By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Much was written and said about Brandon Smith when he joined the Iowa football team last season.

He was a media sensation, because as a big and athletic receiver, he appeared to be just what the Iowa offense always seems to need.

Smith also had an interesting recruiting story to tell as a kid from a tiny town in Mississippi where Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz and his staff rarely recruit. Iowa made an exception with Smith after becoming aware of his talent, and his lack of scholarship offers, and the relationship grew stronger over time.

Smith would go on to be one of 10 true freshmen to play for Iowa last season, but only in a limited role. He saw action in nine games and finished with three catches for 15 yards. He also had a costly fumble in Iowa’s 17-10 loss at Michigan State.

So now as Smith enters his sophomore season, which begins on Sept. 1 against Northern Illinois, the hype has faded and the expectations have been replaced by a wait-and-see-attitude from the fans and from the media.

“It was a good year, I got my feet wet and I got some experience,” Smith said Iowa’s media day event last Friday.

That’s a good way for Smith to summarize his freshman season because he did gain some valuable experience, even without living up to the enormous hype.

And it wasn’t Smith’s fault that he became the center of a media storm.

It also isn’t just the Iowa media that has fueled the hype.

Iowa receivers coach Kelton Copeland had high praise for Smith in spring practice.

“Once we get him to trust his fundamentals, use his size, use his speed, use his strength, all of his God-given abilities on a play-by-play basis, day in and day out, he’s going to be a force to be reckoned with,” Copeland said. “There’s no question.”

One could argue that Iowa hasn’t had a force to be reckoned with at receiver since Marvin McNutt played for the Hawkeyes from 2009 to 2011.

The problem with over-hyping an unproven player is that there are no guarantees when making the transition from high school to big-time college football.

What might seem like a sure thing on paper doesn’t always carry to the field, especially right away.

The good news for Smith is that he still has three seasons to prove himself as a Hawkeye.

And there should be plenty of opportunities for the 6-foot-3, 219-pound Smith to prove himself, considering he is listed as the starter at split end.

Smith was humble and soft spoken while being interviewed at media day last Friday. He answered most of the questions about himself by focusing on the receivers as a group.

It almost seemed like Smith went out of his way to avoid feeding the hype. He wouldn’t even acknowledge that he is a starter despite what the depth chart says.

“We don’t have any starters yet because it’s still camp,” Smith said. “But our whole receiver corp is going to be great this year.”

Iowa’s receivers don’t necessarily have to be great for the offense to succeed because there have been times before when Iowa has had success without having star receivers.

But the receivers can’t be a weakness, either, because Iowa strives for balance on offense and it’s hard to sustain a rushing attack if the defense doesn’t respect the opposing receivers.

Iowa is loaded at tight end where junior All-America candidate Noah Fant and sophomore T.J. Hockenson both return after combining for 54 catches, 814 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns last season.

Defenses will have to pay close attention to the tight ends, and that should create space for Smith and the other receivers to make plays.

“I don’t think that we like being under the radar,” Smith said. “I just think people haven’t seen what we can do.”

That’s not entirely true.

Senior Nick Easley is coming off a season in which he led Iowa with 51 catches for 530 yards and four touchdowns. Easley did most of his damage as a slot receiver, showing dependable hands and the ability to make catches in traffic.

Sophomore Ihmir Smith-Marsette also showed flashes of brilliance last season as a true freshman. He was overshadowed by Brandon Smith entering the 2017 season, but Smith-Marsette’s blazing speed and big-play capability earned him immediate playing time.

He finished last season with 18 catches for 187 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winner against Iowa State in overtime.

But Smith-Marsette also struggled in one specific area and he addressed it at media day when asked what fans will see from him this season that they didn’t see last season.

“Consistency,” Smith-Marsette said. “My confidence was up and down. I’ve got my confidence in year two. I see things different. The game has slowed down. I just have more confidence in myself.”

As for Brandon Smith, he now sort of takes a back seat to Smith-Marsette with regard to hype, and that could be beneficial to both.

Brandon Smith seems more laid back and shy than Smith-Marsette, who is a conversation or a joke waiting to happen.

Kirk Ferentz sent a subtle message this past spring when he commented to the media about Smith-Marsette’s apparent heavy use of his cell phone when he could be doing other things.

“Whether it’s when he’s in the player lounge, maybe getting off the phone a little bit more and, you know, maybe walk across the hall and watch film, those types of things,” Ferentz said.

Ferentz was joking and sending a message at the same time. He admires Smith-Marsette's outgoing personality and his competiveness, but it also seems that Ferentz wants his speedster from New Jersey to be more engaged in football.

Smith-Marsette said he knows when it’s time to be serious, and that time is coming for the Iowa receivers.

He and Brandon Smith will have an opportunity to shine, because in addition to having arguably the best group of tight ends in the country, Iowa also has an experienced quarterback in junior Nate Stanley, whose arm strength and success from last season, which includes 26 touchdown passes and just six interceptions, now has him gaining more hype.

Iowa’s receivers combined for just eight touchdown catches last season, which is three fewer then Fant had by himself.

Expectations are tempered for the receivers as a whole, and for Brandon Smith individually.

That could be just what he needs to excel.

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