By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Unlike some in the media, Iowa offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz isn’t ready to anoint Brandon Smith as a star just yet.

Smith has sort of been a media sensation since he joined the Iowa football team as a true freshman last season out of Mississippi.

It was thought that his size and speed would help the 6-foot-3, 219-pound Smith become an immediate contributor, but that never really happened last season.   

Smith played sparingly as a reserve and only caught three passes for 15 yards last season.

Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said recently that Smith struggled with confidence as a true freshman, but has shown signs this spring that he might be ready to take the next step.

Brian Ferentz, who is Kirk’s son, was asked about Smith on Tuesday, and to say that Brian was guarded with his optimism would be an understatement.

Brian was asked what could be done to put Smith in a position to make plays.

“What Brandon needs to do is keep developing because I don't know if he's demonstrated he is a playmaker yet,” Brian Ferentz said. “If we can get him to become one, boy, that would be terrific. It's not hard to move him around. Some of the other guys, it's a little bit harder to find spots for them. We're not going to find out until September 1st, but he's made progress, and we're excited about that.

“But until you do it in a game, it's kind of like — I was pretty smart until I called a play in a game, right? And then I did it, and I don't know if I was so smart anymore or not, but at least I was a proven commodity one way or the other.”

Brian Ferentz said it’s important for Smith to learn the little things that help a receiver be effective.

“We've seen a lot of those things with him, whether it's just technique on a release or route running, cleaning up some of those details, consistency, and the effort he's giving every day, which has been excellent right now,” Brian Ferentz said. “But to keep that going from now until September 1st and then through that, that's going to be the challenge.”

Smith is listed as the starter at split end in the spring prospectus and is expected to play a bigger role with former receiver Matt VandeBerg having used up his eligibility.

But Smith still hasn’t proven himself as a Hawkeye because making plays in practice is one thing, while making plays in a game is entirely different..

“Certainly, it's not a sprint we're running,” Brian Ferentz said. “It is most definitely a marathon and probably with conditions that are a little bit more similar to the one in Boston yesterday. So we need mudders. We need guys that are going to keep working and keep grinding away. He's demonstrating that right now, but until he does something in a game besides fumble on an out rout, it's going to be a little bit hard to say that he's a guy we want to put in position to make plays.”

Starters emerging at linbebacker: Iowa defensive coordinator Phil Parker met with the media on Tuesday and shed some light on the competition at linebacker where all three starters, including consensus All-American Josey Jewell, have to be replaced from last season.

Right now, Nick Niemann (LEO), Amani Jones (MIKE) and Aaron Mends (WIL) would start at the three linebacker positions if Iowa played a game tomorrow, Parker said.

Jones and Mends were thought to be competing for the No. 1 WIL spot, while junior Kristian Welch was listed as the starting MIKE with senior Jack Hockaday as the backup on the depth chart that was released before the start of spring practice in late March.

Parker said Hockaday remains the backup in the middle, but Welch has moved to the backup at WIL. Niemann remains atop the two-deep at LEO with sophomoe Barrington Wade listed as his backup

"It varies every day," Parker said. "Sometimes, one guy might be better than the other, but right now that’s who I’d start."

A.J. Epenesa update: A.J. Epenesa showed hints of stardom and why he was a five-star recruit coming out high school with his performance as a true freshman last season.

The son of former Iowa football player Eppy Epenesa led the Hawkeyes with eight quarterback hurries last season. A.J. Epenesa also had 5 1/2 tackles for loss and 4 1/2 sacks last season.

But he still is very much a work in progress according to Parker.

"A.J. is a very talented guy," Parker said. "There’s times where I think he’s really done a good job. He’s still young and understanding the position. He still has a long ways to go to where I think he needs to be.".