Phil Parker assembling Iowa’s defensive line after major overhaul

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Iowa’s longtime Defensive Coordinator is no stranger to rebuilding, so replacing several starters from up front shouldn’t be a problem for the best in the business.

Fall camp is providing Phil Parker the opportunity to fill those voids, and so far everything is looking promising for his defensive line. Last year’s unit included Max Llewellyn, Aaron Graves, and Ethan Hurkett, who combined for 102 tackles and 19.5 sacks. The trio also helped the Hawkeyes finish 17th nationally in rushing defense.

Parker understands that’s a lot of experience, leadership and production to replace, but believes he has the right pieces in place for the group to keep thriving in the trenches.

“Obviously, we took some guys out of the portal, but the guys we have, I think Kenny Merriweather is kind of growing over there at defensive end,” Parker said. “Drew Campbell is another defensive end that’s really working hard there, and we got Will Hubert, so we’re kind of working on that, getting in there.”

Fall camp is not just about identifying starters to Parker, but also building depth, considering the Big Ten is extremely physical. The Hawkeyes are going to face some quality offensive lines this fall, but Parker knows the league’s style of play like the back of his hand. Having the defensive line mentally, and physically ready for the Big Ten gauntlet will be vital, and Parker has specific packages for specific defenders.

“You have to rotate at least eight to nine guys, and obviously we’re trying to figure out who the first four guys that are going to be in the lineup, and the next four,” he said. “Can they jump inside or can they jump outside, but you’d like to have 8 to 10 guys in there to rotate, and I think that’s what you need to do with defensive linemen and how fast the pace is with the offenses now.”

The main goal is to condition everyone while limiting injuries. Even the younger defenders are getting in on the action, including freshman edge rusher lose Epenesa, who looks to make an immediate impact like his older brother AJ did for Iowa nearly a decade ago.

Parker finds it beneficial that his group is also going up against one of the best offensive lines in the country everyday in practice, which includes All-American Kade Pieper. Still, Parker doesn’t let practice get too physical, knowing that he has to keep his defensive line fresh.

“We practice tackling, we try to do that every day with the fundamentals of tackling, but for a live situation, it’s very complicated in how we want to do that,” the 63-year old said. “We like to make sure that if we are doing something live, we might do it with the younger groups.”

Fall camp is concluding, and the opener against Northern Illinois is less than two weeks away, but Parker is confident that the defensive line is ahead of schedule. All of the defenders are eager to get the pads popping with someone else besides their own teammates, and Parker can’t wait to see his new squad put their fingers in the dirt and attack.

“I think we’re having really good progress.”