For Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz, success on offense is a simple equation – quarterback plus offensive line equals points on the board. While that may seem obvious, the Hawkeyes suffered a rash of injuries at those two positions last season, but eight days into this year’s fall camp, Ferentz’s squad has reason to be optimistic. 

With starting quarterback Cade McNamara healthy after recovering from an ACL injury and an offensive line adjusted to an up-tempo offense, Iowa doesn’t count itself out of the new 12-team playoff. Even though Ferentz joked about his despise for ESPN’s weekly rankings show, he wouldn’t be surprised to see a Tigerhawk graphic appear on the screen. 

“I just think we’re finally at a place maybe where we can play at the pace we would like to play,” Ferentz said at media day on Aug. 9. “That’s a good thing. For our quarterback, we’ll make good decisions, which I’m confident we’re going to be a little bit better off there. Then you’ve got to keep guys healthy and they’ve got to play up to their level of capability, which I think we’re, again, a little bit healthier than we’ve been the last couple of years. We’ve got the potential.”

Yet the now 69-year-old head coach was quick to mention his team still isn’t the finished product. The Hawkeye receiving room lacks experience and the defense looks to replace key starters, but with 22 days until the season kicks off, question marks fading and confidence is growing in Iowa City. 

Wide receivers ‘most fun to watch’ 

When fans first glimpsed Iowa’s preseason depth chart, some unfamiliar names greeted them in the wideout spots. Of the six players listed at wideout, only two – Kaleb Brown and Seth Anderson – have caught a pass at the college level. The rest include redshirt freshmen Jarriett Buie, Dayton Howard, and Terrell Washington Jr., as well as senior Kaden Wetjen, who has only returned kicks and punts. 

New offensive coordinator Tim Lester doesn’t mind the inexperience. After all, he should be familiar to Iowa’s situation after his 2023 stint with the Green Bay Packers, who featured the longest receiving corps in the NFL, according to Sports Illustrated. Prior to Week 1 last season, the Packers only had three wideouts who played more than one snap in a regular season game. Yet after 4,210 receiving yards across 18 games, Green Bay found itself in a playoff spot. 

“It’s huge when you’re young and unknown, right?” Lester said of the Hawkeye receivers. “The trajectory opportunity is huge. They’ve really taken advantage of it. It has been so much fun; they’re probably the one group that’s been the most fun to watch because it is leaps and bounds of improvement every day. They’ll do something and not understand how to attack a coverage and then the next day they do it right and they immediately get the gratification of getting themselves open and making a play.” 

Lester said route-running would be a critical piece of evidence for evaluating his receivers, but also emphasized the importance of blocking. The coordinator said the Hawkeyes won’t shy away from keeping the ball on the ground repeatedly and doing so requires receivers to embrace physicality. 

Wide receivers coach Jon Budmayr, who takes over the role after one year as an offensive analyst with the Hawkeyes, agrees with Lester’s assessment. Blocking isn’t flashy and might not appear on the highlight tape, but it results in big plays when players commit to the job. 

“It starts with a willingness,” he said. “We told our guys on day one that in this system if you’re not willing to block, then the whole [offense] doesn’t go. Part of being a complete player is valuing every part of your job … Once you have the willingness, technique, and understanding, what’s fun is getting to see the play [action] pass work off it … When [receviers] impact the run, it opens up the explosive play pass.” 

Line play 

Another key aspect of Tim Lester’s Kyle Shanahan-esque offense features the offensive line, which aims to be more mobile to accommodate the fast-paced system. For Hawkeye left tackle Mason Richman, this shift is only natural based on Iowa’s past recruiting. 

“We don’t recruit big fat slobs to come here and play offensive line, shuffle around, grab people,” he said. “We recruit guys who are athletes … You can go down the whole board, everyone’s an athlete that’s played multiple sports and didn’t sit on the couch all day.” 

Indeed, Richman also starred on the hardwood in high school, as did Iowa center Logan Jones. Starting right tackle Gennings Dunker ran track and wrestled back in his prep days. Having this athleticism only makes the run game better. 

“It’s really clicking right now,” Richman said, adding that Lester always starts each practice with a successful run play. “We got a lot of guys playing fast and that’s the biggest thing for the offensive line is we want to play as fast as we can.” 

Richman in particular should be more fleet of foot this season, as he told reporters Friday that he suffered a fracture in his lower leg last season in Iowa’s Week 6 win over Purdue. He said the injury was similar to Cooper DeJean’s in 2023, but a little farther up the leg. 

“We’ve been through a lot together, we’ve learned to grow,” Richman said of the offensive line, which boasts all upperclassmen at its starting spots. “There’s guys going through stuff … If you’re not ready to go, we’ve got someone else ready.” 

Lester’s offense doesn’t just emphasize up-tempo play on the line but also creates some potential advantages for linemen on blocking assignments. Offensive line coach George Barnett explained that pre-snap motion among receivers and running backs will force opposing linebackers to commit beyond one gap, distracting their eyes and focus and giving the Hawkeye front five an advantage. 

“[The offensive line] has to stay locked in, because that [defender] that started there might not end up there,” he said. “What you gain from it though is a misfit run, a misfit linebacker, a little more time on the double team because the [linebacker] has his eyes on more than just one gap.” 

Injury scarcity 

For about 20 minutes of Ferentz’s half-hour press conference Friday, no media member inquired on injuries, which left the head coach so shocked he felt the need to break the ice himself. 

“Nobody’s asked about injuries,” a grinning Ferentz commented. “I’ll bring it up. I’ll volunteer it. How’s that?” 

Ferentz may have been proud to make such a declaration as his doesn’t seem to have much to worry about in terms of player health. McNamara told reporters he’s been 100 percent for a few months, but how much he plays on Saturday’s open practice remains to be seen. Running back Leshon Williams, however, will most likely not see action in the upcoming scrimmage, as he is one of four to five players Ferentz said are dealing with short-term soft tissue injuries. 

As for defensive back Koen Entringer, who hurt his knee in Iowa’s bowl game loss to Tennessee and missed all of spring practice, the second-year defender still has a shot to play this year, Ferentz said. 

The head coach said Entringer has been practicing this fall, but not tackling. Yet after tweaking his ankle in Friday’s practice, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Entringer sitting out on Saturday.