The Big Ten media days extravaganza is over, and now there is just over a month until the college football kicks off the season.
And there will be a more experienced group of Hawkeyes taking the field at Kinnick wearing the classic black and gold on Sept. 1 — in the passing game at least.
This year, Iowa returns its two leading receivers — Nick Easley and Noah Fant — and four of its top six, losing only Akrum Wadley out of the backfield and Matt VandeBerg.
In addition to Easley and Fant, the Hawkeyes bring back sophomores Ihmir Smith-Marsette and Brandon Smith at wideout.
Smith-Marsette showed big-play potential last year, catching 18 passes for 187 yards and 2 touchdowns, but he had problems with consistency and drops.
Smith, on the other hand, wasn’t as involved as his teammate, recording 3 catches for 10 yards, but his size and athletic ability give him the opportunity to become a playmaker in the offense.
Throughout the offseason, quarterback Nate Stanley said his targets have been working on their consistency, meaning the passing game has a chance to take a big step forward this fall.
“They’ve put in a tremendous amount of time and have put in a lot of time on the JUGS Machine to better their hands,” Stanley said. “They’ve done a lot of good things in our throwing sessions this offseason as far as route running and really trying to perfect how they run their routes, because then they know that they won’t have to make those crazy catches; those plays will become routine if they just really focus in on the details of running their routes.”
Smith and Smith-Marsette aren’t the only receivers who gained valuable experience on the field in 2017.
Easley, who played his first season for the Hawkeyes last year after transferring from Iowa Western, established himself as one of Stanley’s go-to targets early. The Newton native closed his year out with a team-high 51 receptions for 530 yards and 4 scores.
Despite its only being his second year for the Black and Gold, Easley, a senior, has become a leader in the young wide receivers’ room and someone Stanley can trust.
“He does a great job with getting them together to work on the JUGS Machine, he does a great job at teaching them when we throw routes,” Stanley said. “Obviously, there are a lot more receivers than there are quarterbacks, and sometimes there’s not time where I can talk to them about it, so I’ll ask him, ‘Hey Nick, can you talk to them about it?’ and he’s like, ‘Yeah, I got it.’ ”
After his first full year under center in which he fell one touchdown shy of tying Iowa’s school record for passing touchdowns in a season, Stanley is also more experienced and aiming to top that first year as a starter.
There is evidence that Stanley has grown since last year — he was named a captain by his teammates after his sophomore season in 2017, which is only the second time that has happened in program history, head coach Kirk Ferentz said.
“I think that in itself is significant,” the 20-year Hawkeye head coach said. “I think that just tells you how far Nate came last year … But most important, I think he’s gained the respect and confidence of his teammates. Great to have him back. He’s worked extremely hard, and a few things you can’t give players are experience and confidence, and I think he’s been able to certainly benefit from a year of play.”