Compared to its annual spring practice, Iowa football’s open session on Kids Day at Kinnick proves to be far more valuable for curious fans. With just a matter of weeks before the Hawkeyes open up the season at home against Illinois State, the scrimmage portions of practice will be as close a preview as possible. After talking with players and members of the coaching staff at media day on Aug. 9, here are five things to watch out for on Saturday. 

1. Jacob Gill’s potential 

For someone who isn’t listed on Iowa’s preseason depth chart, Iowa transfer wideout Jacob Gill received an awful lot of unprompted praise from teammates and coaches. Take for example the words of starting left tackle Mason Richman. 

“I’ve just got to shout out Jacob Gill, like, he’s one of my favorite guys to watch,” Richman said. “If I’m not in and have seen the play clip a couple of times, I’ll watch him block because he’s doing a really good job for us.” 

In May, Gill transferred from Northwestern where he had 17 receptions for 195 yards and two touchdowns over three years. Following a  2022 season where he played in all 12 games, Gill was limited to only four last year due to injury. Even though the junior has just two career starts under his belt, Gill still turned heads with his playmaking ability, such as his 20-yard, one-handed snag against Illinois in his sophomore season. 

Offensive coordinator Tim Lester called Gill a hardworking guy and very fun to watch. For teammate and fellow wideout Dayton Howard, the 6-foot, 185-pound Gill thrives in short-yardage situations. 

“Just the consistency, that’s what turns people’s heads towards him,” Howard said of Gill. “Making the play when it needs to be done, that’s when he shines the most.” 

The Hawkeye preseason depth chart lists only two wideouts who’ve ever caught a pass in college, so if an experienced guy like Gill performs well on Saturday, expect his No. 5 jersey to be out on the field for Week 1. 

2. Cade McNamara’s game reps 

Quarterback Cade McNamara’s first Kid’s Day at Kinnick was unfortunately remembered for his fall on a scramble late in practice. The non-contact play resulted in a quad strain in his right leg that hampered the rest of his fall camp. While the quarterback still started the Hawkeyes’ first five games before he went down with his ACL injury, fans noticed limited mobility for the Michigan transfer. 

Thus given the consequences of last year’s scare, it will be interesting how much Kirk Ferentz and the coaching staff will feature McNamara in 11-on-11. While it would make sense to avoid any unnecessary contact, the quarterback said he’s been 100 percent healthy for the past few months. 

“There’s a limit on what you can do in the film room and what you can do watching,” McNamara said. “Once you actually have the ball in your hands and you’re the one in command is when you have the most realistic reps and those are the reps that I need.” 

Regardless of the number the snaps, fans should also keep an eye out for McNamara’s pocket presence and playmaking ability. Those two factors will not just determine how comfortable he is in Lester’s scheme but also evaluate how “100 percent” the quarterback really is. 

3. Moulton mania 

The Hawkeyes were essentially a running back by-committee team in 2023, with three players rushing for more than 200 yards. While Leshon Williams, last season’s lead back with 170 carries for 821 yards, will most likely not be in action Saturday due to injuries, fans should keep an eye out for second-year Kamari Moulton. 

Hailing from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Moulton shined in his collegiate debut in Iowa’s Week 3 matchup against Western Michigan last season, plunging in the end zone for two touchdowns on eight carries. Across four games last season, the 5-foot-9, 197-pounder saw 23 touches totaling 93 yards. 

Lester said Moulton impressed him at spring practice, particularly with a running play reminiscent of former Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones, whom Lester coached in 2023. 

Fans should get a glimpse of what this play might be on Saturday as Moulton looks to prove his breakout game wasn’t a one-hit-wonder. 

4. Defensive line depth

Admittedly, it’s tough to evaluate the performance of the defensive line in practice, as defenders can’t fully tackle the QB, but how often the Hawkeye defense gets to the backfield will be important to look out for on Saturday. 

Even after the departures of Noah Shannon, Logan Lee, and Joe Evans this offseason, Iowa still features experience up front in seniors Deontae Craig, Ethan Hurkett, and Yahya Black, each of whom holds starting spots alongside third-year Aaron Graves. 

However, should one of those four go down this season, the backups will need to step up. Defensive line coach Kelvin Bell said Jeremiah Pittman is first up to fill any vacancies. Pittman, a 6-foot-3 and 293-pounder from Palatine, Illinois, collected six total tackles and a fumble recovery last season. 

Bell also shouted out senior Jeff Bowie, who didn’t see action last year following an injury in fall camp. 

Outside of Bowie and Pittman, the backup with the most on-field experience is Max Llewellyn, who sits behind Criag on the depth chart but appeared in 14 games last season, amassing 13 tackles and 2.5 sacks. 

While Llewellyn will most likely be featured in the starting rotation this season, the performances of Bowie and Pittmam should give an indication as to how much talent the Hawkeyes have stashed. 

5. Cooper DeJean replacement 

How the Hawkeyes aim to fill the void of DeJean, who departed this offseason for the NFL, will have to cover two areas — defense and special teams. Second-year John Nestor currently holds the starting spot at cornerback alongside Jermari Harris. 

Hailing from Chicago, Nestor appeared in ten games last season, mostly on special teams, recording two tackles. Despite his lack of reps on defense, Nestor feels confident in his abilities, contributing much of his learning from DeJean as well as starters Sebastian Castro and Harris. 

“They’ve really taught me so much and it’s been so good for my development and mental well-being,” Nestor said of his teammates. “What it takes is just listening, coming out here every single day, working your tail off. You’ve got to put some extra time in and lean on your brothers and trust them.” 

On special teams, Ferentz said running back Kaleb Johnson was receiving kickoffs while wide receiver Kaden Wetjen is an option for punt return.