The 2025 college football season is just over two months away and there's plenty of intriguing questions for the Iowa roster on both sides of the ball. In Year Two of the Tim Lester Era at offense, how will things continue to change and evolve on that side of the ball? Specifically, which players might be poised for breakout campaigns in 2025? Let's look at our top three candidates.

(NOTE: I did not consider Mark Gronowski for this list because he was a two-time National Champion and Walter Payton Award winner at South Dakota State. A guy like that isn't going to "break out" -- he already has a lengthy track record as a star performer.)

The departure of Kaleb Johnson to the NFL after one of the finest seasons in Iowa history certainly leaves a significant void at the running back position -- 1,537 yards and 21 touchdowns on the ground won't be easy to replace.

Iowa has some good options in hand to transition out of the KJ era, though, and they were on full display in the Music City Bowl. Kamari Moulton, who finished second on the team in carries (84) and rushing yards (473) to Johnson last year, had 96 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries against Missouri in the bowl game. Jaziun Patterson, who was third on the team in carries (63) and rushing yards (309), had 74 yards on nine carries in that game.

Johnson worked as a bell cow running back for Iowa last year; his 240 carries were almost 100 more than Moulton and Patterson had combined (147). The bet there is that we see more of a time-share at running back this season, with Moulton getting more of the work. I could easily see a scenario where Moulton has around 60% of the carries and Patterson takes another 30-35%, with the remaining carries going to quarterback runs, wide receiver gadget plays, or to the third running back.

Moulton averaged a very healthy 5.6 yards per carry last season and showed good burst and patience, particularly toward the end of the season. In addition to his 96-yard performance against Missouri, he also ran for 114 yards and a score against Maryland in November. Those efforts definitely suggest a running back poised to take over as the RB1 in the offense next year. Patterson should still get plenty of work as well, but Moulton looks to be the top name on the depth chart.

Truth be told, you could go in a number of different directions in picking a breakout candidate at wide receiver. Jacob Gill led the team in receptions (35) and receiving yards (411) last season and could be set for an even bigger season in 2025. Dayton Howard had a few bright flashes last fall and during spring practice.

Kaden Wetjen has been a game-changer as a kick returner and could be poised for a bigger role in the passing game this fall. Seth Anderson appears to finally be healthy and his speed and route-running could finally pay dividends. New transfer portal arrival Sam Phillips was very productive at Chattanooga, with 49 receptions for 803 yards; if he can develop quick chemistry with Mark Gronowski, he could be a big hit at receiver for Iowa as well.

Two factors give me confidence that at least one receiver is going to break out for Iowa in 2025. One, though he hasn't yet thrown a pass for Iowa in a game or even a practice, Mark Gronowski looks like the upgrade at quarterback that Iowa has been seeking at least since Nate Stanley was slinging it. Two, the second year of the Tim Lester era seems set to feature a much more effective passing attack. The buzz around the passing game was positive during spring practice and that was shown off a bit in the open practice.

Reece Vander Zee hit the ground running as a true freshman last spring, hauling in five receptions for 66 yards and a pair of touchdowns in his very first game against Illinois State. Things were quieter after that and he missed most of the back half of the season with an injury. Going into this fall, Vander Zee appears to be fully healthy, more comfortable and experienced with the passing schemes, and set to have a much-improved passer throwing him the ball. That seems like the recipe for a standout season to me.

Iowa's offensive line set the table for Kaleb Johnson to have one of the best seasons running the ball in the history of Hawkeye football and while a few of the faces from last year's OL are gone this year, that also provides opportunities for some new faces to step up. Based on what we saw last year -- and what we've heard from coaches last fall and again in the spring -- Kade Pieper is set to really make an impact in the trenches.

The likely starter at right guard this season, Pieper will be sandwiched between Iowa's two best returning starters on the OL, Logan Jones at center and Gennings Dunker at right tackle. Though he did not record any starts last fall, Pieper played in 11 games and logged 108 snaps. Over those 108 snaps, Pieper was not just Iowa's best blocker, per Pro Football Focus, he was Iowa's best offensive player, full stop.

Pieper received a 97.6 rating on offense by PFF last fall, which included am 86.0 grade as a pass blocker and a very impressive 95.4 grade as a run blocker. Obviously 104 snaps isn't the largest sample size, but it's not nothing, either, and Pieper was very effective when he played last fall.

He's more experienced now, more comfortable and knowledgeable about Iowa's blocking schemes, and set to be a starter. If he can produce at a level close to what he did last season while playing significantly more snaps, the right side of the Iowa offensive line could be an absolute wall this fall.

Agree? Disagree? Who are your breakout candidates for Iowa's offense this fall?