Key Position Battles for Hawkeyes

Iowa City from a men's coaching change and looking for the hot streak of the ladies who went two rounds in the NCAA tournament, basketball has dominated the Iowa Athletics news cycle in March.

How the Iowa football program likes. With very little fanfare, less than 24 hours after the introduction of Ben McCollum as a basketball coach of Mens, the Hawkeyes opened spring training on Wednesday.

It has been a really quiet low season, which is good, Kirk Ferentz said as he started his 27th spring as head coach of Iowas. Silence well with me.

Basketball continues to attract the most attention in the coming weeks, with transfer portal movement the most of the utmost importance. But let the spotlight move to football for a day 15 spring exercises and latest storylines.

The Hawkeyes start spring with a crowd of quarterbacks

This was the first time that Ferentz has taken over questions about Mark Gronowski, the appreciated addition from the state of South Dakota that undergone a shoulder operation in January. Gronowski will not practice this spring, but the recovery has become great, according to Ferentz.

The focus is therefore shifting to offensive coordinator Tim Lester, who has to develop and search his other QB options. That revision from 12 months ago, when Iowas were only two available Spring QB's Deacon Hill and Marco Lainez was remarkable. Even without Gronowski, who expects Iowa to be in August, there are four intriguing boys who compete this spring.

On Wednesday, Brendan Sullivan (who made three starts last season, including in the Music City Bowl) was number 1, with new Auburn Transfer Hank Brown No. 2. That was quite remarkable, given that Walk-on Jackson Stratton went 2-0 as a starter in the late seasonal victories in Maryland and US. Nebraska. Stratton and real first -year student Jimmy Sullivan are also in the mix this spring.

All four will compete to at least be the backup of Gronowski. Brown, Stratton and Sullivan must at least be the most important man in 2026. This is a huge spring for all.

The way I would formulate it, we feel that we know the most, ironically, about Mark, even though he does not practice, Ferentz said later that the QB room is in a much healthier state. I am optimistic that we now have a bit of potential when we continue and look forward to seeing where it all goes.

Gronowski, a double FCS National Champion in South Dakota State with a record of 49-6 as a starter, should quickly start throwing light.

Mark is a proven player. He did it on film, Ferentz said. Did not necessarily do it at the Big Ten level, but good players are good players in my mind.

What I am more impressed by (is) the kind of person he is and his attitude. I would call him fairly quiet, but he has humility for him and a confidence for him that is very real.

Two coaching additions shake the attack

One coaching out of season was necessarily; The other was in choice.

Let's start with Omar Young, recently added as a running coach to replace Ladell Betts, who left for an abrupt late February opportunity with the New York Giants. Young was with the New England Patriots last season and also has experience with the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers.

Ferentz actually lets Lester perform the show in the recruitment process and approved the deal. He said there were three excellent candidates, but Young stood to the top after a personal interview. Young has a good grasp on the Shanahan system, which Rent Lester to Iowa, after his time under the then supplementary coordinator Luke Getsy in Chicago.

The biggest thing for me is to get people of quality that we can imagine, just like players … very well functioning in our system, Ferentz said.

And then there is Warren Ruggiero, who earns $ 120,000 as a senior offensive analyst. Ruggiero was an accomplished offensive coordinator in Wake Forest for 11 years, with a powerful passing competition.

Ferentz gave interesting insight into the motivation for hiring backgieros: to get better with forecasts with opponents. Because Iowas three intense practices take place every week on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday morning, that Sunday of the early week is a tough lift when installing for the next opponent. Ruggiero and Lester have known each other for more than a decade and return to their time as a young offensive coordinators in the ACC (Lester was in Syracuse).

The way I imagine it is when we finish the game from yesterday on Sunday, Warren will already have a jump start on (opponent) preparation, Ferentz said. And just have some ideas and some presentation for Tim to make his process a little faster.

We felt that it was a way to perhaps improve our preparation process. He has been great. He is completely a football man.

Wide receiver is a real mystery

Ferentz noted in his opening statement that there are many wide open position fights on his selection. A later follow -up question about which fighting him most intrigued him remained unanswered.

Don't know. It's all good. It is one of the nice parts about this, Ferentz said. We will see.

