IOWA CITY - There is no formal process by which college football teams find their leaders.

Programs name captains every season, but most teams typically know before that where to turn for leadership on or off the field.

It starts during spring workouts, continues through summer weightlifting and carries over to the practice field in preseason camp.

While defensive tackles Mitch King and Matt Kroul fit that role for the Hawkeyes, Iowa is seeking leadership in the secondary.

With the graduation of experienced cornerbacks Charles Godfrey and Adam Shada, the Hawkeyes are banking on Harold Dalton, Bradley Fletcher and Brett Greenwood to fill the void.

"Matt and Mitch are our leaders on defense, but we need some leadership in the back end," Greenwood said.

Dalton, who started all 12 games at strong safety last year, is the vocal leader of the group. The 6-foot-1, 201-pound senior was in on 49 tackles. He is listed as a co-starter with sophomore Lance Tillison.

"We've got a lot of quiet guys on the team in the secondary that do everything by showing," Dalton said. "I'm more of a vocal guy who likes to talk and get guys going.

"Talking sometimes is a lot easier for younger guys to get motivated than showing."

Iowa, which allowed 18.8 points per game defensively last year, surrendered more than 240 yards per contest through the air in Big Ten play. The Hawkeyes did come away with 14 interceptions, but Godfrey and linebacker Mike Humpal - who both graduated - combined for eight of those.

"We need more out of our safeties," defensive backs coach Phil Parker said. "We need to make bigger plays, be more physical back there.

"We've got to be mentally tough and physically tough."

Greenwood is just a sophomore, but he could be considered the "quarterback" of the secondary. The free safety began last year as a backup before starting the final seven games after Devan Moylan was sidelined with an injury.

Greenwood was productive, finishing the year with 45 tackles, seven pass break-ups and a pair of interceptions.

"Brett understands our defense probably better than anybody," Parker said. "He can make calls, and he's got a great instinct for the game. He's a step faster now in recognizing and seeing things happen.

"He's very much like Sean Considine and Derek Pagel were back there."

Greenwood, quiet by nature, relishes the challenge of providing leadership.

"It's a big change from last year, but you have to embrace it," he said. "I'm getting a lot of reps and seeing a lot of stuff, but I have to help the younger guys, too."

In terms of replacing Godfrey and Shada at cornerback, Fletcher is penciled in as a starter at left cornerback. The 6-2, 200-pound senior started three games last season, and Dalton calls him "the fastest player on the roster."

"He's a big, strong kid that was very productive for us the last five or six games," Parker said. "He's got a chance to be a better football player than he was at the end of last year.

"The obvious improvement he needs to make is judging the deep ball, but he's really worked hard."

Drew Gardner is listed No. 1 at right cornerback, but sophomores Jordan Bernstine and Amari Spivey are expected to push Gardner. Spivey started his career at Iowa before leaving for academic reasons. He registered seven interceptions at Iowa Central last fall and was named an all-American.

"Amari is a good athlete," Parker said. "Athletically, he's matured a little bit and ready to go."

Bernstine missed spring drills because of shoulder surgery last February and has been slowed by a hamstring injury this fall.

"He's unlimited potential-wise," Parker said. "Now, it's understanding what the offenses are trying to do and what we're trying to do on defense. He's grown up and understands he can play here."

Dalton believes the secondary can be a bright spot for the Hawkeyes, who are coming off a 6-6 season.

"A lot of people take us lightly, and that's a bad thing to think," Dalton said. "We've got a lot of guys that are able to play. We're very good, very confident."

Contact Matt Coss at (319) 291-1468 or matt.coss@wcfcourier.com