NEWS FLASH: The Ohio State Buckeyes have signed Iowa Hawkeyes’ only major player

He will have new parts to work with. McNamara is joined by former Michigan kicker Erick All (38 catches for 437 yards in 2021) among the notable early additions through the transfer portal. The Hawkeyes’ secondary includes standout speedster Alex Mota, a three-star recruit with additional scholarship offers from Kansas State, Nebraska and Wisconsin, among others, who could pair well with Brown. Iowa also returns its top two rushers from 2022, running backs Kaleb Johnson (779 yards, six touchdowns) and Leshon Williams (413 yards, two touchdowns).

“We couldn’t do much with some of the players they had last year,” Brown said. “Now that the talent is coming through and things are changing, I feel like we can open up the playbook a little bit more and give the coaches some food for thought, you know what I mean? And I think that’s what it’s about.

There’s a lot of things we can bring to the table, just seeing Cade’s highlights at Michigan and what I can bring to the table, just getting on top of defenses and manipulating them, that’s it. is certain. and versatility, Brown must provide the Hawkeyes with the explosiveness that their wide receivers have lacked for so long under Ferentz’s tenure — a 24-year run in which none of his four draft picks Iowa at this position was selected in the first four rounds. time of 10.84 seconds in the 100 meters as a freshman at St. Rita of Chicago would place 17th at the Big Ten Track and Field Championships that same year. As a sophomore in 2020, his indoor time of 7.01 seconds in the 60 meters would have placed 21st at the Big Ten Indoor Track and Field Championships.

A high school career spent primarily as a running back fueled Brown’s career in college, where he became one of 13 four- or five-star receivers to join the Buckeyes in his first five years first since Hartline took over the group’s position in 2018. Brown caught one pass for 5 yards in very limited playing time as a full 22 receivers: Brown, Caleb Burton (No. 70 overall; No. 10 WR), Kyion Grayes (No. 88 overall; No. 14 WR) and Kojo Antwi (151 total; 26 WR) – combined to record fewer than 70 snaps from scrimmage behind established veterans Marvin Harrison Jr., Emeka Egbuka, Julian Fleming and Xavier Johnson, all return this fall.Four other blue-chip receivers signed with Ohio State in the 23rd recruiting cycle: 4,444 Brandon Inniss (No. 35 overall; No. 5 WR), Noah Rogers (No. 52 overall; No. 8 WR), Carnell Tate (No. 59 overall; No. 9 WR) and Bryson Rodgers (No. 355 overall; No. 49 WR).

 With three of those players enrolling early, head coach Ryan Day described the coming months as “a really, really big spring” for sophomores like Brown when asked about their junior year. two expanded during a press conference in early March. Eight weeks later, Brown and Burton both entered the transfer portal, the former committing to Iowa and the latter to Auburn.

“I’m really excited to show off my skills and show off my abilities, you know what I mean?” » Brown said. “That was a really big thing for me. I was always ready to compete, even at Ohio State. But you know, it’s just a matter of how much time I’m going to spend on the field.

“I feel like I’ve grown and learned a lot because I wasn’t a receiver at all (when I went to Ohio State). Just running back from receiver, you know what I mean, that’s Yes a lot of different things – football-related things – that I had to learn, whether it was insurance, leverage, all those things. I had a feeling playing 7-on-7, but they really shaped me and made me a better receiver. This first year is absolutely necessary, 100% necessary, that’s for sure. And I think I can translate it and bring it to Iowa. whose on-field production as a starter at Michigan eclipsed what Petras contributed behind a leaky offensive line and with a receiving corps that struggled last year.

Less than 9% of Petras’ passes went minus 20 yards downfield in 2022, according to Pro Football Focus, and he completed just 9 of those 24 attempts for 281 yards, one touchdown ball and an NFL passer rating of 96. Meanwhile, McNamara threw 14.5% of his throws at least 20 yards downfield last year, in 2021, and completed 19 of them. , 48 attempts for 715 yards, five touchdowns and an NFL passer rating of 121.9 – his highest among PFF’s four yardage ranges. The fact that McNamara is still criticized for being too conservative that season highlights Iowa’s outdated offensive style in 2022.

“The stability of the midfield,” Brown said. “Definitely Cade, he basically checked the box for me. You know what I mean? And pretty much how I’m going to be used offensively. Those are all my boxes that need to be checked.”
Ferentz and his staff hope McNamara and Brown can reverse the program’s pattern of underperformance and underrating, especially after seeing punt returner Charlie Jones transfer to Purdue and catch 110 passes for 1,361 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2022. All Jones wants is a bigger role on the line attack – something the Hawkeyes never offered – and the team helped him get a fourth-round pick. State) entered the transfer portal in early December, shortly after the season ended. Regular season, Ferentz parting ways with exactly half of the four-star players he’s signed since taking over the Hawkeyes — Davis and Stross — combined to catch 143 passes for 1,884 yards and 14 touchdowns in eight games