Ahead of the return of EA Sports College Football 25, here is a guess at who may be the top 10 highest-rated Iowa Hawkeyes in the game.
After a decade-long wait, the return of one of the most highly-anticipated video games is finally coming. EA Sports has announced that this summer will be the official return of EA Sports College Football 25.
The game was discontinued after NCAA Football was released in 2013. This pause came amid the strife around paying players for their name, image, and likeness. Obviously, it goes without saying that NIL has taken leaps and bounds to allow players to be correctly compensated.
With the return of the video game, fans of the Iowa Hawkeyes are eager to see their favorite team and its best players as they lead them to glory in dynasty mode. This is every Hawkeyes’ fans chance to light up the scoreboard and put up truly “video game” numbers on offense.
Ahead of the release, here is a guess at who are the top 10 highest-rated Iowa Hawkeyes in EA Sports College Football 25.
Dealt a full hand, Iowa’s wide receiver depth is night-and-day different from where the Hawkeyes started off a season ago.
There were a number of reasons why the Iowa Hawkeyes‘ offense sunk to the depths it did last season.
Without rehashing all of them, suffice it to say that issues at wide receiver were a significant part of the problem. Iowa just wasn’t ever fully healthy in 2022.
Injuries to Keagan Johnson and Diante Vines threw the Hawkeyes a curveball to start last season and Iowa never really recovered. Nico Ragaini missed the opener versus South Dakota State, too.
Of course, the Hawkeye coaching staff has its fair share of blame for failing to create enough depth as well. Still, injuries and Charlie Jones’ transfer to Purdue really altered the best-laid plans for Iowa last season.
Then, after Johnson and Arland Bruce IV left the program and entered the transfer portal this offseason, Hawkeye fans’ frustrations with the offensive shortcomings at receiver were more pronounced than ever.
Iowa’s coaching staff responded, though. It went out and landed a pair of impact transfer receivers in Seth Anderson from Charleston Southern and Kaleb Brown from Ohio State. The room was boosted by a healthy return for Vines and the decision by Ragaini to spend one final season in Iowa City.
Asked about the difference of beginning last season with just one scholarship wide receiver available versus this season, Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz said the wide receivers are right there alongside the Hawkeye offensive line as the team’s most improved units.
“Yeah, it’s like a neck-and-neck race with the offensive line and the receiver position. The problem last year is our lack of experience up front and maturity, physical maturity, and you can’t microwave that. I’ve said that many times.
“Then the receiver position, we were out of guys for injuries and transferring, all that. There’s not much you can do. You play with what you have and that’s how it goes. Sometimes the cards you get dealt are a little bit challenging. But the guys worked hard. I’m not knocking anybody’s effort last year, but that was the reality of it all,” Ferentz said.
Entering his 25th season, Ferentz knows Iowa is much better positioned with pass-catchers heading into 2023.
“I think we’re in a little better situation right now. You have a healthy Nico Ragaini. You have a healthy Diante Vines. Start with those two guys. Two pleasant surprises from the month of August are Seth Anderson, who we thought we liked when he got here, and we’ve liked him as a person. No knock, but we couldn’t evaluate him as a player because he wasn’t out there in the spring.
“So, now he’s had a good August, and boy, he’s a very impressive young guy. Then, Kaleb the same way. He wasn’t here last spring, so not much to say on that one. But I’m excited about him and the fact, too, that he’s only played receiver one year, so the growth potential is really (exciting). And Seth is a young guy. He’s not like a fifth-year or sixth-year guy.
“Both those guys have the potential to really improve and climb if they keep practicing like they have. Alec Wick got back. He’s back practicing, so that’s a positive. I’m leaving somebody else out. Anyway, we’re a lot further down the road than we were a year ago,” Ferentz said.
With four names it feels it can count on in Ragaini, Vines, Anderson and Brown, Iowa can feel confident that it has the horses to improve a passing attack that ranked among the nation’s worst a season ago.
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Iowa football has a pretty exciting wide receiver group for the 2023 season. Here is a look at the Hawkeyes’ pass catchers.
Wide receiver is a boom or bust position for the Hawkeyes, and a lot of that result depends on the help around them.
There is talent in this wide receiver room. There was talent in the wide receiver room last year as well. Unfortunately, some outside factors really contributed to a disappointing season from the unit. The group couldn’t stay healthy, and you can’t really make plays if you’re never on the field.
