7 Maulers on the Offensive Line in Iowa’s C/O 2022

It’s one thing to be able to execute at the line of scrimmage with great mechanics and technique as an offensive linemen. It’s a whole different story when you can do so with unparalleled nastiness and brutality. Check out seven of Iowa’s best and most physical blockers who maul their opponents. [player_tooltip player_id="23994" first="Liam" last="Becher"], Iowa City West, <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/11401499/5fa65b4b2aa71a09389d807a">HUDL</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/BecherLiam">Twitter</a> OT, 6’6, 310 Right off the snap, moving to the second level, pass setting, or getting out in space on a screen, Becher is a monster. Becher is very agile and athletic for his size, which makes him multidimensional as a blocker. What really stands out on film is how consistently he can take a great angle getting to a linebacker or safety on the run and lock on. He engages with noticeably excellent posture and balance, keeping his hips underneath him for explosive movements and violent strikes at all times. Against the pass rush Becher looks elite in his drive-catch as he gets to the midline of a defender and then uses his enormous frame to protect his quarterback. Whatever his assignment, Becher is likely to finish it by taking a defender to and through the turf. Benjamin Kuehnast, Humboldt, <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/11403045/5f94ac8eab9222083424e8a2">HUDL</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/Kuehnast_Ball">Twitter</a> OT, 6’7, 245 Kuehnast is a specialist at getting defensive linemen out of their gaps. He uses great initial drive through the insteps to be quick at the snap and beat defenders to the point of attack. Kuehnast’s leverage and body control is very impressive for his height and frame as he almost always influences defenders out of a position of strength. When run blocking Kuehnast impressively keeps the core and posterior chain engaged to overtake defenders and collects pancake after pancake. Kuehnast shows a lot of maturity in picking up stunts and blitzes with ease and making the defender pay with violent hands. He is an opportunistic blocker who doesn’t pass up a chance to be physical and stays locked on his blocks through the whistle. [player_tooltip player_id="23978" first="Easton" last="Eledge"], Underwood, <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/11342781/5fa9ae4b38638d16f85e8f15">HUDL</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/eje_72">Twitter</a> OT, 6’3, 295 One of the best pullers I’ve ever seen at the high school level; Eledge takes near perfect angles that result in violent collisions at the line of scrimmage and down field. Eledge is very physical out of his stance on base and down blocks. He ruthlessly creates a lot of space for ball carriers to operate and get to the second level untouched. Eledge often takes out more than one defender as he drives and finishes off his assignment and does a very fine job of combo blocking to the next level. I’m convinced Eledge is likely the hardest hitter on the offensive line in the state. Eledge maintains a dominant presence in his pass set and generates a lot of force through the turf in his drive to lock onto pass rushers quickly. [player_tooltip player_id="23952" first="Carter" last="Gorder"], Mason City, <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/11362973/5f9d94bb664cd40ba49fc831">HUDL</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/carter_gorder">Twitter</a> OT/OG, 6’4, 290 Gorder is ferocious in resetting the line of scrimmage at the snap, essentially buying his offense a couple yards right away every time they run behind him. He uses his weight and superior strength to square up his targets and drive them with ease. His inside hand placement is very technical and he constantly has his thumbs outwardly rotated. This makes it nearly impossible for a defender to recover when you factor in Gorder’s raw power. Gorder displays a canny habit of maintaining space in his pass sets and limiting immediate threats from pass rushers. He remains balanced in his set as well and those things, in combination, can really frustrate someone trying to get to the quarterback. Gorder has a high motor and finishes every play; always on the lookout to find someone to hit. [player_tooltip player_id="23943" first="Spruceton" last="Buddenhagen"], Clarke, <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/11236305/Spruceton-Buddenhagen/highlights">HUDL</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/SBuddenhagen_71">Twitter</a> OT, 6’6, 270 Hands down one of the, if not the, most complete run blockers in the state of Iowa. Buddenhagen does a lot of the little things very, very well that you don’t see on the film from most players. One thing that is very present is his spacial awareness; he doesn’t just move and drive defenders, he moves them out of the path that the ball carrier will eventually be running through. Buddenhagen is fundamentally mature in the way he is able to maintain posture and leverage as he moves his feet, keeping his core and adductors visibly engaged. Buddenhagen would be a dominant force based on size and athleticism alone, but his advanced understanding of the position makes him truly elite. He is a swiss army knife across the offensive line and takes snaps wherever he will be able to have the greatest impact on a play. This may give a defense keys to be mindful of, but he really is so good that it doesn’t matter if they know what is coming. The way Buddenhagen accelerates and recruits power at the point of attack is a spectacle. [player_tooltip player_id="99893" first="Joe" last="Turner"], Davenport Assumption, <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/11577671/5f8861498cdee8151477b50c">HUDL</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/Joe_Show73">Twitter</a> OT/C, 6’5, 285 Don’t be surprised to see Turner look for more than one person to hit on as many downs as possible. Turner has impressive stance mechanics that help him get a jump on defenders and open up a lot of space for his offense to operate. He has a very loud and noticeable presence and operates most impactfully in the trenches; the intensity and enthusiasm he plays with is all over his film. Turner is relentless and persistent with his hands and feet, not only using his body to get in front of defenders, but actively punishing them throughout the process. Turner consistently finishes his blocks by snapping his hips through when he has completely taken leverage away from a defender and has them on their heels. Turner has a nice jump set in big on big protection and moves very well as he picks up defenders in zone protections. [player_tooltip player_id="99895" first="Ostyn" last="Friday"], Iowa City, <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/11348088/Ostyn-Friday">HUDL</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/OstynFriday">Twitter</a> G, 6’2, 260 Friday is an absolute bruiser of a guard that moves very well and very fast. Watching him climb or combo to a linebacker on perfect angles is very impressive and he appears to get there while the backers are still making their reads. It isn’t often that an offensive linemen can be that effective in space, but Friday makes it look easy. The collisions are concise and violent; defenders don’t appear to be able to process what just happened to them. Friday isn’t just quick; he enhances his natural abilities with good technique. His stance mechanics are on point and this allows him to move quickly into his steps and recruit a lot of power from his whole body. Friday is also very active in pass protection and it is especially fun to watch him against odd fronts. If there is no immediate threat he does a great job of helping the center or tackle next to him and lays out pass rushers.