While the Iowa Hawkeyes may again be without Nico Ragaini and Keagan Johnson against Nevada, the duo of receivers has been confirmed to be practicing. The two receivers will be very welcomed reinforcements once they suit up and are 100% healthy.
“Well, they’re practicing. That’s a starting point, right? That’s column number one right there. The first step to getting in a game and playing well is practicing. You can’t do it without practicing, you know, so having them actually in a helmet and catching a ball with shoulder pads on, that’s encouraging. They’ve missed time obviously.
“Nico’s a more experienced player, and he’s been in the fight a lot sooner than Keagan. Keagan you’re looking at about an eight-plus month deficit right now, so that’s what he’s got to overcome. It’s great to see him out there and it’s great to get Nico back, too. I just think we’ve got to be careful about how fast and how far we push them as we move forward,” Ferentz detailed when asked about their progress.
Unfortunately, neither was included on Iowa’s two-deep that was released to start the week. As a result, Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz was asked if that meant the pair was definitively out versus the Wolf Pack.
“Yeah, we’ll see. I mean, there’s a chance, and, again, Nico I think is probably further along because he was practicing not that long ago. I can remember when he was practicing, recent memory,” Ferentz said.
Another Hawkeyes wide receiver, Brody Brecht, while healthy and even appearing in last week’s game, is still learning and getting up to speed. Ferentz was asked about Brecht’s ability to catch up.
“Brody is kind of facing the same challenges as Keagan in that Brody hasn’t played a lot of football. Last December I guess he was with us, and that’s been it since he’s been a Hawkeye. He wasn’t here last summer, was hurt in camp, hurt during the season. He’s playing catch-up, as well,” Ferentz said about Brecht’s learning curve.
“But he’s a great guy and he’s got a great attitude, he’s working
hard, and hopefully we’ll get him involved moving forward,” Ferentz added about the positive progress Brecht has made thus far.
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