2023 Iowa Hawkeyes Spring Review
I have been avoiding writing about the 2023 Iowa Hawkeyes because I still have some trauma to work through after watching last year’s offense redefine the word putrid. I started to get a little hope when the transfer portal opened last December and the Hawkeyes landed several impact players, not the least of which was Cade McNamara, the former Michigan QB. Then the bowl game came and went and my hopes felt dashed when there were no staff changes (okay it was really just Brian Ferentz I wanted gone with a new offensive coordinator from anywhere but here).
Brian Ferentz remains the offensive coordinator and I have little faith he can make any meaningful changes. It’s still Kirk Ferentz’s offense but Brian is the play caller and he proved last year, he has almost no imagination. With a month to prepare for the bowl game it seems he came up with four new plays, ran them to start the game against Kentucky, and then when they all worked, he never used them again. All of this led to the embarrassment that is Brian’s new contract he struck with Gary Barta. Standards set so low for the offense it’s ridiculous that they wasted the paper to write them down. Barta showed he has no power over Brian Ferentz even though Brian “reports” to Barta to circumvent the University’s nepotism rules. The only thing more embarrassing than Brian’s new contract was last year’s offense.
The hope was that the new transfers would help Iowa overcome its antiquated offense and that Cade McNamara’s influence might open things up a bit. That hope took a serious hit when spring practice opened and a bunch of injuries stalled any possible progress from being made. Cade McNamara was only able to partially participate (we knew this was going to happen before spring started). New WR Seth Anderson missed all of camp with a soft tissue injury, new RT hopeful Daijon Parker was injured almost immediately and missed all of spring along with a slew of injuries that took out most of the starting offensive line for some or all of spring. The offensive line was terrible last year and needed the practice. It was tough to see any progress being made when only one scholarship WR was healthy for spring practice too.
It was clear from very early on that Iowa needed more depth and more talent at the WR position and it needed to come from the transfer portal. The portal hadn’t been as fruitful when it came to WR as many had hoped with only Anderson joining during the initial portal window. It’s hard to blame the higher ranked WRs for wanting to play in a better offense. Then a funny thing happened just as the spring transfer portal window was closing, Kaleb Brown from Ohio St. entered. The realist in me never thought for a second that Brown would seriously consider Iowa, then he scheduled a visit, and it came very quickly. Even more improbably, he quickly cancelled his other planned visits and committed to Iowa after being hosted by Cade McNamara and connecting with Xavier Nwankpa and getting a deal with the Iowa Swarm collective. Hope comes once again.
This is the experience of being a Hawkeye fan in 2023. The ebbs and flows, the ups and downs, the twists and turns, it’s like being on the world’s worst roller coaster…I hate roller coasters. Watch a video of Cade McNamara simply speaking about playing at Iowa and you’re in on the Hawkeyes competing for the Big Ten Championship. Remember that Iowa’s offensive line was terrible and the two new comers are Daijon Parker, a guy who missed spring practice with an injury and Rusty Feth, a guard who hasn’t stepped on campus yet. Then look at TEs Luke Lachey and Eric All and you see visions of TJ Hockenson and Noah Fant destroying defenses before going on to the NFL. Then you realize Brian Ferentz is still the play caller. You hear whispers that Jon Budmayr is working hands on with the QBs and his finger prints might be all over this offense due to his connection with Cade McNamara. Then you realize his only play calling experience was with a bad Colorado St. team a couple of years ago (it wasn’t his fault; his head coach was awful). The roller coaster is nearly out of control.
While the offensive line didn’t have time to work together during the spring, the injuries did afford some extra practice time for some young guys and there appears to be progress. Beau Stephens and Gennings Dunker seemed to be holding their own against Iowa’s defense by the end of spring practice and that’s a good development. If those two can be better the offensive line has a chance to be better and deeper. Logan Jones was the only constant on the line during the spring and hopefully he’s making progress too.
