By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Bundle up, don’t expect too much, especially from Cade McNamara, and be prepared for perhaps what could be a rather lengthy list of players that are withheld from practice.

Welcome to the Iowa football team’s final spring practice for 2023.

Saturday’s open practice at Kinnick Stadium will also put a wrap on Kirk Ferentz’s 25^th spring practice session as the head Hawk.

Ferentz eliminated what used to be the annual spring game between starters and reserves a long time ago and replaced it with a more traditional practice that is capped by a scrimmage near the end.

It certainly could be argued that playing a game is more entertaining and appealing to fans than conducting a practice.

But why bother?

If Kirk Ferentz believes that having practice is the best way to conclude spring drills, then more power to him, although, he doesn’t really need any more power.

It’s hard to say for whom to watch from a practice standpoint because it’s hard to know which players will be available.

Of course, eyes will be fixated on McNamara, and on the much-maligned Iowa offense that he now leads because the Iowa offense has become a national story under offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz, but for all the wrong reasons.

Iowa ranked 130^th out of 131 FBS teams in total offense last season, and only completed seven touchdown passes.

Fans are hoping that McNamara can help to rescue the Iowa offense from unprecedented depths of dysfunction.

McNamara, obviously, knows how to win as he led Michigan to the 2021 Big Ten title, and to the college playoff that season as its starting quarterback.

But then he lost his starting position to J.J. McCarthy early last season, and he also suffered an injury from which he is still recovering.

“He may get some work on Saturday, but obviously, we want to be smart,” Brian Ferentz said of McNamara. “He’s been a little bit limited coming off his surgery.

“But he’s been out there in individual and seven-on-seven and doing things like that. Able to get reps. Able to work. Able to throw the football. But hasn’t been able to do any eleven-on-eleven work. But we’ve certainly been pleased with what we’ve seen and with what he’s been able to do. Just kind of get acclimated to what’s going on. And that’s been positive.”

There is certainly reason to be more optimistic about the offense just from what McNamara will bring to it.

But it’s also important to remember that McNamara played behind arguably the best offensive line in the nation at Michigan, and with very talented receivers, running backs and tight ends.

One of those Michigan tight ends was Erick All, who has since accompanied McNamara to Iowa.

Fans will have a chance to watch All practice on Saturday, barring any recent developments, and from the sounds of it, he’s made a strong impression on and off the field.

All has made a couple one-handed catches in practice that drew high praise from his teammates, and he has used his experience and knowledge to help the younger players develop.

All is also returning from a back injury, that has limited his participation in some ways. But he is further along than McNamara from a health standpoint.

“Like Cade, he’s been a little bit limited coming off a back injury,” Brian Ferentz said of All. “So, we try to limit his team work. He’ seen more eleven-on-eleven work certainly than Cade has seen.”

From the way Brian Ferentz describes it, All and McNamara have adjusted smoothly, and they have embraced the Iowa culture and team-first mentality.

“One mention I would make on both of those guys, the football part is good. We knew that would be good,” Brain Ferentz said. “They’re a proven commodity. They’ve done it.

‘But what they’ve brought to our football team just on a personal level, and from a leadership standpoint, from an experience standpoint, I’ve really been more pleased with that than anything.”

Sophomore Joey Labas and Wisconsin transfer Deacon Hill should have plenty of opportunities to show what they can do behind center on Saturday.

Labas led Iowa to a 21-0 victory over Kentucky in the Music City Bowl in his first and only start.

And though, he wasn’t spectacular, he was solid, and most importantly victorious.

The word on Hill, a 6-3, 230-pound sophomore from Santa Barbara, California, is that he has a cannon for a throwing arm.

So, he could be fun to watch on Saturday.

And it’s always fun watching Tory Taylor punt under any circumstance, and Iowa also features one of the best kickers in the nation in sophomore Drew Stevens, who made 16-of-18 field-goal attempts last season, including both of his kicks from beyond 50 yards.

One of the challenges of being a kicker or punter for Iowa is overcoming the weather conditions, and that could be the case on Saturday with the forecast calling for temperatures in the mid-40s and with considerable wind gusts.

Phil Parker figures to have yet another rock-solid defense, despite losing some key pieces, and fans can catch a glimpse of the defense on Saturday.

The defensive line lost two key pieces in Lukas Van Ness and John Waggoner, the former to the NFL draft as just a third-year sophomore and the latter to graduation. But the cupboard still is stocked enough to where Parker called the defensive line the strength to the defense.

“Still, I think our strongest part is up front right now,” Parker said Thursday.

That might be hard to tell on Saturday as injuries have depleted the depth on the defensive line this spring.

“There’s a lot of guys that haven’t played this spring and gave them a little bit of a break, and a little rest,” Parker said. “You know, Joe Evans, Yahya Black, and then obviously Noah Shannon and Logan Lee, they haven’t taken almost no reps at all.

“So, it gave us a chance to develop some other young guys.”

In other words, three-fourths of Iowa’s starting defensive line will be withheld from practice on Saturday, or so it would seem.

The good news is that rising star defensive back and star punt returner Cooper DeJean has been practicing this spring and doing Cooper DeJean things.

“He’s done a heck of job competing,” Parker said. “Every play he’s getting better. I really like his leadership and how he’s developing that.”

Injuries have also been a factor on the offensive line this spring, so it might be hard to get much of a read on Saturday.

But one thing is certain, the Iowa offensive line will have to perform much better than last season when it struggled to run and pass block.

The hope is that being a year older and a year wiser will help to propel the unit.

Iowa also has added two offensive linemen from the transfer portal.

However, neither will be available on Saturday as Daijon Parker is recovery from a leg injury, while Rusty Feth won’t join the team until this summer.

Another position of interest is linebacker where 2022 Butkus Award winner Jack Campbell, and three -year starter Seth Benson, both will have to be replaced.

Seniors Jay Higgins and Kyler Fisher will help to fill the voids at linebacker, as will Virginia gradate transfer Nick Jackson, who brings a wealth of experience.

Jackson won’t practice on Saturday, however, as he has yet to enroll at the University of Iowa.

Iowa was thin at receiver last season, and will be really thin on Saturday without transfer Seth Anderson and redshirt freshman Jacob Bostick due to injuries, and without Brody Brecht, who recently announced that he would focus solely on baseball where he is a standout pitcher for the Hawkeyes.

Saturday’s open practice more than anything will be a chance for fans to be in Kinnick Stadium, and see Cade McNamara at least throw a few passes.

It will also give the players and coaches one more chance to get better before heading to the offseason.

From a media standpoint, it’ll be hard to reach any conclusions with such a small sample size, but that’s never stopped us from trying.

Spring is the time for hope and optimism because there is no threat of losing in the spring.

The gates to Kinnick Stadium will open at 9:45 a.m. and practice will start start at 10:45 and last for however long Kirk Ferentz wants it to last.