TJ Hall exited Kids’ Day at Kinnick with an injury, but Kirk Ferentz indicated it isn’t serious.
Fans got an extended look at the Hawkeyes during Iowa’s 2024 Kids’ Day at Kinnick.
In the open practice, the biggest microscope was on graduate quarterback Cade McNamara’s health and effectiveness and on junior transfer quarterback Brendan Sullivan from Northwestern. That duo’s performance generated the most takeaways and the most social media reaction from the open practice.
Still, there was plenty else to take in, too. The starting cornerback position opposite graduate Jermari Harris is being hotly contested by junior TJ Hall and sophomores Deshaun Lee and John Nestor.
Hall got the first look on Saturday and performed well. The 6-foot-1, 187 pound defensive back from Fresno, Calif., broke up a pass intended for senior wide receiver Kaden Wetjen.
Hall was shaken up on the play, though, and exited the Hawkeyes’ Kids’ Day at Kinnick scrimmage.
Afterwards, Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz said the early prognosis was that it was a minor injury for Hall.
“Sounds like an ankle. It doesn’t sound like a big one, so that’s good news. So far, so good,” Ferentz said.
Iowa was also without starting safety Xavier Nwankpa and starting tight end Luke Lachey in the scrimmage. It didn’t sound like those injuries for Nwankpa and Lachey were deemed as serious ones either.
“Yeah, Xavier’s had, he’s been nursing an injury not the whole camp but part of camp. Luke came up a little sore the other day, yesterday, so we just held him out, but he’s fine. He’s doing good. He’s gotten a lot of work obviously,” Ferentz said.
Ferentz said on Friday during Iowa Media Day that senior running back Leshon Williams was working his way back from a soft tissue injury.
“So we’ve got four or five guys that have been out with soft tissue injuries and stuff like that, and unfortunately Leshon is one of them, so you triggered a thought there.
“We know who he is, and we’ve got total confidence in him, but he hasn’t been able to go. Hopefully we’ll get him moving here pretty quickly. But he’s working through some stuff. Nothing long-term,” Ferentz said of Williams.
The 5-foot-10, 214 pound running back was the Hawkeyes’ leading rusher last season with 170 carries for 821 yards.
Sophomore defensive back Koen Entringer was listed as Iowa’s backup strong safety behind Nwankpa on the Hawkeyes’ defensive depth chart prior to Big Ten Media Days.
Ferentz noted on Friday that Entringer has been back practicing with Iowa after sustaining a knee injury in the Citrus Bowl versus Tennessee that required offseason surgery. But, Entringer tweaked his ankle on Friday morning and was held out of the Kids’ Day at Kinnick scrimmage and seen with a boot on his left foot.
“One thing I’m pretty sure of, everybody is different in terms of their healing capacities, pace, all that stuff. He’s broken every record. He’s practicing. We’re not letting him tackle anybody or anything like that. But he’s practicing. He did tweak his ankle this morning, so I don’t know if he’ll practice tomorrow or not, but doing a really good job.
“We’re going to try to be really smart because it takes—what I also know or have learned, when guys get cleared, it takes a while for them to get their confidence back. He’s really kind of running around like there’s no problem, but try to protect him from himself a little bit,” Ferentz said of Entringer.
Other notable names that sat out during Kids’ Day at Kinnick included junior wide receiver Seth Anderson, redshirt freshman wide receiver Dayton Howard, redshirt freshman defensive back Kahlil Tate and freshman defensive back Jaylen Watson.
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