There’s potential for Iowa to opens next season with six new transfer starters on offense; QB Cade McNamara, WRs Kaleb Brown and Seth Anderson, TE Erick All (Iowa will almost assuredly use a two-TE set), RT Daijon Parker and RG Rusty Feth. What does this all mean? It means there are no more talent excuses for Brian and Kirk. They can’t blame any poor offensive showings on the talent on the team. They never explicitly said it last year but Brian implied it when he talked about how he did the best he could with what he had. Should I avoid pointing out that a lack of talent on the team falls on the coaches who recruit the players? This offense has the pieces it needs to be good. I said it before, Iowa’s elite defense just needs a functional offense. Imagine what Iowa could have accomplished the last two years if the offense hadn’t been a complete trainwreck. Last year’s defense was an elite unit, the good news is this year’s defense could be just as good. Let’s take a closer look at the team.
Quarterback
Starter: Cade McNamara (Sr)
Backup: Deacon Hill (Soph)
The fact that these two are at the top of the depth chart is an indication that Jon Budmayr’s influence will be felt on the offense. Both of these QBs are transfers who came to Iowa largely due to their connection to Budmayr and are already ahead of Joe Labas, the bowl game starter. McNamara was a given, he didn’t transfer to Iowa to sit on the bench or even to compete, he’s here to start. Hill is a different story. The fact that he has already moved ahead of Labas (Kirk confirmed this at his post spring practice press conference) means that the Iowa offense that has always been so difficult for QBs to understand, is changing in some ways.
The understanding has always been that Iowa’s offense is so hard to understand it takes years for QBs to get it (the joke being that it only takes opposing defensive coordinators a week to understand it). Well Cade McNamara hasn’t even needed to fully practice to have won the starting job and Deacon Hill knows it well enough that he passed Labas as the backup. Clearly, there are some changes to make the offense simpler and less cumbersome, that would be a welcome change.
Running Back
Starter: Kaleb Johnson (Soph)
Backups: Leshon Williams (Jr), Jaziun Patterson (RS Fr)
Not much to report on here. Kaleb Johnson took over the job last season and if the offensive line can open some holes, he’s going to be a star. Iowa is always going to run the ball; they just need to be more effective. Johnson has superstar potential, it’s just harder to see when there’s 11 defenders within seven yards of the line of scrimmage. Williams is a more than capable backup but I like him in the backup role more than I did as a starter. Patterson showed some flashes in limited action last year and I really like his potential as a complement to Johnson. Iowa’s running game will undergo a pretty significant change as it looks like the fullback position will, at the very least, change into more of an H-back type. Iowa doesn’t have a traditional fullback so we will likely see some others positions used. More two-TE sets with one maybe lining up in the backfield when needed.
Wide Receiver
Starters: Kaleb Brown (RS Fr), Nico Ragaini (Sr), Seth Anderson (Soph)
Backups: Diante Vines (Jr), Jacob Bostick (RS Fr), The true freshmen
This isn’t what the depth chart looks like coming out of spring and I’m sure it’s not what Kirk or Brian would tell you it is. They will give Vines and Ragaini the respect of being guys who have been here, however, if Iowa’s offense wants to be good, Brown and Anderson are the keys. Ragaini is going to be a perfectly fine slot receiver but he would be far more useful if Brown and Anderson can be threats outside. Vines might finally develop now that he has a good QB throwing to him but the team needs difference makers and those are Brown and Anderson.
Kaleb Brown is a thought piece right now, he’s a projection, so is Anderson to a certain extent. The issue is talent and skill set. Brown has the speed and skill that made him a 4-star prospect that Ohio St. signed last year and he had offers from Alabama, Notre Dame, and so many other top programs. That type of skill is non-existent in Iowa’s WR corps. No one Iowa has threatens the defense down the field like Brown can. He isn’t the tallest WR being only 5’10 but he has legit deep speed. He is also a solidly built 198 lbs. so he looks pretty stout for a guy who was a freshman last season. Brown’s speed changes the math on defense, teams have to respect the deep part of the field. It opens things up underneath for the TEs and backs the safeties off to make the box lighter for the running game.
