Tag: 2022 Iowa Football Depth Chart

Addition of receiver Diante Vines to Iowa offense certainly can’t hurt

The addition of wide receiver Diante Vines adds a potential playmaker to an Iowa offense in desperate need of one.

It has been a rough start to the year for Iowa wide receiver Diante Vines.

After looking like a breakout contender at the receiver position all offseason, a wrist injury in fall camp postponed his 2022 debut. Vines was one of many Hawkeyes entering the season banged up and the lack of depth behind he and others has really showed up thus far this season.

Vines made his debut against No. 2 Ohio State this past Saturday, and while he only caught one pass for five yards, it was great to see him back on the field. Finally, his name can be monitored once again as a potential playmaker for Iowa.

Between multiple injuries and a lack of cohesion and talent throughout the offense, the Iowa passing game has been really, really bad this season. This is not any new information to any Iowa fan. The Hawkeyes rank 122nd nationally in passing offense, averaging just 145.9 passing yards per game.

Fortunately, the team is starting to get healthier again and multiple receivers are starting to return to the lineup. Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz sounded hopeful about Vines’ potential contributions in his recent press conference.

“We’ll see. I’m hopeful we’ll see some impact. He’s a good football player. We’ve known that for a couple of years. Let me rephrase that. We’ve suspected it and we got him out there especially last spring and this summer until he busted that bone,” Ferentz said of Vines.

“It has been encouraging. He came in, just he’s just had such a crazy, unfortunate path of just injuries and it’s nobody can predict that. But it’s funny, I caught myself thinking about that last week. And I’m thinking about him in the same way as Logan Jones. You’re excited about him, excited what you see them do in practice. You catch yourself. This guy hasn’t played a game yet as a Hawkeye and the same with Logan coming into the season.

“Hasn’t played a game as a center, but yet he gave you a lot to be excited about watching him in practice. I felt the same with Diante. Hopefully he can help over the next five weeks, getting him and Nico (Ragaini) back and that should help Arland out there a little bit and getting Brody (Brecht) back working. He’s getting better every week.”

In an interview with Hawkeye Insider’s David Eickholt, Vines stressed the importance of trying to provide a jolt for this Hawkeye offense.

“Wherever they put me on the field, I’m just trying to provide a spark. Whenever I get the ball, I’m trying to be like a big play kind of person. Throughout fall camp, I was making bigger plays. I like to record yards after catch and stuff like that. I feel like in that kind of game, if I get quick hits, I should be able to do something with the ball. I just need to put trust in the plays that we call, my quarterbacks and do my job and everything will happen the way it’s supposed to,” Vines said.

In an offense that is struggling badly to get out of the gates, a playmaker who can make some big plays after the catch can go a long way. The quarterback can focus more on the fundamental things, knowing he has a receiver he can trust to make a play happen. Someone like Vines, if he proves to be the player the coaching staff was seeing in the offseason, can also provide a breath of fresh air to the entire offense, and possibly wake up the rest of the team.

It will be interesting to see whether or not Vines can return from his injury and hit the ground running, but his addition to the offense certainly cannot hurt. Literally any addition should be viewed as a positive to one of the worst offensive units in the country.

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‘He’s done a lot of good things for us’: Kirk Ferentz backing Spencer Petras heading into week 2

Don’t expect any quarterback changes heading into week two. Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz remains confident in Spencer Petras moving forward.

Week one was a struggle for Iowa on offense. That much is clear as day to anyone who watched the game or just looked at the box score. Against South Dakota State, the Hawkeyes only mustered 166 total yards, just 109 of which came through the air.

It was a rough Saturday for senior quarterback Spencer Petras, throwing a pick and finishing with a 1.1 QBR. Head coach Kirk Ferentz, though, has shot down the mounting pressure to replace Petras at quarterback and give it a go with Alex Padilla or even Joey Labas in the battle for the Cy-Hawk Trophy, instead placing the focus on team execution.

“Yeah, I think it is full-fledged. In my mind it is, and every player builds a resume when they’re here through the way they practice and when they play. We see more practice than we do game competition.

“But I think he’s done a lot of good things for us, and he did some good things Saturday. Some things he could have done better. I think overall right now, I think our biggest challenge is just a little bit like last year, is just team execution right now, and I want to give him a fair assessment just like I would anybody that’s in there,” Ferentz said

Ferentz has been adamant ever since the 7-3 win over South Dakota State went final that Petras is the still the team’s starting quarterback moving forward this season. After the game, Ferentz stated that he doesn’t anticipate any changes at this point, and once again called on the entire team to get better, including the subject of debate.

