Wine Online: Two Questions About Shonn Greene

Oct. 19, 2008

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IOWA CITY, Iowa – In the wake of Shonn Greene’s Herculean performance against Wisconsin, and the marvelous consistency he has shown, many Iowa fans are asking two questions:

(1) Can Greene win the Heisman Trophy, and (2) Will he forego his senior season and turn pro?

The answer to the first question is: not likely. To the second: perhaps.

Two things must happen for Greene to have a shot at the Heisman. First, he has to keep pounding out his average of 150 rushing yards per game. Second, the Hawkeyes must win their final four games.

If Iowa does finish the season at 9-3, it would probably be among the Top 15 teams in the country. But given a remaining schedule that includes unbeaten Penn State at home, plus Illinois and Minnesota on the road, that’s not likely to happen.

If the Hawkeyes were currently unbeaten — which does not stretch the imagination — an 8-0 Iowa team would be in the Top Ten and Greene would be getting all kinds of national attention. To the victor go the spoils, so with its 5-3 record, Iowa and its star running back are going largely unnoticed.

Also, Greene had no name recognition going into the season. While the same was true of Brad Banks in 2002 when he nearly won the Heisman, that Iowa team got into the national polls early and won an outright Big Ten championship. Banks and the Hawkeyes received all kinds of attention the last half of the season.

Given Greene’s amazing consistency, I would not bet against his pounding out an average of 150 yards in Iowa’s final four games. But winning all of those games is a long shot.

Another factor to consider: How will the current front-runners for the Heisman finish the season? If they and their teams stumble, and if Greene and the Hawkeyes finish strong, it is possible Iowa could have a second winner of college football’s most coveted individual trophy.

As for his future in the NFL, Greene is fortunate to have a head coach who worked in that league for many years. Not only does Kirk Ferentz know what it takes to play at that level, he is also an honest and fair man who wants what is best for his players. There is no doubt that Kirk will give Shonn the best possible counsel.

If Greene is projected as a first round draft pick and the money that goes with it, this is probably his last season in a Hawkeye uniform. On the other hand, he might choose to come back for another year and be part of an Iowa team that should be pretty good.

Ferentz and his staff have done a marvelous job of developing and preparing their players for the NFL, which currently includes 24 Hawkeyes. Greene and some of his teammates will surely be among them some day.

But Iowa has four games ahead — possibly five with a bowl berth. Let’s enjoy them, hope for the best, and let Shonn Greene determine his future at a later date.