Anderson wasn’t a highly recruited guy out of high school but he was a productive player at Charleston Southern. He had 42 catches which doesn’t sound like a lot but other than Nico Ragaini Iowa doesn’t have a guy with any real college football playing experience at WR. Diante Vines has 10 career receptions, that’s not all on him but it’s hard to say he should automatically be considered a starter. I think Vines can be a useful WR but Anderson has shone more proof that he’s a functional WR. Either way, Iowa’s WR group is in much better shape with Anderson and Brown towards the top. It allows Vines, Bostick, and the three true freshmen to find their footing, not be pressed into roles too big for them. A staring group of Brown, the deep threat, Anderson, the complementary outside guy, and Ragaini in the slot, looks a lot better than last year’s disaster. Now, they all just have to stay healthy.
Tight End
Starters: Luke Lachey (Jr), Erick All (Sr)
Backups: Addison Ostrenga (Soph), Steven Stilianos (Sr)
The Erick All transfer keeps the Iowa TE group towards the top of the position in college football. Luke Lachey is ready to break out and All looks to be healthy after missing most of last year. Both guys can be difference makers and that would be a lot easier if the WR group can help them out by taking some of the coverage away. Lachey and All can be matchup nightmares with their size and athleticism and they can make plays, move the chains, and if all goes well, they will be nearly impossible to stop in the red zone.
The backups aren’t too shabby either. Ostrenga is a young guy who is still filling out physically but you can see the makings of a very good player. Stilianos was a small school transfer last year who hopefully has adjusted to big time college football and can provide depth.
Offensive Line
Starters: LT Mason Richman (Jr), LG Connor Colby (Jr), C Logan Jones (Jr), RG Rusty Feth (Sr), RT Daijon Parker (Sr)O
Backups: OT Jack Dotzler (RS Fr), G/T Nick DeJong (Sr), G/T Gennings Dunker (Soph), OG Beau Stephens (Soph), OG Tyler Elsbury (Jr), C Mike Myslinski (Soph)
This is where things get very interesting. Again, I’m making an assumption on the offensive line the same way I made one at WR. Rusty Feth and Daijon Parker didn’t transfer to Iowa to sit on the bench. Parker was out during spring after having surgery and that meant that Nick DeJong got a chance to play RT and so did Gennings Dunker. Kirk Ferentz is always complementary towards a former walk-on senior like DeJong but I’ve watched him for too many years and he needs to be a backup. Dunker is an ascending player who has versatility but the reason Iowa recruited Parker in the portal was to buy time for guys like Dunker and Dotzler at OT because they are young and aren’t ready just yet. They are the type of developmental guys that could really ascend but hopefully it isn’t necessary until 2024.
Mason Richman is locked in at LT and he played much better in second half of last season after Connor Colby moved to LG next to him. Colby was miscast as a RT out of necessity to start last year and was finally benched during the Ohio St. game. The good news was after being pulled at RT they eventually put him at LG and left side of the line stabilized. Richman was better because he had Colby playing at a position he’s really good at. Colby is a guard not a tackle, and he’s a really good guard. Both guys missed time in spring with injuries but they should be locked in on that side.
Logan Jones struggled a lot at center last year. It was everything from the line calls to simply snapping the ball. When your offense can’t pull off the most basic thing, the QB/center exchange, you’re working from a deficit. The good news is you could see Jones get better at the shotgun snap from the beginning of the season to the end, it makes me think he can get better at all of it. Hopefully with a year of playing time and potentially an offense that won’t ask as much of him, he can concentrate on just playing football. Jones is a physical freak and if they can harness that, he’ll be fine.
Like I said, Feth and Parker didn’t come here to sit and once Feth arrives this summer and Parker is healed up, I expect those two to form the right side of the line. Both are seniors with one year of eligibility to use, they were brought in to give the young guys time to develop and that’s what they will do. Feth has the flexibility to play center if Jones stumbles but more importantly, he should be a stabilizer next to him to make him more comfortable with the calls. With talented guards like Colby and Feth flanking him Jones should feel more comfortable with everything. Parker has flexibility to move inside to guard or over to LT if injuries strike and that gives the Hawkeyes more depth, that was something they were sorely lacking last year. But if all goes well, Parker takes the RT job and excels at it, and he and Feth have a great year.
