Take jabs at Kirk Ferentz — the head coach at Iowa — if you must.

But, Ferentz can recruit. He can also coach and develop players as well. Look at Iowa’s last few recruiting classes. It isn’t littered with five-star prospects that are naturally bound for the NFL in three years.

However, there is always quality on Ferentz’s roster. Again, he recruits well and he coaches well. If you look at most media outlet’s preseason All-America teams, you will usually find Hawkeye defensive end A.J. Epenesa.

RELATED: AP releases its preseason first and second team All-Americans for 2019

What was Epenesa rated as coming out of high school? A five-star prospect. He is the exception.

What about tight end T.J. Hockenson? The recent No. 8 overall pick in the NFL Draft? The former Hawkeye was a three-star recruit.

Again, Ferentz can spot talent at the high school level, get them to commit and then coach them up — regardless of how many stars they receive in a recruiting database. The Class of 2019 for Iowa appears to be no different.

On Tuesday, Hawkeye offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz was talking about all of the freshmen that have come in. In short, he likes them a lot:

Iowa’s Class of 2019 can be seen here. It ranks No. 41 nationally and No. 9 in the Big Ten.

But again, it isn’t about the ratings. It’s about the players themselves. If the Hawkeyes are liking where the entire class is right now, that only bodes well for the future.