They also didn’t get proper quarterback play either. It was not up to par, and neither was the offensive game plan by offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz. Add in some shaky offensive line play, and you have an underwhelming passing attack.
Iowa lost some of the young talent that figured to play a big role in the offense last year. Both Keagan Johnson and Arland Bruce left through the transfer portal. Iowa, however, also used the portal to their advantage to recruit some new exciting players at the position. They also return a few helpful veterans as well.
Here is a look at the wide receiver position for the Hawkeyes in 2023.
Iowa always develops well and each year a lesser known name or a newcomer steps up. Here are five potential breakouts stars for 2023.
Each year, someone from the Iowa Hawkeyes rises from the ranks and proves once again that their development and penchant for finding hidden talent is nearly unmatched. There are a handful of Hawkeyes that have a breakout season each year.
Last year, Cooper DeJean became nationally known for his ability to intercept the ball and play lockdown coverage. Kaleb Johnson went from a true freshman to Iowa’s leading rusher. Even Tory Taylor exploded with his punting prowess and is arguably the best at his position in the nation.
It is often those that are under the radar and not as talked about that make some of the biggest impacts in college football. Should Iowa have a year some anticipate it to have, it will take some strong efforts from individuals stringing together their best seasons yet.
Here are five potential breakout stars for the Iowa Hawkeyes in 2023.
It’s music to Iowa fans’ ears. Ohio State transfer Kaleb Brown feels he can be an “automatic impact guy” with the Hawkeyes this season.
The Iowa Hawkeyes are looking for a game-breaking wide receiver. The expectation is that Ohio State transfer Kaleb Brown just might be that guy.
In a massive transfer portal win, the Hawkeyes secured a much-needed commitment from Brown. Coming out of St. Rita High School, the Chicago, Ill., product had offers from a number of the nation’s and region’s top schools.
Of course, he eventually signed with the Buckeyes, but the nation’s top schools wanted the four-star signee and his 10.84 100-meter dash speed. As he arrives in Iowa City, he brings that type of explosive pedigree with him.
“Automatic impact guy, for sure. Yeah, definitely doing what I’ve got to do just to get up to speed with how things roll here,” Brown said when asked if he would be an immediate contributor.
Adam Cairns-The Columbus Dispatch
Given his stature and speed, it’s natural to make the connection that Brown will figure into the Hawkeyes’ plans at slot receiver. But, the former Buckeye doesn’t want to get boxed into any one specific role.
“No particular place. Yeah, I was a slot at Ohio State, but I feel I can play both. Honestly, I want to be able to switch it up in a game. You know what I mean, go from outside, go inside, and just confuse defenses,” Brown said.
It makes sense, too. With his athleticism, Brown should be able to move around and make defenses think a little bit. At the end of the day, Iowa is just thrilled to add his talent alongside key returnees Nico Ragaini and Diante Vines and fellow newcomer Seth Anderson.
So, why Iowa? Listening to Brown, it wasn’t just the idea of impacting the Hawkeyes’ offense immediately or the fact that Michigan transfer quarterback Cade McNamara would be along for the ride as well.
“It was about how I felt when I first got here that really sold me. Just the whole team in general,” Brown said.
He noted that McNamara definitely sold the idea of playing together and that McNamara’s presence checked off a recruiting box for him, but it wasn’t necessarily the driving force behind donning the black and gold.
“That was definitely a box that I wanted to check for sure, so he sold it, but I just wouldn’t say that was my first instinct, my first immediate decision, the reasoning for my decision. But, he definitely sold me. Just like I said, the way that I felt when I first got here, was what was more important than anything else,” Brown said.
The relationship with Iowa’s coaching staff from his high school recruitment mattered, too.
“Yeah, it was definitely good because I remember them probably being one of the first couple of schools that came to my high school. I met coach and we chopped it up and everything, but I wasn’t really too sure where I wanted to go to school. Eventually, later down the line, I made the decision. But yeah, just to see the familiar faces come back and just still to see that they got the same kind of faith in me was really all I needed to see pretty much,” Brown said.
As he hopped in the car to leave Iowa City following his visit, Brown said it became apparent there was no need to keep searching.
“It was on the way back home,” Brown said of when he knew Iowa was the right spot. “You know, I was just talking to my mom about it, talking to my godfather Melvin and it was really just like a no-brainer at the end of the day.
“I liked it, my mom liked it and my brother liked it, so it was just like there’s really no point in going and visiting all these other schools. You can only go to one school, so it’s like, take it or leave it. And I like the situation here. I just rolled with it.”
