We're tracking which true freshman see the field for Iowa football this fall all season. As a reminder, players can see action in up to four games and still use a redshirt to retain eligibility for future season. Playing in five or more games eliminates the possibility of a redshirt season.
WEEK 9 -- OCT 26: NORTHWESTERN
Four true freshmen saw action against Northwestern on Saturday, as the blowout nature of Iowa's 40-14 victory saw an additional true freshman get a few snaps alongside the standard trio of familiar freshman faces.
(15) Reece Vander Zee: 0 receptions, 0 yards, 0 targets
Vander Zee played just 16 snaps on Saturday as an apparent lower leg injury limited his participation. Vander Zee was spotted in a walking boot by the end of the game.
After the game, head coach Kirk Ferentz said that they would need to "wait and see" on the extent of Vander Zee's injury and when he might be able to return to the field. We're likely to learn more about Vander Zee's status during media availability this week.
(9) Rhys Dakin: 8 punts, 358 yards (44.8 yards per attempt), 4 punts inside 20, 2 50+ yard punts
Kind of a strange game for Dakin -- you wouldn't normally expect him to punt eight times in a game in which Iowa scored 40 points, but the offense had a few quick-strike scoring drives as well as Kaden Wetjen's punt return touchdown. Dakin had four punts before halftime and four punts after halftime; sandwiched in-between Dakin's first half and second half punts were four touchdown drives (and Wetjen's touchdown return).
Dakin's first half punts were a thing of beauty. Despite being gifted great field position (at or near midfield) on a regular basis, the Iowa offense struggled to move the ball for several possessions. No problem for Rhys Dakin, who uncorked four straight punts in the first half that were downed or fair caught at the Northwestern 5- or 6-yard line. One of those precisely-placed punts resulted in a safety by the Iowa defense while the others helped keep Northwestern's offense in a straitjacket throughout the second quarter.
Dakin got good distance on most of his second half punts -- two of them went for 50+ yards -- but the performance was blemished by the 72-yard touchdown return by Drew Wagner on Dakin's seventh punt of the game. Dakin didn't seem to get quite as much air under that punt, and the lower, line-drive nature of the punt made it more returnable -- and Wagner took full advantage of that.
Given the game situation (Iowa leading 40-7 midway through the fourth quarter), that errant punt wasn't a huge problem. Dakin certainly had far more good (if not great) punts in the game. It's just a reminder that there are still things for Dakin to work on as a freshman and achieving more consistency ought to be near the top of that list.
The early returns on Dakin have been pretty excellent, though, as this tweet comparing Dakin's 2024 true freshman season to Tory Taylor's 2020 true freshman season makes clear:
(3) Jaylen Watson: 1 tackle
Watson saw a fair amount of playing time on Saturday, as he was on the field for special teams and defensive purposes. On special teams, Watson was present on Iowa's kickoff coverage (7 plays) and punt return units (8 plays).
Watson also saw the field on defense for 13 snaps -- and those weren't all end-of-game blowout reps, either. Watson was used as a cornerback in Iowa's dime coverage looks, suggesting that Phil Parker is growing more comfortable using him in regular defensive packages.
(81) DJ Vonnahme: no stats
Vonnahme is a new name to these updates. The reserve tight end from Carroll Kuemper saw the field late in the game, as Iowa played several second- and third-string players on offense and defense. Vonnahme was on the field for two snaps against the Wildcats. There's not much to say about two snaps' worth of action, but it is interesting to see Vonnahme being the freshman tight end to get his feet wet in that situation -- time will tell if it leads to more opportunities in the future.
GAMES PLAYED TRACKER
8 GAMES:
* Vander Zee, Dakin
5 GAMES:
* Watson
1 GAME:
* Fox, Vonnahme
