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Iowa Hawkeyes 2023 Snapshot Profile: No. 89 Nico Ragaini

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Iowa Hawkeyes 2023 Snapshot Profile: No. 89 Nico Ragaini


He’s back folks!

Wide receiver Nico Ragaini is back for his sixth season in Iowa City and it’s a vital retention for the offense. In a position of uncertainty, new quarterback Cade McNamara has at least one proven target returning in Ragaini.

Ragaini has been the same player over the past two years and plays a vital role in the offense. He’s the reliable slot target who handles the dirty work and moves the chains. He allows, in theory, other weapons free roam on the field as he takes care of the less glamorous parts of the game. It’s a very thankless position, and Iowa has been lucky to have a steady constant over the years in Ragaini.

The West Haven, Conn., native will be the veteran voice in the locker room, one who the rest of the team looks up to. He’s seen it all for Iowa over the past five years and will be a great mentor to a budding wide receiver group. Here is a look at what Nico Ragaini brings to the table in 2023.

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Nico Ragaini’s Preseason Player Profile

Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK

Hometown: East Haven, Conn.

Ht: 6-0

Wt: 196

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Class in 2022: Redshirt Sr.

Recruiting

Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

Stars Overall State Position
247 3 N/A 6 202
Rivals N/A N/A N/A N/A
ESPN 3 N/A N/A N/A
On3 Recruiting 3 1375 5 217
247 Composite N/A N/A N/A N/A

 

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Before Iowa

Bryon Houlgrave/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK

  • Two-time Male Athlete of the Year in New Haven
  • Earned All-New England recognition at prep school
  • Earned all-state honors for final three high school seasons after starting as a wide receiver as a freshman
  • Named to Walter Camp all-state team as a junior and senior

Career Stats

Receiving & Rushing Table
Receiving Rushing Scrimmage
Year School Conf Class Pos G Rec Yds Avg TD Att Yds Avg TD Plays Yds Avg TD
*2018 Iowa Big Ten FR WR 1 1 7 7.0 0 0 0 0 1 7 7.0 0
*2019 Iowa Big Ten FR WR 13 46 439 9.5 2 1 2 2.0 0 47 441 9.4 2
2020 Iowa Big Ten SO WR 8 18 191 10.6 0 1 1 1.0 1 19 192 10.1 1
*2021 Iowa Big Ten JR WR 12 26 331 12.7 1 0 0 0 26 331 12.7 1
*2022 Iowa Big Ten SR WR 11 34 386 11.4 1 2 17 8.5 0 36 403 11.2 1
Career Iowa 125 1354 10.8 4 4 20 5.0 1 129 1374 10.7 5

Depth Chart Overview

Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

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Nico Ragaini has been a starting wide receiver for Iowa for two years now, and that doesn’t figure to change. There’s no way he would have returned for one more year to ride the bench. We’ll see what his usage is in his final year. Ragaini’s skillset best suited for the slot.

Quote Them

Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK

“So I’m just trying to be what an older player was to me when I was a freshman here. Just be as welcoming as I can, let them know if they have any questions for me, I’m open to answering them. Just trying to push them to be the best they can be,” Ragaini said.

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Where to watch Nebraska vs. Iowa volleyball today: Channel, time, schedule, live stream for NCAA college match | Sporting News

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Where to watch Nebraska vs. Iowa volleyball today: Channel, time, schedule, live stream for NCAA college match | Sporting News


Big Ten volleyball continues with a true Midwest matchup between Nebraska and Iowa. 

The Huskers host the Hawkeyes in the hopes of extending their 33 consecutive wins at home. That shouldn’t be a problem as they’ve never lost to Iowa through 38 matches played.

However, Nebraska will likely be without sophomore phenom Andi Jackson, who missed Nebraska’s road match against Illinois with an injury. Transfer Leyla Blackwell stepped in for her first start, though, recording six kills and three blocks from the middle.

As the underdogs, the Hawkeyes will put up their best fight against the No. 2 team in the nation. They won their first two Big Ten matchups in five sets each. Freshman outside Malu Garcia led the way with 17 and 11 kills, earning her the conference’s Freshman of the Week honors. She leads the Hawkeyes this season with 2.76 kills per set, though Iowa will need to find a more balanced attack to get past the best defense in the nation.

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Here’s how to watch the Big Ten matchup between Nebraska and Iowa volleyball.