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Seeing college football players transfer was once more of an exception than the norm. But, just like that crazy uncle at family gatherings, like it or not, it’s here to stay.
And while Ohio State hasn’t seen the mass exodus of players other programs have, we’ll still write about players leaving the scarlet and gray for colors of another hue years from now.
This offseason, one of those players we put fingers to keyboard on was former four-star receiver Kaleb Brown. He entered the transfer portal and … somewhat surprisingly backed the U-Haul up to the corn and rolling hills of Iowa City with the Hawkeyes. Yeah, that Iowa team that had a better chance of scoring a safety than an offensive touchdown last season (we’re looking at you, Brian Ferentz).
It was a curious decision, but one that seemed predicated on how much talent the Buckeyes had at wide receiver. Sure enough, Brown talked to the media at Iowa for the first time recently and pretty much confirmed that notion.
“Going into the transfer portal, my reasoning for leaving – was just how stacked we were at Ohio State,” Brown said. “The two boxes I wanted checked were quarterback stability and a place where I could work for a spot and play immediately. So, those boxes were pretty much checked (at Iowa), and it was an easy decision for me.”
Don’t be mad, Buckeye Nation. Who’s to blame a kid who sees the writing on the wall with all of those first-round NFL draft picks still honing their game at the college level at OSU? Brown had to go to a place where he felt he could develop and play for his future hopes and dreams. Sometimes that’s at a place where he can be the man and get a lot of reps and game experience.
New #Iowa wide receiver Kaleb Brown had his first media availability today as a Hawkeye. Said things are going smoothly, and that his time in Iowa City has been “even better than he expected.”
I hope Brown breaks out and makes it to the NFL. I just hope he doesn’t thrash Ohio State when the teams play each other to the point where the Hawkeyes spring another upset like we saw in 2017. I’ve finally worked through all the emotions and trigger points through therapy and am on the mend, so let’s not do it again.
To his credit, Brown had high praise for what he took from that talented group on the muddy banks of the Olentangy.
“I learned so many different things from them,” Brown continued. “If I could put it in one thing, it’d just be learning the right way to do things, because I wasn’t always a receiver. All of those guys are pretty precise in the things that they do, so I definitely looked up to them for a while.”
In a way, I’m kind of happy that we’ll get to see Brown’s development up close in the Big Ten, and remember … “once a Buckeye …”
Iowa’s wide receiver room could experience a big breakout in 2023, but only if given the right play from quarterback Cade McNamara.
Out of all the positional groups to watch out for on the Iowa football team, the wide receivers room may be the one to keep an eye on.
After experiencing a ton of change over the offseason, Iowa has reloaded its pass-catching room with a bunch of young, up-and-coming talents. In Sean Bock’s superlatives for every position group ahead of fall camp for Hawkeye Insider of 247Sports, he listed wide receiver as the one with the “most potential improvement.”
Iowa used the transfer portal this offseason to fill missing pieces at wide receiver as it landed Charleston Southern transfer Seth Anderson and Ohio State transfer, Kaleb Brown.
Anderson was the Big South Offensive Player of the Year as a redshirt freshman while Brown was a former four-star recruit, and any wide receiver that is recruited heavily by Ohio State wide receivers coach Brian Hartline has the chance to be a game-changer in any offense.
Brown and Anderson were two missing pieces that Iowa needed. An X receiver would’ve been ideal, but Anderson and Brown both have big-time playmaking ability and that’s something Iowa needs. – Bock, Hawkeye Insider.
The wide receiver room is a good mix of these newly transferred in talents such as Seth Anderson and Kaleb Brown, and returning experience. The Hawkeyes bring back Nico Ragaini for his sixth year and will hope Diante Vines can stay healthy and make an impact.
As for returners, Nico Ragaini and Diante Vines will play big roles for the Hawkeyes. Ragaini is the team leader this fall, and could have a 2019-esque year with Cade McNamara under center. Vines has been hindered by injuries throughout his career, but he was one of the top performers in fall camp last year before going down with an injury. Jacob Bostick should also get a mention, too, but he needs to stay healthy. – Bock, Hawkeye Insider.
I think bringing up Cade McNamara is vital, because the quarterback plays a huge role in how effective the wide receivers are. There definitely was talent at the position last year, and I still think Keagan Johnson can be a breakout star for Kansas State this year.
