By Jordan Hansen | [email protected]
It has been a relatively quiet spring football period for the Hawkeyes.
Outside of a transfer and a couple position battles, nothing of much note has changed. For a program with a long history of continuity, coming out of spring football with little fanfare fits the mold perfectly.
“We’re not in a rush. We practice over the course of five weeks and get a lot of quality time on the field,” Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said. “I took our depth chart yesterday and just considered where a lot of our players were in August as to where they are now … there’s a lot of growth and improvement.
“That’s going to be critical.”
There is development needed before the team takes the field against Miami (Ohio) on Sept. 3. Ferentz has some decisions to make on the interior of the offensive line and at wide receiver. They won’t be the only ones in a battle when they come back together as a team this summer.
“The team just needs to continue to progress,” Iowa wide receiver Matt VandeBerg said. “The offense has built a pretty strong foundation for what we need to do in fall camp.”
Offensive line, linebacker update
Complicated position battles are raging along the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.
A combination of Cole Croston, Boone Myers, and Ike Boettger will play offensive tackle this season, assuming they stay healthy. All three had real game action at the position last season, with Boettger and Croston getting a bit more.
That’s about the only thing set.
Keegan Render, who had been getting a lot of the spring reps at guard, was out of the spring game with an injury, as was center Sean Welsh.
Myers is currently at guard and could end up there, depending on how center pans out. James Daniels also remains injured, and while it was assumed he would slide into the center spot this year, he now seems destined for guard.
“The more time you spend at the position, the better you get,” Welsh said. “I think we have a great group of guys on the inside, and we’re going to be fine.”
Injuries have also complicated things at outside linebacker; Ben Niemann missed all of spring football. Bo Bower has filled in for him but should remain the backup once Niemann comes back.
At linebacker, Josey Jewell has the starting middle linebacker spot locked down, while Jack Hockaday and Aaron Mends are fighting for the “will” linebacker position.
“It’s a great opportunity for Aaron,” Ferentz said. “Talk about guys making progress from August, if you go back to last spring, night and day, just night and day, and same thing academically. He’s got a routine down that’s beneficial. We’re seeing the same thing in football.”
The running backs
LeShun Daniels Jr. and Akrum Wadley got all of the carries with the first-team offense.
Daniels rushed five times for 27 yards, and Wadley toted the ball 11 times and gained 35 yards. Wadley also tacked on a 22-yard reception, and Daniels had a reception, too.
While Wadley had more touches, Daniels looked better. The Iowa coaching staff has expressed a desire to see him get quite a few more carries this year, and it’s not hard to see why. Daniels looks the part of a huge, bruising tailback. The issue has been if he can stay healthy.
Derrick Mitchell Jr. was also held out of training camp with an injury as well. He could come into his own as a third-down back this season and if recent history is any indicator, could vie for more playing time if medical issues start popping up.
“LeShun, we have a pretty good comfort level with what he can do. Hopefully, he’ll play better than he ever has,” Ferentz said. “Akrum is making strides. He’s starting to mature a little bit physically and just in terms of his awareness.
“After that, it’s a wide-open competition.”
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