By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa– Redshirting is overrated these days.

In this age of the transfer portal and NIL, delaying the chance to participate doesn’t make a lot of sense because players now come and go at an alarming pace, and many are less willing to wait for their chance, so it makes more sense to get what you can while you can.

The future is now and that’s one reason why it would make absolutely no sense to redshirt Iowa true freshman running back Nathan McNeil.

Another reason is that McNeil has shown that he is ready and able to help right now.

Former Iowa offensive coordinator Don Patterson even went as far as to say on the Hawk Fanatic radio show and podcast this past Monday that McNeil sort of reminds him of a young Ronnie Harmon.

And if you know anything about Hawkeye football, that’s the ultimate compliment.

Iowa certainly has enough depth at running back to where redshirting McNeil wouldn’t create a shortage, barring a rash of injuries at the position.

But why wait?

It would make more sense to get McNeil some touches.

Two of Iowa’s top running backs already have suffered injuries that have caused in the case of Kamari Moulton to miss the last two games and will cause Xavier Williams to miss Friday’s game against Rutgers, and maybe more.

The good news is that Moulton is expected to return for the Big Ten opener at Rutgers on Friday.

Iowa also has junior Jaziun Patterson and sophomore Terrell Washington Jr. as reliable options at running back.

Ten or 15 years ago, it would have made more sense to redshirt a player such as McNeil; the thinking being that he would benefit from the extra time to develop physically and mentally, and that there already were enough running backs to carry the load.

But in this new age, living in the moment seems to be what matters the most because the future is so uncertain and because rosters are so fluid.

McNeil can play up to four games and still keep his freshman eligibility. The Florida native has currently played in two games.

Kirk Ferentz was asked at his weekly press conference on Tuesday what has kept McNeil from cracking the running back rotation.

“Just youth,” Ferentz said. “He’s a little bit new to the scene, obviously. He got here in January.

“I’ve said before, he’s just a young man we’re really impressed with. He’s just really focused and steady, solid, on the field and in class; since he’s been on campus has been really impressive.

“So, we’re really high on him. We just want to bring him along at a pace that’s best for him, hopefully. I think he’s got real potential. But there’s still some things that he’s got to work on, too. And he knows that. So he’ll do a good job there.”

The 5-foot-11, 193-pound McNeil has 70 rushing yards on 13 carries this season and one catch for 32 yards while appearing in two of the three games.

Iowa is known for being a developmental program under Kirk Ferentz and it wasn’t as if McNeil had a bunch of high-end scholarship offers coming out of high school in Tampa, Florida.

So, at first glance, it might make sense to redshirt him, even in this age.

But it really wouldn’t make sense because McNeil already has shown that he can be effective at a position in which attrition is always a concern.

Iowa needs all the help it can get on offense, and Nathan McNeil has shown that he can help with his unique skill set.

And when Kirk Ferentz uses words like steady, focused and poised to describe a young player, that player has obviously made a strong impression and earned Ferentz’s respect.

The time is now for Nathan McNeil.