Two Hawkeyes to Watch in Iowa's Open Spring Practice
IOWA CITY -- Iowa football will open up Kinnick Stadium for the Hawkeyes' open spring practice on Saturday. Of course, Kirk Ferentz's squad returns a plethora of names fans already know. On offense, the Hawkeyes bring back the likes of Luke Lachey, Kaleb Johnson, Connor Colby, Deacon Hill, Leshon Williams, Kaleb Brown and more. On defense, we'll get yet another look at Jay Higgins, Nick Jackson, Sebastian Castro, Deontae Craig, Xavier Nwankpa, Yahya Black and several others.
But two new names have also popped this spring, according to the coaching staff. Both redshirt freshmen, defensive back Zach Lutmer and running back/wide receiver TJ Washington are two players to keep an eye on this weekend.
Though he hasn't yet been made available to the media, Lutmer is a player that has caught the attention of the staff. In fact, defensive coordinator Phil Parker brought up the three-star Central Lyon product completely unprompted on Thursday.
"The guy that's maybe a surprise a little bit -- not a surprise for us, but Zach Lutmer has really improved at the safety position," Parker said. "He's made a lot of good plays, and he's moving forward there."
So how has Lutmer caught the eye of the Broyles Award winner?
"His reaction and how he falls into some plays that he's made -- you sit there and say, 'That's pretty impressive,'" Parker said. "That, and his effort and his commitment to trying to be better."
The Rock Rapids, Iowa native has also shown some positional versatility on the backend of the Hawkeye defense.
"I've been flipping him around between free safety, strong safety, and cash," Parker said. "I think he can play all positions, so to get that, it's rare to do. It's hard to find those guys."
"I think he's just shown a little bit. He still needs to grow. He still needs to mature and be a little bit more vocal. Being a young guy coming in and trying to control the back end is not easy. You're the one who has to be confident, and I think he's gaining confidence by the day."
Lutmer's name also came up -- unprompted -- by special teams coordinator LeVar Woods later in the press conference.
"Lutmer could be in that mix [to return punts and kicks]," Woods said. "He's a guy that played in the bowl game, did a really good job at the gunner position, too."
Washington first popped on the radar of fans and local media last season with a couple long runs in Iowa's matchups with Western Michigan (nine yards) and in the bowl game against Tennessee (14 yards).
This spring, he's begun to take more reps at wide receiver and as a returner on special teams. Brought in as a three-star athlete out of Wylie East High School in Wylie, Texas, Washington is also showing some positional flexibility.
"I felt like I could be more versatile no matter what I do," he said during media availability on Tuesday this week. "When they give me an opportunity, I'm going to do it. I played a little receiver, quarterback, and running back in high school. I feel like wherever I can fit in, I'm going to give it all I've got."
Between learning a new offense under Tim Lester and two separate positions on that side of the ball, Washington says it hasn't been too much for him to handle at this point.
"I feel like the coaches help me learn multiple positions, so it's not overwhelming," he said. "Coach (Jon) Budmayr is helping me get things one step at a time and making sure I don't look too far into the future -- just worry about what I've got going on right now."
Lester has seen the potential of a player like Washington this spring, too. With just five scholarship wide receivers currently on the roster combined with some injuries, Washington's positional flexibility has come in handy.
"It just made sense to put him in there," Lester said on Thursday. "He has still played running back. He carried the ball today. So he's still in the running back room, but he has a skill set that we figured would be great for him to learn out there."
"I think we're just trying to increase the amount of people that can help us in the fall, and with the amount of reps he got with the ones ... hopefully it'll pay off for him in the fall, it definitely will. He learned maybe more than anybody having to switch. Three days in I think he switched positions. He's young and super talented, and he just shows up and works, and that's the best guys to coach."
Based on his own comments, Woods shares that same sentiment about Washington on special teams as well.
"I think Terrell Washington is a young guy that you see with the ball in his hands," Woods said of him as a punt and kick returner. "He does some good stuff."
Woods didn't stop there, considering Washington as a potential gunner on special teams as well.
"It's been fun watching [the competition]," he said. "I think as we get into fall camp and things pick up, the pace picks up a little bit, it'll be really interesting to see how it goes."