Spring Review: Iowa's offense
We take a look at the Iowa offense and project the two deep heading into the fall.
Tom Kakert • HawkeyeReport.com
@hawkeyereport
Drawing conclusions based on seeing only one of Iowa’s fifteen practices can be a pretty dangerous proposition.
Players can (and do) have poor practices and they also “flash”, as Kirk Ferentz is fond of saying and perform beyond expectations.
One thing we can do is take a general look at the Iowa football team based on what we saw and do a little projecting into the summer and the start of fall camp.
The good news is Iowa will return seven starters from the 2017 squad that averaged 28.2 points per game. Iowa returns starting quarterback Nate Stanley, who threw for 2,437 yards and 26 touchdowns. They also return four of their top six pass receivers, including the top two in Nick Easley and Noah Fant, who combined for 15 touchdown receptions last year.
The bad news is Iowa returns just 377 of the 1,810 yards rushing from last year, thanks to the graduation of Akrum Wadley and James Butler.
Here’s our position by position review of the offense and a projected depth chart for each spot.
QB: Nate Stanley, Peyton Mansell
After battling Tyler Wiegers for the starting job last spring and into fall camp, Nate Stanley won the quarterback job and never let go last season. He started every game and had some really strong performances, particularly against Iowa State, Nebraska, and Ohio State. He, along with the entire offense, had their share of struggles too, particularly in the losses to Wisconsin and Michigan State.
Without a quarterback battle and with a year of experience under his belt, Stanley looked more comfortable on Friday night. He has a firm grasp of the offense and a better feel for the personnel on the Iowa roster. He’s the certain starter this fall and could be poised for a bit of a breakout season if the Hawkeye receivers develop.
The interesting battle will be for the backup position between redshirt freshman Peyton Mansell and true freshman Spencer Petras. From what we have heard, Mansell had kind of an uneven spring overall, but he looked good on Friday night, using his feet to make plays in the passing game. Petras looks the part and has a big arm. He’s had some good moments this spring and plays with a level of maturity beyond his years.
My sense on the backup job is, ideally, Iowa would like to redshirt Petras to create a class space between him and Mansell. The only way he would get into the mix this fall is if something were to happen from a health standpoint to Stanley. At that point, the Iowa coaches would have to make a decision and hopefully it doesn't come to that.
RB: Toren Young, Ivory Kelly-Martin
FB: Brady Ross, Austin Kelly
Iowa fans should feel good about their top two running backs. Toren Young and Ivory Kelly-Martin showed last season, in somewhat limited duty, that they were up to the task of playing in the Big Ten. Young is a classic one cut between the tackles runner and Kelly-Martin is more evasive and could be a more significant factor in the passing game.
We went into the start of spring thinking this would be a time share position and it still might end up being the case. But, listening to Coach Derrick Foster, the new running backs coach, he seemed to hint that Young may have an edge right now in the carries department.
The big concern is depth because there’s not a lot of it on the Iowa roster. Kyshaun Bryan redshirted last year and actually looked pretty good on Friday night. Still, he’s unproven in an actual game. The only other true running back on the roster right now is Cam Harrell and he just moved over from defensive back this spring.
There will be help on the way with the additions of Henry Geil and Samson Evans this fall. Geil is the more proven of the two at this point and my sense is they are going to want to try and get at least three or four guys ready to play this fall.
At fullback, steady as she does with Brady Ross and Austin Kelly. They won’t carry the ball much, if at all, and they might catch an occasional pass, but beyond that they know their job is to block and they both do a great job in that area.
WR: Brandon Smith, Kyle Groeneweg
SE: Nick Easley, Ihmir Smith-Marsette, Max Cooper
TE: Noah Fant, Shaun Beyer
TE: T.J. Hockenson, Nate Wieting
From a skill position perspective, the tight ends are the deepest positon on the team and the wide receivers remain a question mark.
We start with the tight ends where Noah Fant and T.J. Hockenson will arguably be the top duo at the position in the country. Fant is going to be a strong candidate for the Mackey Award in his junior year coming off 11 touchdown receptions last season and Hockenson will improve on his strong numbers from last year.
There’s good depth at the position as well with Shaun Beyer set to fill a bigger role as he continues to bulk up during the summer months. Nate Wieting is a steady player who has shown he can block very well and is capable in the passing game. Keep an eye on Drew Cook. After moving over to tight end, he looked good this spring and could find a role.
Beyond Nick Easley, Iowa has a grand total of 21 receptions returning in 2018 and 18 of those went to Ihmir Smith-Marsette. Easley missed the final practice with a soft tissue injury, but he’s solid and will probably end up with around 50 catches again this season.
Coaches like to say that the best thing about freshmen is they become sophomores and that will hopefully be the case with Brandon Smith and Smith-Marsette. Both have taken a step forward this spring, but as Kirk and Brian Ferentz have hinted, the coaches want to see them step forward in games this fall. The talent is there and now it’s going to be about doing it when the lights are on. The star of the final spring practice on Friday night from an offensive perspective was Max Cooper. He played a bit last season and looks like he’s ready to really contribute this year as a slot receiver. One player to watch in the fall will be Tyrone Tracy Jr. He could certainly get into the mix for snaps.
LT: Alaric Jackson, Mark Kallenberger
LG: Ross Reynolds/Cole Banwart
C: Keegan Render, Levi Duwa
RG: Levi Paulsen, Landan Paulsen
RT: Tristian Wirfs, Dalton Ferguson
With all due respect to the quarterback position, if Iowa’s going to be good in 2018, the offensive line has to be good. Right now, there are some pieces in place, but it’s certainly not a finished product.
On the good side, it looks like Keegan Render is settling in at center. He started one game there last year, so he knows what game action is like in the middle of the offensive line and he’s a very intelligent player, so he can handle the responsibilities. Also, Iowa has a really nice pair of young bookend tackles in Alaric Jackson and Tristian Wirfs. When we started the spring, the odds favored Wifs moving to left tackle and Jackson to right. However, Jackson is more comfortable and performed better on the left side, so Wirfs stayed on the right end of the offensive line for now.
I will say this, depth is a significant concern at tackle this year. Last year Iowa lost both their starting tackles early in the season and it forced Jackson and Wirfs on to the field, where they did well. This year it’s really Mark Kallenberger and that’s it at tackle beyond the starters.
At guard, Levi Paulsen missed the last couple of weeks of spring ball due to injury. His twin brother, Landan, filled in and had a good spring. Levi will be healthy for fall camp, so expect him to be the starter and also an option at tackle if there are injuries. At left guard, Ross Reynolds missed the final practice of the spring and Cole Banwart filled in and did a nice job. It might be a coin flip heading into camp with Banwart making some nice strides this spring.
The Iowa coaches said this spring they probably have six guys they feel comfortable with on the offensive line. They want to get to 7-8 by the time they wrap up fall camp and then, as always, the best five will start.
We take a look at the Iowa offense and project the two deep heading into the fall.
Tom Kakert • HawkeyeReport.com
@hawkeyereport
Drawing conclusions based on seeing only one of Iowa’s fifteen practices can be a pretty dangerous proposition.
Players can (and do) have poor practices and they also “flash”, as Kirk Ferentz is fond of saying and perform beyond expectations.
One thing we can do is take a general look at the Iowa football team based on what we saw and do a little projecting into the summer and the start of fall camp.
The good news is Iowa will return seven starters from the 2017 squad that averaged 28.2 points per game. Iowa returns starting quarterback Nate Stanley, who threw for 2,437 yards and 26 touchdowns. They also return four of their top six pass receivers, including the top two in Nick Easley and Noah Fant, who combined for 15 touchdown receptions last year.
The bad news is Iowa returns just 377 of the 1,810 yards rushing from last year, thanks to the graduation of Akrum Wadley and James Butler.
Here’s our position by position review of the offense and a projected depth chart for each spot.
QB: Nate Stanley, Peyton Mansell
After battling Tyler Wiegers for the starting job last spring and into fall camp, Nate Stanley won the quarterback job and never let go last season. He started every game and had some really strong performances, particularly against Iowa State, Nebraska, and Ohio State. He, along with the entire offense, had their share of struggles too, particularly in the losses to Wisconsin and Michigan State.
Without a quarterback battle and with a year of experience under his belt, Stanley looked more comfortable on Friday night. He has a firm grasp of the offense and a better feel for the personnel on the Iowa roster. He’s the certain starter this fall and could be poised for a bit of a breakout season if the Hawkeye receivers develop.
The interesting battle will be for the backup position between redshirt freshman Peyton Mansell and true freshman Spencer Petras. From what we have heard, Mansell had kind of an uneven spring overall, but he looked good on Friday night, using his feet to make plays in the passing game. Petras looks the part and has a big arm. He’s had some good moments this spring and plays with a level of maturity beyond his years.
My sense on the backup job is, ideally, Iowa would like to redshirt Petras to create a class space between him and Mansell. The only way he would get into the mix this fall is if something were to happen from a health standpoint to Stanley. At that point, the Iowa coaches would have to make a decision and hopefully it doesn't come to that.