The young guys like Jack Dotzler, Gennings Dunker, and Beau Stephens are guys who just need time to develop physically and mentally, once they do, the talent is there. Nick DeJong is a break-in-case-of-emergency offensive lineman. He should only play if injury necessitates it. Mike Myslinski has to find a way to stay healthy if he ever wants to play football. He never had the opportunity to compete with Jones for the center job because he just can’t stay on the field.
The Defense
Phil Parker is the best defensive coordinator in college football and that’s just a fact. His defense isn’t stacked with four- and five-star recruits like Georgia or Alabama and yet they are a dominant force. Iowa lost two first-round NFL draft picks (Lukas Van Ness and Jack Campbell), and a long-time starting CB who was a third-rounder (Riley Moss), and I’m not sure they miss a beat. Let’s have a look.
Defensive Line
Starters: DE Deontae Craig (Jr), DE Joe Evans (Sr), DT Logan Lee (Sr), DT Noah Shannon
Backups: DE Max Llewellyn (Soph), DE Ethan Hurkett (Jr), DT Yahya Black (Jr), DT Aaron Graves (Soph)
Depth: DT Anterio Thompson (Soph), DT Jeremiah Pittman (Soph), DE Chris Reames (Sr), DE Brian Allen (RS Fr)
This unit is frightening if you’re an opponent because they are potentially three deep at all positions, they could realistically play 12 or 13 players on the defensive line. The second unit is arguably more talented at DT than the starters it’s just the starters are seniors and they are excellent too. The team lost Lukas Van Ness at DE a year early to the NFL, he didn’t start a game at Iowa and this type of depth is why. Now that Van Ness isn’t here to be the breakout star of the defensive line, I’m nominating Deontae Craig. He tied for the team lead in sacks last year and he was nowhere near the lead in snaps played. He’ll play more as a starter and he’s only getting better. Joe Evans and Noah Shannon are returning for their sixth years using their Covid year to do so. Evans isn’t the biggest guy but he’s a proven DE starter and he’s very steady. Shannon is the undersized DT but with the depth inside they can put him situations where he can excel. Logan Lee isn’t big either but he’s a rock inside.
The good news for Shannon and Lee is that they don’t have to be the big guys inside because Yahya Black and Aaron Graves are power players on the inside. The rotation of those four keeps them all fresh and Iowa added to that rotation. Junior college transfer Anterio Thompson should find some playing time and Jeremiah Pittman took the opportunity this spring to stand out. Lee and Shannon were out after surgeries for spring practice and Pittman showed he can handle playing. That’s six DTs to play and that doesn’t include a guy like Jeff Bowie, a redshirt sophomore we haven’t seen do anything yet.
At DE, Craig is the breakout star while Evans is the steady senior. Behind them Ethan Hurkett and Max Llewellyn are looking to stay healthy and prove they are ready to be big contributors. There’s also a chance Aaron Graves gets some time at DE just to get him on the field, he will be one giant DE. Chris Reames is a senior who’s never really played but was mentioned by the coaches as a guy who looked good this spring, always have to cheer for a guy who has stuck it out this long without getting meaningful playing time. Brian Allen was a highly touted prospect who redshirted last year, he should be itching to prove he deserves some snaps.
This defensive line should scare the hell out of the Big Ten, the Next Man Up mantra might mean an even better player is stepping in for the guy going out. This line should make the linebackers’ lives much easier too.
Linebackers
Starters: Nick Jackson (Sr), Jay Higgins (Sr), Karson Sharar (Soph), CASH Sebastian Castro (Sr)
Backups: Kyler Fisher (Sr), Jaden Harrell (Soph), Zach Twedt (Soph)
Someone has to replace Jack Campbell and Seth Benson and that unenviable task falls to Nick Jackson and Jay Higgins. Iowa will spend a lot of time playing only two LBs with Castro at the Cash position and it will mostly be Jackson and Higgins. Jackson is a transfer who will step in immediately as the playmaker. He was a tackling machine at Virginia and was an All-ACC player multiple years. Higgins got playing time last year when Jestin Jacobs got hurt. He didn’t play all the time because Jacobs was the third LB but it was valuable experience.