It’s just really hard to show any of that talent when the quarterback cannot reliably make the throws. Combine that with injuries, and you have a wide receiver room that I think looked worse than what they really were. It’s no shock that Charlie Jones immediately became one of the best receivers in the nation the minute he left Iowa.
Iowa will undoubtably have talent at receiver again. We know Nico Ragaini is reliable, and Kaleb Brown has the potential to be the best receiver at Iowa since… ever. What they need is a quarterback who can get the job done, step up and make the throws, and not put a massive handicap on the offense.
If Cade McNamara can be that guy, then sure, this group of pass catchers could certainly make some noise in 2023.
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Iowa upgraded its wide receiver room in a big way, adding Ohio State transfer Kaleb Brown. What does he bring to the fold in 2023?
You wanted some weapons, Cade McNamara provided some!
While new Colorado head coach Deion Sanders has famously brought his own luggage with him to his new school, he’s not the only one. When Iowa brought in new starting quarterback Cade McNamara, he did not come alone. Not one bit. He knew that the offense needed an influx of talent if they truly wanted to compete, so he played the role of Iowa’s top recruiter.
It was only natural that his Michigan teammate Erick All, would follow him to the Hawkeyes, especially given Iowa’s success with tight ends. What was more surprising, however, was the player on a rival team he convinced to join.
Cade McNamara and Kaleb Brown were a part of a bitter rivalry earlier this year, the storied Michigan vs. Ohio State rivalry. Now, the two were meeting together over dinner, discussing the possibility of joining forces on an entirely new team. Days later Brown committed to Iowa, becoming one of the school’s most talented young recruits in the process.
There is a lot of buzz surrounding Kaleb Brown ahead of his debut for the Hawkeyes, and you certainly should be excited. This a skills position recruit of a caliber that was pretty much seen out of Iowa’s range. Iowa is supposed to be the school that doesn’t get the talented four-stars!
Well my friends, Kaleb Brown is here, and he figures to make a big impact on the offense in 2023. Here’s the official look at the newest Hawkeye receiver.
Brown provides an immediate boost to a Hawkeyes’ offense that is looking for answers. On paper, the highest-rated receiver to ever step foot in Iowa City, Brown, in all likelihood, will be expected to be the number one wide receiver for Cade McNamara.
Wide receivers out of Ohio State tend to excel regardless of whether their departure comes via the NFL or the transfer portal. Alabama once saw a star emerge after departing the Buckyes in Jameson Williams and Iowa hopes it can similarly cash in after landing Kaleb Brown. Brown and Williams graduated high school two years apart, but both were the nation’s No. 13-ranked wide receiver before making their way to Ohio State. Brown was the higher-rated prospect, ranking No. 78 nationally. Iowa desperately needs improvement on offense, and Brown is the latest player to transfer in with potential to spark a turnaround. – Raymond Lucas Jr., 247Sports
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With the new additions on offense of McNamara, Brown, receiver Seth Anderson, and tight end Erick All, there is optimism that the Hawkeyes can turn things around and find something this season offensively.
Brown’s talent is undeniable. He didn’t earn his recruiting rating by accident. The next question is can the scheme, playcalling, and passes be sent his way enough to allow him the opportunity to breakout in 2023.
How can the Hawkeyes unlock their offense in 2023? Here’s the personnel group that can help Iowa do so.
So, now that the talent will be in Iowa City, there are no more excuses. Bluntly put, it is time for the Iowa Hawkeyes’ offense to perform. The transfers of Cade McNamara, Erick All, Seth Anderson, and most recently, Kaleb Brown, have set the stage for an offense desperately searching for answers.
That’s what we are here to look at today. What is a personnel grouping that could unlock this Iowa offense in 2023? Before we get into it, I will give some foundation to where this thought process stems from and why I am comfortable laying it out.
I attended Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois, just a short 45-minute trip east of Iowa City. I played four years of football there as a wide receiver. Now, life wasn’t easy for a 5-foot-9, 185-pound slot receiver that wasn’t the fastest or strongest as you could imagine. Due to that, I had to win with a high football IQ, an understanding of matchups, and quick processing of mathematical advantages (which we will get into later). For example, if a linebacker was on me, that was the time to use my best move. Or if we spread it out and it was a run play, I had to know how to handle a linebacker while giving up quite a bit of size.
Due to experience, countless hours of seeing schemes in film meetings, and studying Iowa’s offense, I believe one personnel grouping could unlock this offense. That is ’12’ personnel.
Let’s get into what ’12’ personnel means and how it could change the Hawkeyes’ offense.
