Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz confirmed Monday that junior linebacker Jacody Coleman has decided to leave the program and that junior guard Julian Vandervelde of Davenport has undergone surgery that likely will sideline him for the early part of the season.
The announcements came amid widespread speculation on Internet message boards that running back Jewel Hampton suffered a knee injury Friday during offseason workouts. There was no confirmation of the Hampton injury from Iowa officials.
Coleman, a 6-foot-3, 240-pounder from Beaumont, Texas, was projected as a possible starter at middle linebacker last season but was beaten out by Bettendorf’s Pat Angerer. He saw action in 22 games the past two years, including all 13 last fall, and collected 52 tackles in his two seasons.
He is the 10th player with remaining eligibility to leave the Iowa program since the end of last season.
Vandervelde was listed as the Hawkeyes’ starting left guard at the end of spring practice after starting the last nine games at that position last season. He also started six games at right guard in 2007 and played briefly at center in the Hawkeyes’ spring scrimmage in April.
Iowa officials did not reveal the nature of his surgery, only that the 6-3, 300-pound lineman would be “limited’’ when the season begins Sept. 5 against Northern Iowa.
“We were hopeful that Julian’s injury could be healed through normal rehab, but it became apparent surgical repair was the best path to take,’’ Ferentz said. “Julian may miss some playing time, but we are optimistic he will return to full strength very early in the season.’’
Hampton, projected to replace record-setting Shonn Greene as the Hawkeyes’ top running back this fall, was the topic of considerable discussion on Web sites the past few days, although there has been no official disclosure of any injury. He rushed for 463 yards and seven touchdowns as a freshman last fall.
Chris wrote on Jul 7, 2009 9:07 AM: