It's de ja vu all over again. The Hawkeye WR room has been a national laughing stock for more than 5 years now. While players and coaches have come and gone, the lack of talent at the WR position remains
Bostick. When hyped but unproven WR Jacob Bostick announced he was leaving Iowa and transferring to talent rich Texas A&M after receiving big $, fans were left scratching their heads. Did A&M see something in the guy that Ferentz never did? After all, the guy had high expectations going into last season, yet finished the year with ZERO receptions. It turns out, after six games in the SEC, Bostick has a grand total of...ONE catch for 14 yards. It came at the end of a blowout win against an FCS school. Bostick likely would have had his union card at Iowa by now and been starting this year.
Vines. What about Iowa's other WR to jump ship after last season, Diante Vines? Vines played way more than he should have last year with mixed results. He had 12 catches for the Hawks and something like 14 drops. Like Deacon Hill, Vines realized he had no business playing Big 10 football and ultimately transferred down a level to Old Dominion. This year, Vines has 20 catches for 190 yards. He too would likely be starting for the Hawks this year.
Kasper. Then there's Kyler Kasper. The 4 star legacy recruit had Iowa in his final 2 schools out of high school. He ultimately chased the $ and the high powered offense and picked Oregon. Unfortunately for him, lots of 4 star WRs go to Oregon and Kasper wasn't utilized at all during his first two years. Iowa was desperate for talent at WR those years, so during this past offseason, there were rumors Kasper was thinking about transferring to Iowa for playing time. He ultimately stayed put at Oregon. So how is he doing in his 3rd year with the Ducks? He is 9th on their WR depth chart and has a grand total of...1 catch. He too would likely be starting at Iowa.
Brecht. Brecht was a 4 star guy who never lived up to his football potential. Rather than endure another year with Brian Ferentz calling plays last year, he opted to focus on baseball. In this, his senior year, Brecht likely would have been the team's primary WR. While Brecht was drafted by the Colorado Rockies organization, he does not have any pro stats yet.
Johnson. Believe it or not, Kaegan Johnson, who started at WR for Iowa way back in 2021, is still playing college ball. Oddly, it appears he peaked his freshmen year at Iowa, where he had 18 catches for 350 yards. In six games this year as a senior at Kansas State, Johnson has 14 catches for 161 yards. He's their team's second leading receiver.
Bruce. Arland Bruce should still be a senior in still in college. He too started for the Hawks as a freshmen in 2021, where his career peaked with 25 catches for 209 yards. He had a sophomore slump, left the program to get away from the Brian Ferentz offense, then was embroiled in the gambling scandal.
Not all WR recruits turn out to be stars. But it's mystifying just how bad Iowa's eye for talent & retention is at this position. Unfortunately, with the Cade McNamera 100 yrd per game passing attack, and Iowa's worst coach/recruiter Budmeyer responsible for recruiting and coaching all new WR talent, the future is anything but bright.
Bostick. When hyped but unproven WR Jacob Bostick announced he was leaving Iowa and transferring to talent rich Texas A&M after receiving big $, fans were left scratching their heads. Did A&M see something in the guy that Ferentz never did? After all, the guy had high expectations going into last season, yet finished the year with ZERO receptions. It turns out, after six games in the SEC, Bostick has a grand total of...ONE catch for 14 yards. It came at the end of a blowout win against an FCS school. Bostick likely would have had his union card at Iowa by now and been starting this year.
Vines. What about Iowa's other WR to jump ship after last season, Diante Vines? Vines played way more than he should have last year with mixed results. He had 12 catches for the Hawks and something like 14 drops. Like Deacon Hill, Vines realized he had no business playing Big 10 football and ultimately transferred down a level to Old Dominion. This year, Vines has 20 catches for 190 yards. He too would likely be starting for the Hawks this year.
Kasper. Then there's Kyler Kasper. The 4 star legacy recruit had Iowa in his final 2 schools out of high school. He ultimately chased the $ and the high powered offense and picked Oregon. Unfortunately for him, lots of 4 star WRs go to Oregon and Kasper wasn't utilized at all during his first two years. Iowa was desperate for talent at WR those years, so during this past offseason, there were rumors Kasper was thinking about transferring to Iowa for playing time. He ultimately stayed put at Oregon. So how is he doing in his 3rd year with the Ducks? He is 9th on their WR depth chart and has a grand total of...1 catch. He too would likely be starting at Iowa.
Brecht. Brecht was a 4 star guy who never lived up to his football potential. Rather than endure another year with Brian Ferentz calling plays last year, he opted to focus on baseball. In this, his senior year, Brecht likely would have been the team's primary WR. While Brecht was drafted by the Colorado Rockies organization, he does not have any pro stats yet.
Johnson. Believe it or not, Kaegan Johnson, who started at WR for Iowa way back in 2021, is still playing college ball. Oddly, it appears he peaked his freshmen year at Iowa, where he had 18 catches for 350 yards. In six games this year as a senior at Kansas State, Johnson has 14 catches for 161 yards. He's their team's second leading receiver.
Bruce. Arland Bruce should still be a senior in still in college. He too started for the Hawks as a freshmen in 2021, where his career peaked with 25 catches for 209 yards. He had a sophomore slump, left the program to get away from the Brian Ferentz offense, then was embroiled in the gambling scandal.
Not all WR recruits turn out to be stars. But it's mystifying just how bad Iowa's eye for talent & retention is at this position. Unfortunately, with the Cade McNamera 100 yrd per game passing attack, and Iowa's worst coach/recruiter Budmeyer responsible for recruiting and coaching all new WR talent, the future is anything but bright.
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