Ihmir Smith-Marsette is the Hawkeyes’ No. 1 threat in the passing game – there is no disputing that. Smith-Marsette was Iowa’s most explosive wide receiver last year, so he’s earned the right to be Iowa’s top dog in the passing attack.

While being the king of the hill does have its perks, it also has its downfalls. Last season, Smith-Marsette likely snuck up on some teams. Before 2019, Iowa’s wide receivers weren’t a heralded group respected throughout the Big Ten. The crew earned that distinction via excellent play last season.

Ihmir Smith-Marsette also garnered a great deal of respect from his explosive production last season. Unfortunately, more attention usually doesn’t equate to more success.

Defenses may start game-planning to contain Smith-Marsette this season. When Iowa runs into teams with excellent defenses like Penn State and Wisconsin, Smith-Marsette may be utterly neutralized.

So, who will sophomore quarterback and first-time starter Spencer Petras go to when Smith-Marsette is locked up by double-team or otherwise? He’ll got to the ultimate quarterback safety blanket – the tight end.

Sam LaPorta only corralled 15 passes for 118 yards total across twelve games of action last year. However, he proved that he can make big catches in high-pressure situations. LaPorta’s first career reception went for 43 yards against Northwestern. He also caught a pass from bygone quarterback Nate Stanley to set up Keith Duncan’s game-winning field goal at Nebraska. In the Holiday Bowl versus USC, LaPorta caught a career-high six passes for 44 yards.

Since then, LaPorta has been named to the John Mackey Award Preseason Watch List. With inexperience at quarterback and momentum from last season, LaPorta will be the Hawkeyes’ receiving-yards leader in 2020.