Tag: Nico Ragaini

Iowa Hawkeyes Snapshot Profile: No. 89 Nico Ragaini

Redshirt senior wide receiver Nico Ragaini’s individual growth could correlate with Iowa’s offensive improvement in 2022.

For the Hawkeyes’ passing offense to improve, they must work to turn experience into more consistent play. All across the board, Iowa is returning starters on offense.

Iowa only has to replace three players, albeit a trio of standout players. Where Iowa really doesn’t have to replace anyone is at wide receiver. The receiving corps has another summer to develop more chemistry with experienced senior quarterback Spencer Petras, and they need it to translate into more production for the team to take that next step in the Big Ten.

Nico Ragaini is one who will look to finish his lengthy Iowa career strong. A former two-time New Haven Register’s Athlete of the Year in high school, Ragaini has found his role as the Iowa slot receiver.

Mostly a short-yardage player, Ragaini is relied upon to make tough catches over the middle of the field. While his stats have been steady throughout his career for the Hawkeyes, one area to clean up in his final season is in the drops category.

Ragaini has shown throughout his time at Iowa that he can make key plays. His big score against Penn State last year is plenty of evidence. Ragaini had the game-winning, 44-yard touchdown reception from Petras in that Hawkeye victory. Now, the challenge for Ragaini entering 2022 is proving he can be the consistent down-to-down player Iowa fans know he can be.

Preseason Player Profile

Hometown: East Haven, Conn.

Ht: 6-0

Wt: 191

Class in 2022: Redshirt senior

247Sports composite ranking

2017 three-star / No. 200 wide receiver / No. 6 in Connecticut.

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
*2018 Iowa Big Ten FR WR 1 1 7 7.0 0 0 0 0 1 7 7.0 0
*2019 Iowa Big Ten FR WR 13 46 439 9.5 2 1 2 2.0 0 47 441 9.4 2
2020 Iowa Big Ten SO WR 8 18 191 10.6 0 1 1 1.0 1 19 192 10.1 1
*2021 Iowa Big Ten JR WR 12 26 331 12.7 1 0 0 0 26 331 12.7 1
Career Iowa 91 968 10.6 3 2 3 1.5 1 93 971 10.4 4
Provided by CFB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 5/7/2022.

Depth Chart Overview

The slot looks to once again be Ragaini’s in 2022. Hopefully, Ragaini can create a cohesive duo over the middle with senior tight end Sam LaPorta as Spencer Petras’ go-to players in key situations. Receivers such as Keagan Johnson will be able to provide more assistance down the field, leaving the dirty work over the middle of the field to Ragaini. How much Ragaini’s production improves could be an indicator of just how much the Hawkeyes’ offense overall improves in 2022.

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Best photos of Nico Ragaini’s Iowa Hawkeyes career entering 2022

Take a look back at redshirt senior wide receiver Nico Ragaini’s Hawkeye career thus far through these great photos.

After only seeing action in three games and redshirting in 2018, redshirt senior Nico Ragaini has established himself as one of Iowa’s best wide receivers.

The 6-foot, 191 pound wide receiver from Notre Dame High School in East Haven, Conn., snagged 26 receptions for 331 yards in 2021. His lone touchdown grab during the 2021 season was a big one. Ragaini hauled in what proved to be the game-winning, 44-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Spencer Petras in the Hawkeyes’ win over then-No. 4 Penn State.

For his career, Ragaini has 91 receptions, 968 receiving yards, three touchdown receptions and one rushing touchdown as well. Ragaini’s best statistical season actually came in his second year on campus. In 2019, Ragaini secured 46 receptions for 439 yards with a pair of touchdown grabs.

Iowa is looking for more production across the board in the passing game in 2022. Ragaini figures to be an important part of whether or not the Hawkeyes succeed or fail in improving offensively.

With plenty of production already in his Iowa career, Ragaini has a chance to deliver more heart-stopping moments in 2022 as he readies for one of the leading roles in the Hawkeyes’ wide receiver corps. Let’s take a look back at some of the incredible moments Ragaini has already brought to Iowa City through these great photos of his Hawkeye career thus far.

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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