Go Iowa Awesome – Three Takeaways from Thursday’s Coordinator Presser

Three Iowa coaches — offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz, defensive coordinator Phil Parker, and particular groups coach LeVar Woods — spoke to the media in the present day forward of Saturday’s open follow. They’d rather a lot to say about a number of gamers, so let’s sort out a few of their most noteworthy feedback.

With the additions of Cade McNamara and Erick All by way of the switch portal, this can be the primary time shortly that Iowa followers have had important motive to be enthusiastic about seeing the Hawkeye offense in motion. Sadly, they’ll have to attend just a little bit longer — no less than for McNamara.

“[Cade] might get some work on Saturday,” Ferentz mentioned. “However we wish to be good. He is been a bit restricted coming off of his surgical procedure, however he is been on the market in particular person and 7-on-7 work. He is in a position to get reps and throw the soccer however hasn’t been in a position to do any 11-on-11 work. We have definitely been happy with what we have been in a position to see him do.”

That lack of full-go reps with your entire offense has the workers waiting for the autumn to construct the mandatory rapport between receivers and quarterback.

“Clearly that needs to be a priority,” Ferentz mentioned. “We have performed loads of 7-on-7 work and routes on air. He is on the market doing nearly every part however workforce work. I see the chemistry being constructed, I see it getting there. The truth is that 90% of the passing recreation is [running] routes on air anyway — it is timing. We do not see a ton of man protection. We are able to attempt to recreate as lots of these conditions in a managed setting as we will proper now. And we’ll must hope that we’ll get sufficient 11-on-11 work in fall camp. I am fairly assured that we are going to. We have performed it earlier than, and Cade has performed lots of 11-on-11 soccer in his life.”

All has handled an damage that hampered his potential to totally take part at occasions through the spring, however he has seen extra 11-on-11 motion than McNamara.

“Like Cade, he is been just a little bit restricted coming off a again damage,” Ferentz mentioned. “We have tried to restrict his workforce work. He is seen extra 11-on-11 work than Cade. I’ve simply been actually happy with what he is performed. He is an enormous, bodily man that strikes very effectively for his measurement. He has actually pure ball-catching abilities. He likes soccer and being part of a workforce. He cares about soccer. He is a enjoyable man to teach and be round.”

“On each [Cade and Erick] — the soccer half is nice,” he added. “We knew that will be good, however what they’ve delivered to our soccer workforce on a private stage, from a management and expertise standpoint — I’ve actually been extra happy with that than something.”

The departures of Keagan Johnson and Arland Bruce IV, together with Brody Brecht specializing in baseball and the ever-present concern of damage, has the large receiver corps in Iowa Metropolis operating… skinny. With Charleston Southern switch Seth Anderson sidelined for the spring, it is given different receivers (not named Nico Ragaini and Diante Vines) the chance to step up.

“I feel Alec Wick has continued to come back on,” Ferentz mentioned. “Courting again to final spring, he has put collectively a very stable physique of labor over a yr and has continued to enhance and get higher.”

The Iowa Metropolis Regina product caught two passes for 31 yards final season as a redshirt freshman.

“Reese Osgood is one other younger man that has jumped off the tape,” Ferentz added. “He is much like the place Wick was a yr in the past, he is simply not as skilled as Alec is correct now. However he is positively doing lots of the best issues.”

Osgood has but to see any recreation motion, taking a redshirt final season. As a senior at Franklin Excessive Faculty (Wisconsin), he recorded 58 receptions for 1,082 yards and 13 touchdowns.

“I see lots of guys [in the receiver group] and lots of motive to be excited,” Ferentz mentioned. “Proper now, it is early. We have to proceed working and must stack good days on good days.”

It is no secret that Hawkeye cornerback Cooper DeJean can do all of it. Between 75 tackles, three TFL, 13 cross break-ups, 5 interceptions (three returned for a landing) and ten punts returned for 165 yards, the Odebolt native nearly by no means leaves the sector. Anticipate extra of that in 2023.

“The way in which he goes about his work, the dedication, the competitor he’s and the way he goes about his enterprise — he is at all times making an attempt to get higher,” Parker mentioned. “He can play each place on the sector within the backend of the protection and may in all probability play another completely different positions. His stability and his potential to diagnose conditions sooner than all people else [are what separate him], and he actually has some palms like Spider-Man.”

Parker mentioned DeJean has continued to point out development as a pacesetter as effectively.

“He has talked to some guys when he sees them not doing one thing precisely [right] or not ending a play,” he added. “Even one thing like ‘Hey, tuck the ball away,’ [after an interception]. That was one of many first issues I noticed about seven days in the past from him. That made me say ‘Wow. Okay, that is good.’ As a result of he would not say that earlier than. He is a quiet man and actually humble, so I had by no means seen him do this. “

Woods then took to the rostrum and customarily confirmed that DeJean’s particular groups versatility will as soon as once more be utilized in 2023.

“Everybody desires to know who the punt returner and kick returner are,” he mentioned. “All of us noticed what Cooper did final yr. I might be shocked if we do not begin off the season with him because the punt returner.”

“He has a pure potential with the ball in his palms,” Woods continued. “The man is fearless. He is good. The man is tremendously gifted as an athlete. A few of that’s having ‘it.’ However Cooper, when he was a freshman, he was the primary man out daily. He labored at nighttime when nobody was paying consideration.”