Published Aug 5, 2024
5 Big Questions Heading into Iowa Media Day
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Eliot Clough  •  Hawkeye Beacon
Lead Analyst
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@eliotclough

Fresh off the start of fall camp, Iowa football will host their media day this Friday, August 9. With a new offensive coordinator, fresh faces on both sides of the ball and plenty of other talking points around the program, there are a multitude of questions to be answered around the program.

Here's a list of our top five questions heading into media day.

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Are Jarriett Buie/Dayton Howard Solidified Contributors? 

We've heard a little bit about each of Jarriett Buie and Dayton Howard, two redshirt freshmen from the class of 2023. In fact, Buie was the first name listed on the pre-camp depth chart. After the departures of several veteran wide receivers via graduation or the transfer portal, the two young wideouts will more than likely be relied upon to contribute this season.

"I think Jarriett is going to be a really good player for us," Kirk Ferentz said at Big Ten Media Days. "We need guys to have production that they didn't have the year before, where people say 'Oh jeez, where did he come from?' or 'How did that happen?' I think Jarriett is a candidate for that."

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Ferentz also brought up Howard unprompted.

"I'd throw Dayton in there," he said "At our last spring practice, he made a catch over on the sideline and made a couple plays that really caught my eye.

The questions now are whether or not they've carved out roles for themselves in the passing game and if the staff believes they'll be able to contribute from day one of the 2024 season.

Has Brendan Sullivan Surpassed Marco Lainez? 

We know Cade McNamara is the clear starter for the Hawkeyes -- Ferentz made that abundantly clear at Big Ten Media Days. But, redshirt freshman quarterback Marco Lainez was listed ahead of Northwestern transfer and junior QB Brendan Sullivan on Iowa's pre-camp depth chart.

Most don't expect it to stay that way for long.

Lainez saw the field in just one game last season, seeing action in the Hawkeyes' 35-0 loss to Tennessee in the Citrus Bowl. He completed just 2-of-7 passes for four yards and ran for 51 yards on the ground.

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On the other hand, Sullivan has seen plenty of time on the field in the Big Ten. He's won games. He knows what it takes to be successful at this level.

Between 2022 and 2023, he completed 134-of-195 passes (68.7%) for 1,303 yards, ten touchdowns, and five interceptions. A mobile QB, he also had 129 carries for 257 yards and three scores.

Lainez was likely given the nod because of the spring -- he was given a heavy amount of reps then to gain a grasp of Tim Lester's new offense, while Sullivan was still wearing purple and white at the time.

We'll be intrigued to hear if Sullivan has now overtaken Lainez for the QB2 spot.

Which Freshmen are Standing Out? 

As Hawkeye Beacon's recruiting analyst, this may be the one question I'm most anticipating ahead of Friday.

Iowa brought in a crew of 21 scholarship commits in the 2024 recruiting class, with three enrolling early at the start of spring. Though I don't expect any of them to be regular starters in year one, there are some names I'll be expecting to hear a bit about this week.

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Shown in the YouTube thumbnail above is fringe-four-star tight end Gavin Hoffman, who was one of Iowa's three scholarship early enrollees. A big tight end that has only gotten bigger since stepping foot on campus (he's gained 17 pounds since January), Hoffman may have a shot to compete for the third tight end spot behind Luke Lachey and Addison Ostrenga this fall.

Of course, we can't leave out Rhys Dakin, either. The newest Aussie punter following the departure of Tory Taylor, Dakin is expected to take on the full-time punting duties this fall, ahead of walk-on punter Ty Nissen. Though Nissen may provide some competition for the youngster, Dakin should see most of the snaps for the Hawkeyes.

A couple other incoming freshmen that I'm intrigued by include cornerback Jaylen Watson and running back Brevin Doll. We'll have more on the freshman class following Friday's availability and Saturday's open practice.

How is the DL Stacking Up?

We know who the top five or six defensive linemen are for the Hawkeyes. That is a unit that likes to run with seven or eight guys, though, so who else has stepped into that DL rotation?

Everyone wants to talk about Brian Allen, especially after his showing at Kids' Day last season. Caden Crawford and Kenny Merriweather are also young, exciting pieces that could grow into key players for the Hawkeyes in the years to come.

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What about defensive tackle? Jeremiah Pittman appears to be a serviceable player, but Jeff Bowie has dealt with a host of injuries throughout his career. Whether he'll be able to fully handle the role of backup DT after spending so much time on the sidelines so far is in question.

After that, the Hawks are left with first and second year players and walk-ons. Will Hubert and Luke Gaffney have been mentioned as options, but there hasn't appeared to be much confidence within the group after Aaron Graves and Yahya Black. We'll find out if that's starting to change or not.

Is the OL Making Necessary Steps Forward?

Last season, Ferentz referenced the "maturity" of the offensive line group as a factor that would take them to the next step in their development. Consistently playing at a high level looks like the next step in their development path.

"That's going to be on the agenda for August," Ferentz said at Big Ten Media Days last week. "It's one thing to play, but at some point you have to play. Like, really play. We just haven't been there the last year or two. It's nobody's fault. It's just the way it is."

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Well, "just the way it is," won't cut it with the supposed seven linemen that are capable of starting within the group. Between the presumed starters (from left to right) of Mason Richman, Beau Stephens, Logan Jones, Connor Colby and Gennings Dunker, that quintet of linemen have started 126 games and played in 150. Throw in Tyler Elsbury and Nick DeJong, who will both play this season as well, and those numbers go to 153 starts and 233 games played.

Has -- or will -- the group be able to rise to the occasion this season? We'll hear more about their development in practice at Media Day.