Brock is healthy, he’ll likely be the opening-game starter. But Campbell insinuated two weeks ago that he might be limited during spring ball. That would mean Cartevious Norton, Eli Sanders and Stanford transfer Arlen Harris should get a bulk of the repetitions.
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“I think we’re really talented,” Langs said. “We need to gain some consistency out of the room. Part of that is health, part of that is the fact that we are returning everybody, and then adding Harris as a great transfer from Stanford − we’re excited about where the trajectory lies. Those kids are very talented.”
LANGS: He’s new, yet he knows Iowa State’s running back legacy, a history that includes current NFL tailbacks Breece Hall, David Montgomery and Kene Nwangwu.
“It’s a great recruiting bit for us,” he said. “The legacy we’ve had in the running backs room – that presents a certain amount of pressure for our current guys, but it’s also why they’re here.
“You’ve got a chance to be an NFL running back – a first, second-round or third-round draft choice. To have our three starting tailbacks in the NFL right now – that’s unique, regardless of where you’re at in the power five. That’s awesome. If you’re a running back here, you’ve got a real shot at being noticed.”
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CLANTON: As for lifting in the weight room with the players he coaches...
He did that at Northern Iowa, and he plans to do it at Iowa State – when NCAA rules allow. It’s a unique concept to the hands-on approach.
“The process to developing them is more than giving them a plan and then walking away from it,” said Clanton, who is in his early 30s. “You have to, when it’s allowed, go in there and lift with them − hold them accountable to their diet and nutrition.”
He figures that if he’s preaching all the behind-the-scenes things his players should do, then he should be practicing that right along with them.
“Leading by example is huge for the players to say 'it’s not like he’s just telling me to get stronger, he’s down here lifting with me.'
“There will be a day and time when my body is completely broken, and then I’ll have to tell them stories about how much I lifted.”
Iowa State columnist Randy Peterson is in his 51st year writing sports for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at rpeterson@dmreg.com, and on Twitter @RandyPete
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State new assistant coaches welcome competition for all starting roles