Sharar is going to get that third LB role this year, he’ll play when the team goes away from the Cash lineup. Castro stepped into the Cash position last year when Cooper DeJean had to move to CB after the injuries to Terry Roberts and Jermari Harris. He played quite well there and got better as the season progressed. With DeJean taking over as the top CB the Cash job is Castro’s.
The backups really come down to Kyler Fisher, a senior with tons of special teams work and some LB snaps. He’s the only guy who has actual playing time on defense. As Iowa has used more two LB lineups it’s harder to get young guys on the field. Harrell and Twedt are the next men up but there are some good young LBs on the team.
Defensive Backs
Starters: CB Cooper DeJean (Jr), CB Jermari Harris (Sr), SS Xavier Nwankpa (Soph), FS Quinn Schulte (Sr)
Backups: CB TJ Hall (Soph), CB Deshaun Lee (RS Fr), SS Koen Entringer (RS Fr), FS Kael Kolarik (RS Fr)
It’s Cooper DeJean’s world and we’re all just living in it. DeJean was the breakout player of last year and he’s only going to get better from here. He’s one of the most versatile players in football, he plays CB, he can be the Cash, he could be an excellent safety, and he’s a devastating punt returner. If Iowa hadn’t landed Kaleb Brown at WR I would have been begging for him to get some time on offense, instead I’ll just ask politely to give him a few plays a game on that side. Jermari Harris missed last season with an injury which played a part in DeJean becoming a CB full-time, we can thank Harris for that later. He had ended the 2021 season playing quite well and I expect him to be pretty good this year. It’s never easy replacing a long-time starter like Riley Moss and DeJean and Harris will be a good CB pairing.
Xavier Nwankpa is the outlier for the Hawkeyes, he actually was a five-star recruit and he looks like the real deal. He didn’t start last year until the bowl game when he stepped in for Kaevon Merriweather but he didn’t miss a beat. Nwankpa is a superstar in the making, especially being a safety under the tutelage of Phil Parker. That much talent with Parker’s coaching, look out. Quinn Schulte is another one of Parker’s creations. He took a walk-on safety and turned him into a multi-year starter and team leader, I’ve heard that story before and it’s always great. This defensive backfield will be excellent in the starting unit.
The backups have talent but lack experience. TJ Hall struggled last year when pressed in to duty against Nebraska as a true freshman, getting benched in that game. He has talent, he needs time. Deshaun Lee redshirted last year and he needs time too. There’s a reason Iowa is looking for an experienced CB in the transfer portal. Koen Entringer was a coaches’ favorite by the end of last season and he’s really the third safety. Kael Kolarik is probably Phil Parker’s next great safety find. I’m not going to doubt it.
Final Thoughts
The Iowa defense will do what the Iowa defense does, it will dominate. If the transfers on the offensive side of the ball can raise the play on that side, the team can be good. If there are some changes to the offensive scheme to better utilize the new talent on offense, the team could be really good. If they would have found a new offensive coordinator to bring Iowa’s offense into this decade, Iowa could be great. We’ll have to settle for small steps. The Big Ten West is going through some big changes with new coaches at Nebraska, Wisconsin, and Purdue. Illinois has some major changes at QB, RB, and especially the secondary to deal with. Minnesota is still coached by PJ Fleck so they will still struggle to win big games. Northwestern was a tire fire last year and Fitz has his work cut out for him. The last Big Ten West crown is there for Iowa’s taking. The defense is good enough to win it, the offense just has to be good enough to not lose it. 25 points a game is Brian Ferentz’s benchmark to getting his contract renewed. If he doesn’t get there, he should be fired, and his father should show enough respect to the program to do it himself. I’m going to remain cautious in my optimism until I see how the offense comes together during training camp with the line getting healthy, Cade getting healthy, and the WR corps coming into form. Also, where do I go to start the Phil Parker for the Broyles Award (college football’s Assistant of the Year award) campaign? He’s long overdue.
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