Tag: Keagan Johnson

Iowa Hawkeyes Snapshot Profile: No. 6 Keagan Johnson

Keagan Johnson burst onto the scene as a true freshman. What lies ahead for the sophomore in 2022?

The Hawkeyes return one of the most experienced offenses in the Big Ten. In multiple offensive positions, Iowa boasts seasoned seniors who will continue to be reliable pieces for Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz and offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz. That list includes standout tight end Sam LaPorta and slot receiver Nico Ragaini.

Fans sort of already know how most of the returning receivers can play and what value they add to this team, but [autotag]Keagan Johnson[/autotag] is a potential star Hawkeye fans should be excited for in 2022.

In his freshman year at Iowa, Johnson was the team’s leading deep threat, averaging over 19 yards per catch. While he didn’t receive a ton of work in Iowa’s run-heavy system, Johnson made the most of his touches. Johnson excelled the most in the short game where he could use his speed after the catch to make a play happen.

The Bellevue, Neb., native’s pair of fourth-quarter catch and runs against Penn State and Minnesota this past season are just a glimpse at the talent Johnson possesses.

The 6-foot-1, 197 pound wide receiver will have the opportunity this year to prove that he can keep rounding out his game to more than just occasional flashes. Iowa has to make it an objective to involve him in the offense a lot more as Johnson could be the star the Hawkeye wide receiver room has sorely missed since the departure of Ihmir Smith-Marsette.

Preseason Player Profile

Hometown: Bellevue, Neb.

Ht: 6-1

Wt: 197

Class in 2022: Sophomore

247Sports composite ranking

2021 four-star / No. 23 athlete / No. 3 player in Nebraska

Career Stats

Receiving & Rushing Table
Receiving Rushing Scrimmage
Year School Conf Class Pos G Rec Yds Avg TD Att Yds Avg TD Plays Yds Avg TD
*2021 Iowa Big Ten FR WR 9 18 352 19.6 2 3 8 2.7 0 21 360 17.1 2
Career Iowa 18 352 19.6 2 3 8 2.7 0 21 360 17.1 2
Provided by CFB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 5/9/2022.

Depth Chart Overview

Keagan Johnson is currently slotted to be the Hawkeyes’ top receiver, at least it appears that way on the depth chart. Listed as one of Iowa’s starting wide receivers in the spring’s initial depth chart reveal, look for Iowa to try and possibly get creative with Johnson. With his natural athleticism, he can be used in an abundance of ways, not just in the traditional X-receiver role.

Iowa has not really featured a receiver since Smith-Marsette, but Johnson could certainly change that. LaPorta garnered a majority of the receiving work in 2021, while the rest was pretty equally divided among the wideouts. Hopefully, Johnson can gain that true No. 1 status with a strong sophomore season.

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Best photos of Keagan Johnson’s freshman season with the Iowa Hawkeyes

Wide receiver Keagan Johnson showcased early his ability as a playmaker. Here’s Johnson’s best freshman season photos with the Hawkeyes.

Sophomore wide receiver Keagan Johnson illustrated during his true freshman campaign that he’s going to be a playmaker for Iowa. The 6-foot-1, 197 pound wide receiver appeared in 13 games during the 2021 season and made nine starts.

In Iowa’s 24-14 week four win over Colorado State, Johnson became the first true freshman wide receiver to start for the Hawkeyes since Ihmir Smith-Marsette did so in 2017. Johnson made sure to reward the coaches for that decision. The Bellevue, Neb., native opened the scoring against the Rams with a 43-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Spencer Petras. He also reeled in a 49-yard reception versus Colorado State.

Johnson and Arland Bruce IV made history against Illinois in week 11. Both started against the Illini, marking the first time in Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz’s tenure that a pair of true freshmen wide receivers started the same game.

Along the way, Johnson had other moments of brilliance. In the Hawkeyes’ 27-22 November win over Minnesota, Johnson appeared to be stopped for a loss by Gopher defenders Thomas Rush and Coney Durr after a reception from quarterback Alex Padilla. Instead, Johnson stayed upright, bouncing off the pair of would-be Minnesota tacklers and raced 27 yards into the end zone for a pivotal fourth-quarter score.

Johnson finished the 2021 season with 18 receptions for 352 receiving yards and a pair of touchdown grabs. Here’s a look at Johnson’s best photos with the Hawkeyes thus far.

Iowa Hawkeyes Snapshot Profile: No. 84 Sam LaPorta

Tight end Sam LaPorta’s decision to return to Iowa City means the Hawkeyes have their go-to receiving target back in 2022.

The Hawkeyes were very fortunate that tight end [autotag]Sam LaPorta[/autotag] decided to finish out his career at Iowa with the NFL calling. With a couple of moving parts at key positions on offense, including new Baltimore Raven center Tyler Linderbaum and new Green Bay Packers running back Tyler Goodson, Iowa was able to retain its top receiving threat heading into the 2022 season.