Okay, let's choose one: wide receiver.

This should be a fascinating process, since Iowa has really done a good job with figures under Lester, but proven production remains elusive.

The top three on the depth map are second -year student Reece Vander Zee, Senior Seth Anderson and Senior Jacob Gill. While Gill de Hawkeyes led a year ago when receiving a year ago (35 catches, 411 Yards, two touchdowns), that was a by -product of his high snap count, partly due to injuries and he was the teams that block the best receiver. Vander Zee flashed early in the 2024 season as a real first -year student and was then injured. Anderson had a hard time staying at Iowa in two years after his switch from Charleston Southern.

The second three on the depth map are second-year Dayton Howard, Redshirt first-year student KJ Parker and sixth-year Senior Kaden Wetjen, the All-American Return specialist.

Not even on the depth map, his second -year Jarriett Buie (five start a year ago) and senior Chattanooga transfer Sam Phillips (who led the Southern Conference with 823 receiving yards in 10 games last season). Moreover, Redshirt is a second -year student Terrell Washington Jr. Now mentioned when declining, but has been an option for hybrid final receiver.

All in all, there are 12 receivers in Iowas Spring Roster of 96 total players. One of them is former Quarterback James Resar.

There is much to search this spring. That is generally a good problem to have, but Iowa really needs at least two or three boys to stand out next fall. And this spring will be a first look at seeing what is possible.

Iowa goes down a man on cornerback

John Nestor made the surprising decision to enter the transfer portal a day before the spring training started. The defensive back from Chicago was in the competition to start a year ago, but never did it. Even after Jermari Harris had opted for the last three games of Iowas, TJ Hall and Deshaun Lee were the starters. Both Hall and Lee have returned and are on the number 1 line of the depth card that enters the spring exercise.

Ferentz seemed to abolish the litterers on Wednesday.

A man in the competition, actually, said Ferentz, and added that Hall and Lee improved in the winter program. They are stronger, more mature, have been tested much better than a year ago or two years ago, what you hope will happen. Then we have a few young boys behind those who also like to have a chance.

That would be the listed second teamers Jaylen Watson and Rashad Godfrey Jr. include.

Watson played as a real first -year student last year, while Godfrey Redshirted.

Iowa only as 14 defensive ridges on his spring grid, which seems thin, since it starts five. Although Ferentz did not say this, it seems like a glimpse into the transfer portal that is possible at Cornerback this spring after Nestor's departure.

Ben Kueter's football status is in the air

Kueter announced on social media after eighth in the NCAA Wrestling Championships as a Redshirt first -year heavyweight that he would return to football.

However, he was not mentioned on Iowas Spring Roster and Ferentz seemed to be on their care for Kueter who tried to jug both sports. Ferentz has long been a wrestling enthusiast, or at least a fan. He attended the double victory of Iowas at Oklahoma State. He also noted that the top three of heavyweights this season (Oklahoma states Wyatt Hendrickson, Minnesotas Gable Steveson and Penn Staten Greg Kerkvliet) were many older seniors.

So those guys are out, and let him find out what he wants to do, Ferentz said. I have to think he has a great opportunity for him (in wrestling). Not that he is not here, but it is a real challenge to balance two sports. That is a challenge. So we will wait and see what is happening.

The fact that Kueter is involved in a wrestling fair, not football, makes the potential bureaucracy complicated. It is therefore very unlikely that Kueter will be back to the earliest with football. He needs time to recharge his body after a debilitating thrust season.

In the meantime, Linebackers in the first team are Seniors Jaden Harrell, Karson Sharar and Jaxon Rexroth. The aforementioned second teamers are Jayden Montgomery, Landyn van Kekerix and Derek Weisskopf. It is definitely a new world at that position with Jay Higgins, Nick Jackson and Kyler Fisher disappeared.

Hawkeyes -Columnist Chad Leistikow has served for 30 years at the Des Moines Register and USA Today Sports Network. Chad is the 2023 Ina Iowa Sports Columnist of the Year and NSMA Co-Sportswriter of the Year in Iowa. Become a member of Chad's SMS-Message group (free for subscribers) onHawkcentral.com/hawkeyestexts.Follow @chadleistikowon x.

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