When wide receiver Sam Phillips transferred to Iowa in January, not many Hawkeye fans truly knew about him until he appeared as the No. 1 wideout on Iowa’s Week 1 depth chart.
The move by the Iowa coaching staff initially seemed like a head-scratcher. With the assumed No.1 receiver Reece Vander Zee out with a foot injury, most Hawkeye fans expected Seth Anderson, Jacob Gill, or even Dayton Howard to take over as the X receiver.
Phillips, listed at 5-foot-7, is not the prototypical X receiver, a position typically held by a wideout who is around or over 6 feet tall. Phillips, however, has embraced that role in the Iowa offense, and is now the leading receiver for the Hawkeyes.
Phillips has accumulated 193 yards and ranks second on the squad in receptions, hauling in 11 passes through six games. The fourth-year also leads the team with 17.5 yards per reception, a mark that ranks sixth-best in the Big Ten.
Phillips’ big-play ability shows the trust the Hawkeye coaching staff has in him to generate long pass plays downfield.
“I’m just trying to gain the trust of coach [wide recievers coach Jon] Budmayr, coach [offensive coordinator Tim]Lester, and coach [head coach Kirk] Ferentz, as well, and just the whole staff, showing that I can create big plays for the team and make big plays downfield,” Phillips said at media availability on Oct. 7.
Phillips totaled 2,088 yards and nine touchdowns in three seasons at Chattanooga before transferring to Iowa. Phillips’ 823 yards in 2024 led the Southern Conference, and he was third in the league with 50 receptions.
The Cartersville, Georgia, native said the discipline and stability of the Hawkeye football program and Ferentz’s consistency are what drew him to Iowa City.
“Just knowing that coach Ferentz has been here for 27 years, and he shows a record of winning. I mean, you can’t decline that,” Phillips said. “His career shows that, if I play under him, I’m going to be a great football player.”
Phillips’ best game so far this season came against Massachusetts in Week 3, where he hauled in three passes for 75 yards. The senior wideout has racked up 75 yards or more 11 times in his career, and has eclipsed the century mark in five games.
With a combination of speed and good hands, Phillips prides himself on helping his quarterback by getting to the right spots with crisp route-running and discipline.
“I try to pride myself on route running, discipline, and route depth,” Phillips said. “Just playing my role as best I can.”
The addition of Phillips to the Iowa offense has been a positive one, and his work ethic on and off the field generates high praise from Ferentz.
“Just everything about him is positive,” Ferentz said. “He’s just a really mature guy, does a great job in the classroom, that’s not an issue. And he’s really just blended in well with our team, and it’s seamless. He’s a great guy.”