By Blake Dowson
When the Hawkeyes traveled to Tampa to play in the 2014 Outback Bowl, they ran into what turned out to be an LSU offense that was stacked full of NFL talent.
Teams playing in January bowl games will always have talent on both sides of the ball, and in most cases, numerous guys who get drafted.
But the superstar talent the Tigers possessed was, and still is, unheard of.
The fifth-year seniors on this year’s Iowa squad were freshmen for the 2014 Outback Bowl and had seats on the sidelines to watch the future NFL stars shine for LSU.
“I was a true freshman on that team, so I didn’t play at all,” LeShun Daniels Jr. said on Dec. 4. “… I remember they had all-stars on their team such as Odell Beckham, Jarvis Landry, Jeremy Hill, all those guys. They were out there making plays.”
Hill ran for 216 yards and 2 touchdowns that day. He’s starring for the Cincinnati Bengals now. His backup, Alfred Blue, also plays in the NFL.
Besides the two star receivers Beckham and Landry, offensive tackle La’el Collins played in that game.
The star power on that LSU team wasn’t unnoticed before that game, but the success those players have had at the next level has been somewhat surprising.
As Iowa heads down to Tampa to play Florida on Jan. 2, which Gator players could turn into Pro Bowlers at the next level?
Teez Tabor
Tabor, who changed his name from Jalen to Teez this season, is a sure-fire first-round pick in April, barring an injury in the bowl game or workouts leading up to the draft.
The junior cornerback outplayed teammate Vernon Hargreaves last year, who was drafted No. 11 in last year’s draft.
Tabor has a unique combination of size and speed that allows him to play both inside and out.
Iowa quarterback C.J. Beathard said he watched the Gators play in the SEC Championship, and the defense impressed him.
“They have a good defense,” he said. “I wasn’t really watching them and studying them, per se, thinking that we’d be playing them, but I know they have two good corners.”
Caleb Brantley
As loaded as LSU was on the offensive side in 2014, the Gators have much of their future NFL talent on the defensive side.
Brantley is one of those guys. He started 10 games for Florida this season, totaling 28 tackles, with 8.5 of those coming for a loss. At defensive tackle, he also earned a sack and a half.
At 6-2, 300 pounds, Brantley is pretty quick on his feet as well.
Jarrad Davis
Scouts Inc. has Davis rated as the No. 13 prospect in the 2017 NFL Draft. He has all of the physical attributes professional teams look for in an outside linebacker, but he has been inconsistent on the field at times.
Davis has more speed than just about any other linebacker in the draft, and he covers sideline to sideline like a professional already.
Marcus Maye
Maye is the fourth and final Gator in Scouts Inc.’s top-30, coming in at No. 28 (Brantley is No. 14, Tabor is No. 16).
He is the third-rated safety in the coming draft class because of how well-rounded he is on the field.
“I know they’ve got good players. I know they’re very well-coached. They’ve got a good staff,” Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said. “Hard pressed, probably, to find a Florida team that wasn’t talented, at least recent memory, and the two teams we’ve played in that bowl have been really good.”