The Hawkeye head coach’s words have so far been backed by his actions, Petras pretty much exclusively working with the first-team in practice. It should be noted though that while Padilla is working with the twos, he sees the same exact plays that Petras and the first team are working with.

“Not a lot. We’re running the same plays both groups — I imagine most people do this. Pro football is a little different, but we tend to work two offenses during the course of a practice.

“The twos get a lot of reps. Not as many as the ones, but they get a lot of reps. Alex is running the same stuff that Spencer is,” Ferentz said.

We’ll see if Ferentz’s confidence in his quarterback is well founded in Saturday’s clash against rival Iowa State.

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Iowa’s Keagan Johnson, Jestin Jacobs absent from Hawkeyes’ Cy-Hawk week depth chart

As the Iowa Hawkeyes get ready to host the Iowa State Cyclones in the Cy-Hawk rivalry, there were some depth chart adjustments released.

With the matchup against the Iowa State Cyclones approaching, the Iowa Hawkeyes are back to work this week getting ready. That starts with a newly released depth chart and some changes in personnel.

The “non-change” that is sure to be the number one topic of conversation this week amongst Hawkeyes fans is the quarterback depth chart. Spencer Petras is listed above Alex Padilla.

One of the biggest changes comes in the fact that linebacker Jestin Jacobs is not present anywhere on the depth chart. This is on the heels of an injury sustained in week one and will likely be nursing back to health.

When asked about it, head coach Kirk Ferentz does feel that Jacobs avoided something serious.

“I assume this is good news. It wasn’t a joint. It sure looked like it on the field. So, it’s soft tissue, and those can drag out, too, as we know, but at least it wasn’t a joint. That would have been bad,” said Ferentz in regards to Jacobs’ injury.

Another change, or absence, of note is that Keagan Johnson has been removed from the depth chart in a revision. This will give Iowa Arland Bruce IV, Alec Wick, Jack Johnson and potentially a first look at Brody Brecht as the receiving group.

On a positive note, Gavin Williams is present on the running back depth chart. There were rumors floating around last weekend that he was very close to suiting up so his presence in the backfield will be a welcome site.

At cornerback, we see Terry Roberts getting the nod opposite of Riley Moss after his solid performance last week.

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Week 1 Iowa Hawkeyes defensive depth chart versus the South Dakota State Jackrabbits

Iowa released their first defensive depth chart of the season. What changes were made for their week one clash against South Dakota State?

Iowa released their depth chart on Monday for their week one clash against the South Dakota State Jackrabbits and it surely is interesting. Virtually nothing is changed on the defensive line from the depth chart we’ve already seen, and that might puzzle some.

Some players are listed at different areas on the chart than how we’ve seen them used during camp. The most important thing to note with head coach Kirk Ferentz’s Hawkeyes, the depth chart is not the be all end all. Just like the pirates code, Iowa’s depth chart is more what you would call guidelines instead of rules.

Defensive coordinator Phil Parker and defensive line coach Kelvin Bell know how to utilize their guys best, relying on the depth and versatility abundant with this unit. Expect to see Iowa’s front line look a lot different on game day. That being said, here’s a look at the week one defensive depth chart that was released.

Iowa Hawkeyes: 2022 special teams depth chart

Here’s a look at the Iowa Hawkeyes’ official 2022 special teams depth chart.

With Big Ten Media Days underway, the Iowa Hawkeyes went ahead and released their official depth charts entering fall camp. While there certainly could be changes along the way, there were plenty of interesting notes in both the offensive and defensive depth charts.

Offensively, quarterback Spencer Petras is once again listed ahead of Alex Padilla entering camp. At running back, Gavin Williams is given the early nod over Leshon Williams. One of the interesting notes at wide receiver is redshirt freshman Alec Wick listed within the two-deep.

Meanwhile, along the Hawkeyes’ offensive line, the starters moving left to right look like this: left tackle Mason Richman, left guard Tyler Elsbury, center Logan Jones, right guard Connor Colby and right tackle Jack Plumb.

Defensively, while Lukas Van Ness is still listed as a second-string defensive tackle for Iowa, one has to imagine Van Ness will be used both inside and outside on the Hawkeyes’ defensive line in 2022.

In the defensive backfield, junior Reggie Bracy and sophomore Brendan Deasfernandez are listed as second-stringers at free safety and right cornerback, respectively.

How is special teams shaping up? While Iowa didn’t release the full picture on special teams just yet, we did get some idea of what it will look like entering 2022. Here’s everything we know so far according to Iowa’s official depth chart reveal. As noted and discussed below, there are several notable omissions that will be key during the Hawkeyes’ fall camp.