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When Kirk Ferentz arrived in Iowa as the head coach, he and his staff knew he was in college football's version of Smallville. His Clark Kents were going to have to be found under the radar of major college recruiters.
His staff took nothing for granted. Tight ends could be molded into offensive linemen, and no good athlete would be neglected. As he looked around the weightroom and the field in 1999, he came to a stunning conclusion. His best athlete was an unknown 205-pounder named Dallas Clark. This Clark Kent, though, didn't have a position.
Dallas Clark caught 43 passes for 742 yards last season for Iowa.
"You talk about a kid who came out of nowhere," said Iowa strength coach Chris Doyle. "He was a 6-foot-2 high-school quarterback from a small town. He was on a horrible team but he was the best athlete in town. He was completely unrecruited. As a quarterback, he was average. But he was a great athlete."
His staff took nothing for granted. Tight ends could be molded into offensive linemen, and no good athlete would be neglected. As he looked around the weightroom and the field in 1999, he came to a stunning conclusion. His best athlete was an unknown 205-pounder named Dallas Clark. This Clark Kent, though, didn't have a position.
Dallas Clark caught 43 passes for 742 yards last season for Iowa.
"You talk about a kid who came out of nowhere," said Iowa strength coach Chris Doyle. "He was a 6-foot-2 high-school quarterback from a small town. He was on a horrible team but he was the best athlete in town. He was completely unrecruited. As a quarterback, he was average. But he was a great athlete."