In his junior season, LaPorta made the leap to featured star for the offense. He led the way for the Hawkeyes in the receiving department, hauling in a team-high 53 catches for 670 receiving yards and three touchdown grabs. The 6-foot-4, 249 pound tight end’s totals nearly doubled Iowa’s second-leading receiver Keagan Johnson’s 352 receiving yards.

The former three-star recruit out of Highland, Ill., has also improved his blocking with every season. LaPorta will be expected to help provide stability to a passing offense still in search of it.

Preseason Player Profile

Hometown: Highland, Ill.

Ht: 6-4

Wt: 249

Class in 2022: Senior

247Sports composite ranking

2019 three-star / No. 55 tight end / No. 24 player in Illinois

Career Stats

Receiving & Rushing Table
Receiving Rushing Scrimmage
Year School Conf Class Pos G Rec Yds Avg TD Att Yds Avg TD Plays Yds Avg TD
*2019 Iowa Big Ten FR TE 6 15 188 12.5 0 0 0 0 15 188 12.5 0
2020 Iowa Big Ten SO TE 8 27 271 10.0 1 0 0 0 27 271 10.0 1
*2021 Iowa Big Ten JR TE 14 53 670 12.6 3 0 0 0 53 670 12.6 3
Career Iowa 95 1129 11.9 4 0 0 0 95 1129 11.9 4
Provided by CFB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 5/7/2022.

Depth Chart Overview

Unsurprisingly, LaPorta sits atop the tight end slot on the Hawkeyes’ depth chart. With the season he had in 2021 and the three years of experience under his belt, there was no way LaPorta wasn’t going to be the starter this season. In Iowa’s tight end heavy system, expect Laporta to once again be a leader of the offense and the go-to guy for whoever is under center in 2022.

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Iowa Hawkeyes tied for the most returning starters among Big Ten programs entering the 2022 season

Athlon Sports took a look at returning starters among Big Ten programs. Iowa has the most returning starters, which sets up well for 2022.

Among Big Ten teams, Iowa has the most returning starters. Athlon Sports’ Steven Lassan took a look at returning starters on Big Ten teams and Iowa is tied for the most returning starters.

According to Lassan, Iowa has 17 returning starters. That number for the Hawkeyes is actually 15 returning starters. Iowa is replacing three starters offensively: running back [autotag]Tyler Goodson[/autotag], All-American center [autotag]Tyler Linderbaum[/autotag] and left guard [autotag]Kyler Schott[/autotag].

Goodson rushed for 1,151 yards on 256 carries with six rushing touchdowns. He also caught 31 passes for 247 yards and a score. Linderbaum started each of the team’s 35 games over the past three seasons and Schott started the final 10 games of last season and 18 over his Hawkeye career.

Defensively, Iowa will replace defensive end [autotag]Zach VanValkenburg[/autotag] who started all 14 games and 35 in his career. VanValkenburg had 15 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks last season. The Hawkeyes are also replacing linebacker [autotag]Dane Belton[/autotag], cornerback [autotag]Matt Hankins[/autotag] and safety [autotag]Jack Koerner[/autotag].

Koerner finished third on the team with 88 tackles in 2021. Meanwhile, Belton had 46 tackles, seven pass breakups and five interceptions. Hankins added 44 tackles, five pass breakups and three interceptions. That trio combined to start 95 games over the course of their Iowa careers.

Although the Hawkeyes are in good shape, the losses – center Tyler Linderbaum, running back Tyler Goodson, defensive end Zach VanValkenburg, safety Jack Koerner, defensive back Dane Belton and cornerback Matt Hankins – are significant. – Lassan, Athlon Sports.

The production that Iowa is replacing offensively and defensively is certainly notable. Goodson was Iowa’s leading rusher and Koerner and VanValkenburg were the Hawkeyes’ third and fourth-leading tacklers. Still, there should be optimism that Iowa returns its top two tacklers in linebackers Jack Campbell and Seth Benson who racked up 143 and 105 tackles last year, respectively.

Offensively, Iowa has both quarterbacks [autotag]Spencer Petras[/autotag] and [autotag]Alex Padilla[/autotag] returning. While fans have good reason to want to see more production from both, returning experience at the quarterback position can never be overstated. The Hawkeyes also return five of their top six receiving yardage leaders in tight end [autotag]Sam LaPorta[/autotag] and then wide receivers [autotag]Keagan Johnson[/autotag], [autotag]Nico Ragaini[/autotag], [autotag]Charlie Jones[/autotag] and [autotag]Arland Bruce IV[/autotag].

Iowa’s 15 returning starters matches Maryland and Purdue. Michigan State returns the next-most starters with 14.

