Kaleb Brown Talks Iowa Role, Impressions: "Better Than I Even Expected"

Freshman wide receiver Kaleb Brown arrived on Iowa's campus early this summer, joining the Hawkeye football squad as a transfer from Ohio State.

"The first time I stepped on campus, I felt like I was at home," he said at Tuesday's media availability. "From the time I got off the airplane to the time that I left, I felt like it was special here. I like the community. It's real peaceful. It's different than the city that I grew up in, and I feel like it's a place that I can just put my head down and grind."

"Going into the transfer portal -- my reasoning for leaving -- was just how stacked we were at Ohio State," Brown added. "The two boxes I wanted checked were quarterback stability and a place where I could work for a spot and play immediately. So, those boxes were pretty much checked and it was an easy decision for me."

Since he arrived in Iowa City, he's been welcomed with open arms.

"The guys have been welcoming me in, and everything is going well. I'm just building different kinds of bonds with teammates that I've never really had. So, it's been different."

The trip to California led by quarterback Cade McNamara and several of his other teammates was a big help in fortifying the foundation of his relationships in Iowa City.

"It went really well," he said. "Just to get an idea of the guys that I'll be in the room with -- picking up that bond with Cade and them outside of the facility. It's been great. That was definitely needed to get me on the right path with everybody."

"Cade impacted my decision to come here a whole lot," Brown added. "The connection with him has been great. It's definitely building. He's just a good guy. The days we're not conditioning like crazy as a team, we go out and I catch passes from him all the time. So, it's definitely building -- with the offense in general -- the way we meet, and how often we meet."

Though he left Buckeye Country for the Hawkeyes, he is taking much of what he learned in Columbus with him to Iowa City. Specifically after working with some of the best receivers in the country like Marvin Harrison Jr., Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Emeka Egbuka, and receivers coach turned offensive coordinator Brian Hartline.

"I learned so many different things from them," he said. "If I could put it in one thing, it'd just be learning the right way to do things, because I wasn't always a receiver. All of those guys are pretty precise in the things that they do, so I definitely looked up to them for a while."

Along with building those relationships, he's working on learning the inner-workings of his future role in the Hawkeyes offense.

"I'm not learning any one wide receiver spot in particular right now," he said. "I'm learning every position. It's definitely a process, it's not easy but I'm working for it for sure. I'm learning a lot from Nico Ragaini."

"We run routes all the time during the week and do drills and stuff -- you can definitely see he's an athlete," Ragaini said of Brown. "I'm excited to see what he can do this upcoming year and how he can help the offense."

Working as a receiver has been priority No. 1 for Brown, and though Cooper DeJean is the incumbent punt returner, he's also got his eyes on a special teams role this fall.

"I definitely want to get in on [returning punts]," he said. "I practice it often. Just tracking the ball and things like that. That's something I want to do."

At the end of the day, Brown is focused on the now.

"I've started off with small goals," he said. "First, I wanted to learn people's names in the facility. On the field -- it's not anything too crazy just yet -- I'm not focused on that right now. I'm focused on training, getting through the summer and getting better."