The 2020 Iowa football team will be unlike any that I’ve covered since 1992
By Pat Harty
IOWA CITY, Iowa – In my nearly 30 years of covering the Iowa football team, never have I written the following sentence: the strength of the Iowa football team will be at receiver.
Until now.
Because it’s true, assuming All-America defensive end A.J. Epenesa skips his senior season to enter the 2020 NFL Draft, which seems almost certain.
A defensive line with Epenesa, fellow defensive end Chauncey Golston and defensive tackle Daviyon Nixon would be similar in strength to receiver where the top four receivers return.
Actually, every receiver returns, considering there wasn’t a senior at that position on the 2019 team, which capped a 10-3 season by pounding USC 49-24 in the Holiday Bowl this past Friday in San Diego.
The receivers helped lead the way as they accounted for four of Iowa’s touchdowns, including three by junior Ihmir Smith-Marsette, all of which came during the second quarter.
Redshirt freshman receiver Tyrone Tracy Jr. scored the game’s first touchdown on a beautifully executed 23-yard reverse on the opening possession of the game.
Junior Brandon Smith also came back from a high ankle sprain to catch four passes, which netted only 32 yards, but still produced one touchdown, while his other three receptions were crucial in sustaining drives.
And another redshirt freshman, Nico Ragaini, had 52 receiving yards in the Holiday Bowl, including a nifty 30-yard grab.
Those four receivers combined for 163 receptions, 2,189 receiving yards and 15 touchdown catches in 13 games.
Iowa's top four receivers performed so well that Michigan transfer and Iowa City native Oliver Martin only played sparingly as a third-year sophomore. Martin appeared in eight games and had five catches for 28 yards and one touchdown.
Martin has some work to do to get on the field, but there should be healthy competition this spring.
Another strength to the receiver group, besides experience, is its versatility because the top four receivers are unique in their own way.
Smith-Marsette has blazing speed and is dangerous in space, and as a kick returner, while the 6-foot-2, 218-pound Brandon Smith relies more on size and strength to make difficult and acrobatic catches in traffic.
Tracy Jr. excels at gaining yards after the catch, while Ragaini has a knack for getting open from the slot position on quick slants.
Iowa has had some talented groups of receivers in the past, including when Derrell Johnson-Koulianos and Marvin McNutt played together in 2009 and 2010.
But the current group just seems to have more of everything. It covers all areas, including talent, experience and depth.
Probably the biggest concern with the receivers at this stage is who will throw to them next season with Nate Stanley having used up his eligibility after making 39 consecutive starts at quarterback.
“The fact that we are all definitely coming back is a great thing, even though we’re going to have a different quarterback shouldn’t slow us down at all,” Brandon Smith said of the receivers. “We’re still going to continue to progress and we’re all going to have another year under our belts.”
Brian Ferentz will also have another year under his belt as offensive coordinator, and the oldest of Kirk Ferentz's five children showed his potential by having a brilliant game plan for the Holiday Bowl.
It would be easy to assume that sophomore-to-be Spencer Petras has the inside track at quarterback since he was Stanley’s backup this season.
But Kirk Ferentz says it’s always a clean slate at each position heading into spring practice, and that every position is open.
Petras will have to withstand competition from junior-to-be Peyton Mansell, redshirt freshman Alex Padilla and incoming freshman Deuce Hogan, assuming they all stick around.
That’s the thing with quarterbacks, the position is sort of like a revolving door with players coming and going via the transfer route.
Whoever ultimately wins the job will have the luxury of directing an offense that returns at least seven starters.
It would be eight if All-America right tackle Tristan Wirfs chose to return for his senior season. But all signs point to Wirfs leaving for the draft, and understandably so, with him likely being a high first-round pick.
The good news is that Alaric Jackson plans to return for his senior season after having played a junior season in which he never by his estimation was more than 70 percent healthy after injuring his knee in the opener.