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Athlon Sports’ 5 spring storylines to watch for the Iowa Hawkeyes

Athlon Sports’ J.P. Scott broke down five spring storylines to watch for the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Iowa enters the 2022 spring after a 10-4 campaign that was highlighted by a 6-0 start and four wins to close the regular season that meant the Hawkeyes captured the Big Ten West championship.

Now, the focus is on figuring out how to replace three offensive starters and four defensive starters and how to close the gap between themselves and Big Ten champion Michigan. The Wolverines sent the Hawkeyes into bowl season with a 42-3 drubbing.

There’s plenty of reason for excitement in Iowa City with what Iowa returns, but, as typifies a spring, there’s plenty of questions for the Hawks as well. Athlon Sports’ J.P. Scott took a look at the five biggest spring storylines for Iowa in his spring preview of the Hawkeyes.

5 takeaways from Iowa’s spring depth chart reveal

Iowa gave us our first glimpse of the depth chart. What are the takeaways from the Hawkeyes’ spring starting point?

Football is back! At least a taste of it is anyways. Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz met with reporters and shared his excitement to get the spring slate underway.

“Certainly good to be back and it’s good for us as coaches to be able to focus on the 2022 team now, so it’s good to be back in the office and into it. As I said last time, you know, any time we get together, get started in January, it’s a new team, certainly a new season and a new opportunity on top of that, so it’s always good. As you approach spring football, there’s always promise and hope with the new season, a lot of excitement about that. I think that’s something that players and coaches both share. So it’s one of the great things about spring ball I think,” Ferentz said.

With the Hawkeyes underway with their spring practices, Iowa released its spring depth chart.

There’s certainly plenty to dissect from our first glimpse at a working two-deep for the Hawkeyes, so let’s take a peek at several quick takeaways.

Iowa earns No. 6 seed in ESPN’s fictional 64-team college football bracket

ESPN’s Chris Low took a crack at what a 64-team college football bracket might look like for the 2022 season. How far would the Hawkeyes go?

Recent reports indicate that the College Football Playoff won’t be expanding any time soon. In fact, according to CBS Sports reporter Barrett Sallee’s report from last month, the CFP will remain at four teams for the duration of the current contract through the 2025 college football season.

Still, that can rain on our parade as we enjoy the festivities of March Madness and wonder what if college football had a 64-team bracket like college basketball. ESPN’s Chris Low took a stab at what that might look like for the upcoming 2022 college football season.

With help from ESPN’s 2022 SP+ projections, Low put together a 64-team team tournament field for college football. Iowa ranked No. 26 in ESPN’s 2022 SP+ projections. That projection for the Hawkeyes checked in as just the seventh-highest ranking among Big Ten teams.

Ohio State was ranked No. 1 in ESPN’s 2022 SP+ projections, Michigan No. 4, Wisconsin No. 10, Penn State No. 16, Michigan State, No. 17 and Minnesota No. 19.

Using the SP+ projections as a tool to help create the 64-team bracket, Iowa ended up as the No. 6 seed in the South region playing No. 11 seed North Carolina. Low predicted the Hawkeyes would win their first-round matchup against the Tar Heels, 27-20, and wrote this about the matchup.

Between them, Kirk Ferentz and Mack Brown have 58 years of head coaching experience in college football. The Hawkeyes’ experience, though, is the difference in this one, as their defensive line takes control of the game in the second half. – Low, ESPN.

North Carolina State earned the No. 3 seed in the South region. The Wolfpack got a test from 14th-seeded Oregon State, but North Carolina State scored three unanswered touchdowns to top the Beavers, 28-14. That set up Iowa’s second-round matchup against N.C. State. Low predicted that Iowa would bow out of the tournament in a close, 20-17, loss to the Wolfpack.

Played in rainy, sloppy conditions, this slugfest goes down to the final minutes when N.C. State star linebacker Drake Thomas, one of several talented Wolfpack linebackers, makes a diving tackle inside the 5-yard line on fourth down. – Low, ESPN.

The No. 1 seeds in Low’s 64-team college football bracket included Alabama, Michigan, Ohio State and Georgia. Low predicted that Alabama would top North Carolina State in the South region final, 41-21. The Midwest region champion was Ohio State after a 34-17 win over Cincinnati, the East region champion was Texas A&M after a 24-23 win over Georgia and the West region champion was Oklahoma beating USC, 35-28.

Low had Alabama beating Oklahoma 41-21 and Ohio State topping Texas A&M 38-24 to set up the national championship game between the Crimson Tide and Buckeyes.

In Low’s fictional national championship game, Ohio State captured the crown in a classic, beating Alabama, 34-30.

Obviously, there’s nothing to this outside of a fun exercise in imaginary December and January Madness. Still, it’s nice to see that Iowa was safely inside the tournament field and expected to win a game.

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