It's fair to say that Kelton Copeland had the strongest and most experienced group of players in the wide receiver room since he arrived in Iowa City four years ago. Led by Ihmir Smith-Marsette and Brandon Smith, Iowa has a wide array of talent catching the football in 2020. Copeland discusses what he has seen from his senior leaders, how production has to match potential, and he confirms the hype surrounding transfer Charlie Jones.
Q: What have you seen from Brandon Smith and Ihmir Smith-Marsette so far this fall?
COPELAND: Brandon has done a really good job of showing up every day and being that guy that is driven to improve. If you look back at his tape last year, sure he did a lot of good things, but I have to tell it, but I would talk to him in private settings and I think he left a lot out there as far as growth. Time will tell.
Then with Ihmir, he came off a career type game against USC, so from the naked eye you would say, well what else can he do? There’s a lot that can be done. Starting with preparing physically and mentally. It is one thing to prepare yourself for practice and games, but with the seniors I put a lot on them to lead the group. I want them to grab the young guys who might not know how to prepare at this level and they have both done a good job with that.
Q: How can your receiver group help a new quarterback be successful?
COPELAND: We have to be a huge part of that process. We work hand in hand with the quarterbacks on a daily basis. With guys like Brandon, Ihmir, and Max Cooper being in the system for four years, they can help Spencer and the rest of the quarterbacks. They can tell them this is what we are seeing and this is our experience with this coverage. They can give them a heads up on how this cornerback likes to do this and this defense likes to do that. It is experience that they can share not only with the quarterbacks, but the younger wide receivers too.
Q: Last year there was a good amount of buzz about Tyrone Tracy and Nico Ragaini before they even played a game. Who are the new guys that we should keep an eye on this year?
COPELAND: That’s a great question. I like to keep things close to the vest, but since you put me on the spot, the cats kind of out the bag anyway about Charlie Jones, who is a transfer from Buffalo. We are very fortunate to have him. He has done some very promising things in practice. Is there a chance for him to get on the field? Absolutely. Does he have some things to improve upon? Absolutely. That’s my job as well as his. He has done a tremendous job, but there are other guys. Desmond Hutson comes to mind and Quavon Matthews. I could talk about the younger guys all day and their potential. One thing to remember, potential is one thing, but it’s all about production. We are in a production and results based business in college football and football in general. It really doesn’t matter until we do it in Kinnick or any other stadium.
Q: Overall, has the position group been impressive since they started camp?
COPELAND: Yeah, I would say the older guys, not only in our room, but around the team have done a great job of setting the example of what things need to be done and how they need to be done. If you are a young guy or a new guy, like I was four years ago, I didn’t know anything about Iowa football other than the black and gold and the Tigerhawk on the helmet. Until you get into the inner workings of the program and these are the expectations about Iowa football, it’s going to take time. Our older guys have done a great job of setting the standard for those guys and holding them accountable to that standard.
Q: With that potential vs. production idea, a while back you told Brandon play like you look and he did that last year early on before he got hurt. How does he build on that and what’s his ceiling?
COPELAND: I wish I could have a crystal ball and answer that question. If I knew that answer, I would be a rich man. He really has done a good job coming off his injury. He has a great athletic ability. He as all state in the high jump and a really talented football player. You get the sense that at the high school level he never really experienced a whole lot of adversity. Then he gets here and it was a learning curve and he didn’t start. That was tough on him. That was the first piece of the puzzle, learning how to prepare and compete at this level. Then in 2018 he starts and it wasn’t automatic and there was still a piece of the puzzle to put together. Then I think it was the Iowa State game out here in 18 where he had his first taste of success and you started to see that snowball rolling. He started getting more confidence and experience and then we started to get the Brandon Smith that we hoped we would be getting. Now what’s the ceiling? Who knows. That is up to him. I firmly believe that. It’s up to him. It starts with the preparation. Again the potential vs. production. Really what was done in 18 and 19 doesn’t matter anymore. There are no points given from last year. There’s no defense that’s going to say, you guys were so good in 18 or 19, you can have this. It’s not going to happen. The secret is out. Everyone knows about him. The challenge now is to take it even higher. I tell Brandon and Ihmir with the media attention that they have been getting, I love you guys, but sometimes you guys can be our worst enemy. I tell those guys don’t believe your own hype. When you start believing your own hype, that’s when you settle.
