ORLANDO, Fla. − At Iowa’s first on-site practice ahead of the Citrus Bowl, Hawkeye defenders chased a scout-team quarterback wearing a No. 7 gold jersey in preparation for Tennessee’s Joe Milton.

Upon coming off the field at Celebration High School, they were legitimately surprised to learn that Milton – a sixth-year senior who threw for 2,813 yards this season with 20 touchdowns and five interceptions – was opting out of the ball game. The news broke late Wednesday morning; Iowa came off the practice field around 12:45 p.m. ET.

“Oh, he did?” free safety Quinn Schulte said. “… This is news to me today, to be honest with you. Obviously, we’re going to have to go back and take a look.”

Fourth-year defensive end Deontae Craig was also taken aback by the news, his eyes reacting in disbelief. In Milton’s previous game, against Vanderbilt, he completed 22 of 33 passes for 383 yards and four touchdowns. ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. ranks Milton as the No. 10 QB prospect in the upcoming NFL Draft. Milton played with current Iowa quarterback Cade McNamara while they were at Michigan in 2020.

“Obviously, a sixth-year guy. He comes with a lot of experience,” Craig said. “You turn on the tape and you see the athletic traits he has. But it’s Tennessee. So, whether it’s their second string, third string … we’re going to prepare the same way.”

Deontae Craig excited about Indianapolis buddy Jay Higgins’ return

The Iowa defensive end also was surprised about the Joe Milton news at Tennessee and praised the development of Brian Allen.

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Craig’s surprise quickly turned to comfort. No doubt that after getting off the practice field, defensive coordinator Phil Parker and his staff were discussing how to tweak preparations (if at all) for the new Tennessee starter, true freshman Nico Iamaleava, who is a 6-foot-6 prospect from California who arrived as a five-star recruit with a supposed (but never confirmed) NIL deal worth $8 million.

Iamaleava, who was the nation’s third-ranked recruit in the 2023 class according to 247 Composite, has appeared in four games this year and completed 16 of 26 throws for 163 yards with one TD, that coming in a 59-3 rout of Connecticut.

“Our coaches do such a good job of handling that stuff for us, so we don’t have to worry about it,” Craig said. “I’ve got the utmost confidence in them, so I know they’ll have us ready to go for whoever is back there.”

The last time Iowa faced a true freshman in a bowl game? Last year – against Kentucky four-star prospect, Will Destin, after Will Levis opted out of the game.

Iowa sophomore safety Xavier Nwankpa grinned at that memory, a 21-0 Hawkeye victory in the Music City Bowl. Nwankpa had a 54-yard interception-return touchdown off Destin in that game, his first career start, and Cooper DeJean had a pick-six of his own.

“Yeah, we had a couple picks,” Nwankpa said. “We’re going to try to replicate that.”

Iowa’s Xavier Nwankpa finally has the cast off his fractured thumb

The Iowa sophomore safety from Southeast Polk talks about his personal development and preparations for Tennessee.

Jay Higgins is back. Who else will join him?

Iowa’s All-Big Ten middle linebacker announced Tuesday, the day the Hawkeyes traveled to Orlando, that he would return for a fifth season rather than go to the NFL. Craig, a fellow Indianapolis native, reacted to the news Wednesday.

“We’ve been boys since we were little kids,” Craig said. “I never wanted to put too much pressure on him, obviously. His future is his future. … I’m definitely happy, and I know everybody is happy he’s coming back.”

Higgins’ return is massive, considering the Hawkeyes were potentially going to lose both productive inside linebackers after losing their top three (Jack Campbell, Seth Benson, Jestin Jacobs) a year ago. That kind of attrition could eventually be problematic. But now, Higgins – a team captain and the Big Ten’s top tackler – will center Phil Parker’s defense once again.

Higgins may be joined by Nick Jackson next year, too, after Jackson reportedly received a waiver to return for a sixth year. I believe it is still more likely that Jackson turns pro than stays in school, though a final decision has not been made.

Also weighing NFL decisions are defensive backs Sebastian Castro, Cooper DeJean, Jermari Harris and Schulte, plus tight end Luke Lachey. Schulte was the only one of that group who spoke Wednesday after practice. He said there will be no decision until after Monday’s game (Noon CT, ABC), which is common practice for Hawkeyes under Kirk Ferentz.

Schulte, though, did concede that Higgins’ move could create a domino effect. The more guys that stay, the more other guys might want to stay, too. Iowa will figure out how to make room for all of them later. That’d be a good problem for recruiting director Tyler Barnes to have.

“If I were to come back, it’d be nice to have Jay back,” Schulte said. “Any chance to play with guys like that are certainly special.”