Jackson is now in position to be a four-year starter at left tackle, which would put him in a class by himself at Iowa.
Tyler Linderbaum returns after starting all 13 games at center as a redshirt freshman, while Kyler Schott, Cole Banwart and Mark Kallenberger all return with starting experience at guard.
Tyler Goodson became the first true freshman to lead the team in single-season rushing yards with 638 yards. The Georgia native is also a capable receiver and dangerous in space.
Nate Wieting and Brady Ross will be missed at tight end and at fullback, respectively, both their leadership and steady play.
But the lightly recruited Sam LaPorta showed signs of stardom as a true freshman tight end, including in the Holiday Bowl, when he led Iowa with six catches for 44 yards.
Iowa also has a knack under Kirk Ferentz for develoing hard-nosed fullbacks.
There is a lot to like about the 2020 Iowa offense, even without Stanley and Wirfs.
Switching to defense and it’s fair to say that Phil Parker will have a challenge, considering the losses in personnel.
In addition to Epenesa almost certainly leaving for the draft, junior safety Geno Stone is also seriously considering it.
Epenesa and Wirfs both project as first-round picks, and it’s conceivable that both could crack the top 10 picks overall.
So, of course, they have to take the money and run under that circumstances because who wouldn’t?
Stone’s situation is more uncertain because he doesn’t project as a high pick.
But it just felt like Stone was planning to leave for the NFL based on what he said after the Holiday Bowl, and also by his actions after the game when he really seemed to soak in and savor the moment.
And while much of the focus is on what Epenesa and Stone plan to do, what is certain on defense is that defensive tackles Cedrick Lattimore and Brady Reiff, linebacker Kristian Welch and cornerback Michael Ojemudia all played their last game in the Holiday Bowl as senior starters.
They will be missed in a big way, on and off the field.
How much is now the question, and that won’t be answered until next season.
And speaking of next season, Ohio State is back on the schedule and will be loaded, even by its high standards. The game will be played on Oct. 10 in Columbus, and Iowa then will play at Penn State the following week.
It’s probably unrealistic to think that Iowa could duplicate its stunning 55-24 victory over Ohio State in 2017 at Kinnick Stadium
But if the Hawkeyes could stay close and have the game come down to a field goal, they’ll have a consensus All-America kicker to rely on in senior-to-be Keith Duncan.
He, actually by himself, makes kicker the one position on the team that could challenge receiver as best on the team.
Punter is different with Michael Sleep-Dalton having used up his eligibility as a graduate student.
The Australia native was more than adequate this season, and good enough to where punter never was a concern.
Backup Colten Rastetter, who started at punter the previous two seasons, also has exhausted his eligibility, so that leaves junior-to-be Ryan Gersonde as the top candidate, it would seem for now.
Gersonde missed all of the 2019 season because of an injury.
Iowa just completed a five-year stretch where it won 47 games and three bowl games.
That’s impressive almost any way you slice it, the biggest blemish being the 1-4 record against Wisconsin.
But on the other hand, Iowa finished 5-0 against Iowa State, Minnesota, Illinois and Nebraska over the past five seasons.
So the program is certainly trending in the right direction under Kirk Ferentz, who will be 65-years old by the start of next season, which will be his school record 22nd season as head coach.
Ferentz shows no signs of slowing down, and his age has had little to no effect on recruiting, or so it would seem.
Iowa has continued to develop players with the 2019 squad a shining example of that.
Iowa's 2020 schedule
Sept. 5, vs. Northern Iowa
Sept, 12 vs. Iowa State
Sept. 18 at Minnesota
Sept, 26 vs. Northern Illinois
Oct. 3 vs. Michigan State
Oct. 10 at Ohio State
Oct. 17 at Penn State
Oct. 24 vs. Northwestern
Nov. 7 at Illinois
Nov. 14 vs. Nebraska
Nov. 21 at Purdue
Nov. 28 vs. Wisconsin