Week One of the 2024 college football regular season is upon us and Iowa's home opener against Illinois State is less than seven days away now (Saturday, 11:00 AM CT, BTN). Game week means a new depth chart -- and this week's installment has a more eyebrow-raising notes than most.
Let's discuss some of the key takeaways:
OFFENSE
* As expected, Cade McNamara is QB1. This was always the most likely outcome since he was fully cleared physically and training camp began, and now we have confirmation that he is set to take the first snaps for Iowa at QB on Saturday.
"If we were playing tomorrow, Cade would be the 1, Brendan [Sullivan] at 2, Marco [Lainez] at 3," said Ferentz at last Thursday's press conference.
* The most eye-catching spot on the depth chart is definitely RB, though, where redshirt freshman Kamari Moulton finds himself on the top line, ahead of both Leshon Williams and Kaleb Johnson. Williams missed part of training camp due to injury, but seeing Moulton atop the depth chart is still notable.
Since last fall, the 5'9" Moulton has added some weight (going from 185 to 197), but retained his burst and wiggle as a runner. Per Ferentz and running backs coach Ladell Betts, Iowa is still likely to employ a RB-by-committee approach and ride the hot hand during games, but it looks like Moulton will at least get first crack at those carries.
* There are some new faces at WR as well. The previous depth chart listed Kaleb Brown, Seth Anderson, and Jarriett Buie as the starting wide receivers; Buie is still a listed starter, but he's now joined by Kaden Wetjen and Jacob Gill.
Brown's removal from the depth chart is no surprise, given his suspension for the Illinois State game. Coaches have mentioned that Anderson dealt with nagging injury issues during training camp, so his move down to the 2-line is likely more a reflection of who's had better preseason work with the 1s than a sudden loss of trust in the junior transfer wideout.
READ MORE: WR Kaleb Brown Arrested for OWI Sunday
That said, Gill and Wetjen have also been two of the most lauded receivers from training camp buzz, so credit still also belongs with the players who have moved up with the opportunity to do so.
Also of note: true freshman Reece Vander Zee is listed behind Buie at the outside receiver slot, and RB-turned-WR Terrell Washington, Jr. is behind Gill. Vander Zee and Washington were two other players singled out by receivers coach Jon Budmayr and offensive coordinator Tim Lester as having solid camps.
* No changes among the starting five along the offensive line, but the backups have moved plenty. Trevor Lauck (formerly at right tackle) is no longer listed, with Nick DeJong sliding from backup right guard to backup right tackle. Tyler Elsbury takes over the backup RG role instead of backup center, which now belongs to Kade Pieper; Pieper's old spot at backup LG now belongs to Leighton Jones (per Iowa, Logan Jones was a typo at LG) and Michael Myslinski sharing the 2-line.
DEFENSE
* The only notable change on defense is at left cornerback, where TJ Hall has moved ahead of John Nestor on the depth chart, starting opposite Jermari Harris at RCB. Nestor entered training camp as the listed starter and appeared to perform well, so Hall's ascension suggests some very strong play from him over the course of the last several weeks.
Nestor remains a second-string LCB and CASH; with the recent influx of pass-happy offenses into the Big Ten, he should be in line for considerable snaps even without the starting nod.
* No changes at any other secondary spot, although the presence of Xavier Nwankpa and Koen Entringer at strong safety shows that both have recovered from injuries that limited their availability at different points during training camp.
"[Entringer] looks like he's fully healthy out there," said Ferentz on Thursday, emphasizing that Entringer hasn't needed the adjustment period to shake the rust off from his leg injury that kept him out for most of the offseason.
READ MORE: Koen Entringer Details Quick Recovery, Expectations for 2024
* The only change among the front seven is at the backup left defensive tackle spot, where Jeff Bowie is out (lower leg injury) and Will Hubert and Luke Gaffney are the listed options behind Aaron Graves. Even if/when Bowie returns, Iowa's depth at DT remains one of the bigger question marks on the team this season.
