Brecht has a bright future at Iowa

Ankeny wide receiver Brody Brecht has has not let the pandemic slow him down from improving as an athlete during the spring. We caught up with his football coach, Rick Nelson, and talked to him more about the potential of Brecht going forward.

Q: How would you describe him overall as a football player?

NELSON: He is just tough and competitive. He loves football and has a great work ethic. He works his tail off in the weight room. He is just an awesome kid.

Q: What separates him with his work ethic?

NELSON: He has just gotten so much faster. He is starting to fill out a little bit. We were really hoping to run track this year because I think he was going to do 21 something in the 200. I think he would have been a great 100 meter guy and in a couple relays. He is the kind of kid that you got to tell him to stop doing things because he is really motivated. He has a great family. I’m really excited for him. I am glad he made a decision and glad that it takes the pressure off of him.

Q: What separates him from his peers to get the type of attention and honors that he has received?

NELSON: He is a very good athlete for sure. The height really helps, no question. He is 6-4 and can run. He has great body control.

Q: How has the lockdown changed his workouts?

NELSON: One of the kids has a gym in his house, so there are four or five of them that go there every day and workout. They also throw the ball three times a week and I’m sure he is throwing.

Q: How do you plan to use him this football season?

NELSON: We’ll have to move him around because they’ll double team him. He will come out of the backfield some and we’ll do a bunch of sets. There will be different things so that it’ll be harder to double team him. He will also play some on defense at corner or safety. He is really good at defense.

Q: When did you know he had a chance to be a special player?

NELSON: We were doing some stuff after his eighth grade year in the winter and I could just tell. He played for us as a freshman. I just knew he was going to be a really good kid with his athletic ability. Just with his sprint mechanics, I could tell in looking at him that he would be good.

Q: How would you describe him as a leader?

NELSON: He is awesome. We have got him in leadership groups now and he is really good. He is really helpful with the young kids.

Q: Why did he pick the Hawkeyes in the end?

NELSON: I don’t think he wanted to go all that far from home. He feels like Iowa is a good program which we all do. They are in the Big Ten. Iowa State was the other one and it was between those two. I just think he thought it was a good fit for him.

Q: Where does he sit with the baseball option?

NELSON: He played baseball his whole life and threw something like 94 as a sophomore. He is really good at baseball and loves baseball. I think when he is playing baseball, he really enjoys it. I think he will just try to pitch at Iowa. We’ll see how that goes. If he can do both, it will be very time consuming. He is a very good student so he might be able to do it.

In early May, Brecht verbally committed to Iowa, choosing the Hawkeyes over scholarship offers from Iowa State, Nebraska, Kansas, and Kansas State.

As a junior, he finished the season with 35 catches for 796 yards and seven touchdowns for Ankeny.

See highlights from Brecht's junior year in the video below.