Kaleb Brown: Iowa excited about Citrus Bowl game plan vs. Tennessee

The redshirt freshman receiver who has emerged in November talks offense, coordinator and Marco Lainez’s development..

Brian Ferentz is coaching in the game

However, the outgoing Iowa offensive coordinator will not appear in the coordinator press conferences Friday here in Orlando. His spot on the schedule has been taken by tight ends coach Abdul Hodge.

There was some question whether Ferentz would be in Orlando, with Kirk Ferentz saying that if his son got a job elsewhere, he didn’t expect him to join the team for the Citrus Bowl. Considering Brian Ferentz has deep NFL ties and that offseason avalanche of coaching changes not happening until January, it’s not a surprise – or a concern – that Ferentz has not yet landed a job elsewhere.

“He’s coaching his butt off, and it’s great to have him and learn from him,” tight end Addison Ostrenga said.

One of the offensive players Iowa would love to keep is wide receiver Kaleb Brown. The Ohio State transfer emerged in November with all 19 of his receptions (for 176 yards) coming in the final five games.

Brown was sad to see friend and receiver mate Diante Vines depart via the NCAA transfer portal but seems happy here and is eager to learn who takes over as offensive coordinator. Kirk Ferentz’s timeline for a hire is after the bowl game, so don’t expect any decisions or news this week.

“It’s a huge factor … in the production of the offense,” Brown said. “I’m just waiting to see who we’ve got. We’re rolling with whoever we got.”

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Addison Ostrenga’s fast development was necessary for Iowa football

The sophomore tight end got thrust into the No. 1 role for Iowa football after season-ending injuries to Luke Lachey and Erick All.

A better-than-expected one year at Iowa for Rusty Feth

Probably the happiest guy to talk to the media Wednesday was offensive lineman Rusty Feth, who wound up starting eight of Iowa’s last nine games at left guard after transferring from Miami of Ohio. He beamed about the experience he enjoyed in his one season with the Hawkeyes. After Monday, he’s out of college eligibility.

“I expected it would be pretty cool, but nothing can prepare you for being a part of a team like this for coach Ferentz,” Feth said. “You hear so much about him, and playing for him is a whole different level.”

A bonus from being at Iowa? An awesome Christmas gift from the injured starting quarterback. McNamara bought the offensive linemen customized video game controllers. Feth’s has his number (60) and a Tigerhawk and is geared for his PlayStation.

“I feel a little spoiled. He texted us a couple weeks before and tricked us,” Feth said. “He asked what type of console we played on because he was going to get one. We all fell for it. He got us (a controller for) whatever console we had.”

Feth echoed comments from about a month ago from right tackle Gennings Dunker that true freshman Kade Pieper was turning heads in the second part of the season. Feth also had a really cool answer about how he learned by watching a youngster scrap and claw in practice.

“They just go out there and play football. They don’t overthink,” Feth said. “When you do this for so long, you think about the fundamentals and technique more than you should. And watching a young kid come in there and sometimes do it better than you, it’s like, ‘Maybe I just need to go out there and play football.’”

Entering last game, Rusty Feth thankful for his Hawkeye experience

The Miami of Ohio transfer, who played left guard for Iowa football this season and battled injury, spoke about his one season on the team.

Watch out for the Big Ten West, now 2-0 in bowl games!

The division that became the laughingstock of college football at times has flexed its muscles, very slightly, early in this year’s college bowl season.

Northwestern on Dec. 23 knocked off Utah, 14-7, with a late touchdown to win outright as a 9½-point underdog in the Las Vegas Bowl. The Hawkeyes’ 10-7 win against the Wildcats, who finished 8-5, wound up being a quality victory at Wrigley Field.

On Tuesday, Minnesota – which earned a bowl bid despite a 5-7 record – toppled Bowling Green, 30-24, as a 3½-point favorite. The Golden Gophers finished 6-7, with one of those wins being against Iowa (by a 12-10 score) in the infamous “invalid fair catch” game at Kinnick Stadium.

The Big Ten West has two more teams on the bowl docket, and both are heavy underdogs on Monday. Wisconsin is a 10-point dog vs. LSU in the Reliaquest Bowl in Tampa (formerly Outback).

And then there’s Iowa as an 8-point underdog against Tennessee in the Citrus. My early gut feeling is Iowa can cover that number but will gather more info as this week progresses, with the game-preview column (online Saturday and in Sunday’s Des Moines Register) containing my score prediction.

“We’re here for a chance to compete in another game,” Nwankpa said. “So, excited to be here.”

Hawkeyes columnist Chad Leistikow has covered sports for 29 years with The Des Moines Register and USA TODAY Sports Network. Join Chad’s text-message group (free for subscribers) at HawkCentral.com/HawkeyesTexts. Follow @ChadLeistikow on Twitter.