MORE: How to watch every Nebraska volleyball match in 2024

Where to watch Nebraska vs. Iowa volleyball today

  • TV channel: Nebraska Public Media (local)
  • Live stream: Big Ten Plus

The Nebraska vs. Iowa volleyball match will not be broadcast nationally, but local viewers can find the game on Nebraska Public Media. However, cord-cutters can stream the match on Big Ten Plus.

What time is Nebraska vs. Iowa volleyball today?

  • Date: Sunday, Oct. 6
  • Time: 3 p.m. ET

Nebraska hosts Iowa on Sunday, Oct. 6. First serve is set for 3 p.m. ET from Bob Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln, Neb.

Nebraska volleyball schedule 2024

Below is a look at the Huskers’ next five matchups on their schedule.

Date Game Time (ET)
Sun., Oct. 6 vs. Iowa 3 p.m.
Fri., Oct. 11 vs. Purdue 8:30 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 12 vs. Rutgers 8 p.m.
Fri., Oct. 18 at Michigan State 6 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 19 at Ohio State 3:30 p.m.

Iowa volleyball schedule 2024

Below is a look at the Hawkeyes’ next five matchups on their schedule.

Date Game Time (ET)
Sun., Oct. 6 at Nebraska 3 p.m.
Fri., Oct. 11 vs. Rutgers 7 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 12 vs. Purdue 7 p.m.
Wed., Oct. 16 at Northwestern 9 p.m.
Sun., Oct. 20 vs. Oregon 1 p.m.
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Iowa football vs Ohio State: Kirk Ferentz calls timeout, negating successful fake punt

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Iowa football vs Ohio State: Kirk Ferentz calls timeout, negating successful fake punt


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Iowa football can’t seem to get out of its own way at Ohio State.

Trailing 7-0 in the second quarter and having already missed a field goal, the Hawkeyes’ offense got to a 4th-and-inches near midfield. Iowa had just turned the Buckeyes over on downs, and getting points on the subsequent drive would’ve been a big momentum swing.

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Head coach Kirk Ferentz seemingly thought so as well and sent out the punt team to run a fake, where the ball was directly snapped to one of the players lined up in front of punter Rhys Dakin. Iowa successfully converted the fourth down, only for the referees to signal that Ferentz had called a timeout right before, negating the play.

More: Iowa vs. Ohio State score today: Live updates, highlights from Week 6 game

Having already played his hand, Ferentz then had his team do a real punt after the timeout, but Dakin did not hit it well and the ball only went 22 yards.

Ohio State then appeared rejuvenated and converted consecutive plays of 21 and 23 yards. But luckily for the Hawkeyes, star linebacker Jay Higgins forced a fumble and recovered the ball to keep Iowa’s deficit at one score.



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Ohio State Receives Huge Prediction vs. Iowa from Notable Analyst

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Ohio State Receives Huge Prediction vs. Iowa from Notable Analyst


The Ohio State Buckeyes are set to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes today in what will be the biggest test of the season so far. While Iowa may be their biggest test, Ohio State is still expected to dominate.

To this point in the year, the Buckeyes have lived up to all of the hype. They are a team that many expect to win a national championship this season. While they have a lot of work to do in order to accomplish that goal, they have shown why they’re receiving that hype throughout the first four games.

Looking ahead to today’s game, they have another opportunity to show just how dominant they’re capable of being.

One notable analyst is expecting another dominant win for Ohio State today.

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Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt took a look at today’s Big Ten matchup. He made a massive prediction for the Buckeyes.

“My question is, Iowa is so one-dimensional, will they be able to move the ball on this Ohio State defense? When you give a defense like this a team that is one dimension, it’s like, OK, they can load up on Kaleb Johnson … Ohio State should be able to at least slow down or stop Kaleb Johnson. There’s just not enough of a threat on offense for Iowa outside of that.”

With that breakdown, Klatt offered his prediction for the game. He sees Ohio State beating the Hawkeyes by a final score of 42-10. That would be just another sign that this team has what it takes to win a championship.

Obviously, the biggest key for the Buckeyes to shut down Iowa will be limiting star running back Kaleb Johnson. He has been one of the best running backs in the nation. If Ohio State can keep him in check, the Hawkeyes’ offense will struggle to move the football.

Offensively, the Buckeyes need to take care of the football. As long as they don’t make costly mistakes, Ohio State will move the football and put up points.

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While Iowa is going to play hard and bring everything they have, the Buckeyes are simply more talented. On paper, Klatt’s prediction should end up being 100 percent correct.

All of that being said, Ohio State simply needs to play their game and match the Hawkeyes’ energy and intensity. If they do that, they will be in a great place to move to 5-0 on the season.



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