RB: Toren Young, Ivory Kelly-Martin
FB: Brady Ross, Austin Kelly
Iowa fans should feel good about their top two running backs. Toren Young and Ivory Kelly-Martin showed last season, in somewhat limited duty, that they were up to the task of playing in the Big Ten. Young is a classic one cut between the tackles runner and Kelly-Martin is more evasive and could be a more significant factor in the passing game.
We went into the start of spring thinking this would be a time share position and it still might end up being the case. But, listening to Coach Derrick Foster, the new running backs coach, he seemed to hint that Young may have an edge right now in the carries department.
The big concern is depth because there’s not a lot of it on the Iowa roster. Kyshaun Bryan redshirted last year and actually looked pretty good on Friday night. Still, he’s unproven in an actual game. The only other true running back on the roster right now is Cam Harrell and he just moved over from defensive back this spring.
There will be help on the way with the additions of Henry Geil and Samson Evans this fall. Geil is the more proven of the two at this point and my sense is they are going to want to try and get at least three or four guys ready to play this fall.
At fullback, steady as she does with Brady Ross and Austin Kelly. They won’t carry the ball much, if at all, and they might catch an occasional pass, but beyond that they know their job is to block and they both do a great job in that area.
WR: Brandon Smith, Kyle Groeneweg
SE: Nick Easley, Ihmir Smith-Marsette, Max Cooper
TE: Noah Fant, Shaun Beyer
TE: T.J. Hockenson, Nate Wieting
From a skill position perspective, the tight ends are the deepest positon on the team and the wide receivers remain a question mark.
We start with the tight ends where Noah Fant and T.J. Hockenson will arguably be the top duo at the position in the country. Fant is going to be a strong candidate for the Mackey Award in his junior year coming off 11 touchdown receptions last season and Hockenson will improve on his strong numbers from last year.
There’s good depth at the position as well with Shaun Beyer set to fill a bigger role as he continues to bulk up during the summer months. Nate Wieting is a steady player who has shown he can block very well and is capable in the passing game. Keep an eye on Drew Cook. After moving over to tight end, he looked good this spring and could find a role.
Beyond Nick Easley, Iowa has a grand total of 21 receptions returning in 2018 and 18 of those went to Ihmir Smith-Marsette. Easley missed the final practice with a soft tissue injury, but he’s solid and will probably end up with around 50 catches again this season.
Coaches like to say that the best thing about freshmen is they become sophomores and that will hopefully be the case with Brandon Smith and Smith-Marsette. Both have taken a step forward this spring, but as Kirk and Brian Ferentz have hinted, the coaches want to see them step forward in games this fall. The talent is there and now it’s going to be about doing it when the lights are on. The star of the final spring practice on Friday night from an offensive perspective was Max Cooper. He played a bit last season and looks like he’s ready to really contribute this year as a slot receiver. One player to watch in the fall will be Tyrone Tracy Jr. He could certainly get into the mix for snaps.
LT: Alaric Jackson, Mark Kallenberger
LG: Ross Reynolds/Cole Banwart
C: Keegan Render, Levi Duwa
RG: Levi Paulsen, Landan Paulsen
RT: Tristian Wirfs, Dalton Ferguson
With all due respect to the quarterback position, if Iowa’s going to be good in 2018, the offensive line has to be good. Right now, there are some pieces in place, but it’s certainly not a finished product.
On the good side, it looks like Keegan Render is settling in at center. He started one game there last year, so he knows what game action is like in the middle of the offensive line and he’s a very intelligent player, so he can handle the responsibilities. Also, Iowa has a really nice pair of young bookend tackles in Alaric Jackson and Tristian Wirfs. When we started the spring, the odds favored Wifs moving to left tackle and Jackson to right. However, Jackson is more comfortable and performed better on the left side, so Wirfs stayed on the right end of the offensive line for now.
I will say this, depth is a significant concern at tackle this year. Last year Iowa lost both their starting tackles early in the season and it forced Jackson and Wirfs on to the field, where they did well. This year it’s really Mark Kallenberger and that’s it at tackle beyond the starters.
At guard, Levi Paulsen missed the last couple of weeks of spring ball due to injury. His twin brother, Landan, filled in and had a good spring. Levi will be healthy for fall camp, so expect him to be the starter and also an option at tackle if there are injuries. At left guard, Ross Reynolds missed the final practice of the spring and Cole Banwart filled in and did a nice job. It might be a coin flip heading into camp with Banwart making some nice strides this spring.
The Iowa coaches said this spring they probably have six guys they feel comfortable with on the offensive line. They want to get to 7-8 by the time they wrap up fall camp and then, as always, the best five will start.
