WR Jacob Bostick Enters Transfer Portal
The spring transfer portal officially opened today -- and one Iowa player is already in it. On Tuesday morning wide receiver Jacob Bostick announced on social media that he was entering the transfer portal and departing Iowa City.
Bostick, a 6'3", 182 lb sophomore wide receiver out of Palatine, Illinois, was a member of Iowa's 2022 recruiting class. A high three-star prospect, Bostick chose Iowa over several other offers, including Illinois, Kansas State, Cincinnati, Louisville, Pitt, Army, Navy, Air Force, and a bevy of mid-majors (including most of the MAC).
"I would like to thank Coach [Kirk] Ferentz and the entire coaching staff, as I've grown and learned a lot -- it has truly been a blessing to be a Hawkeye," Bostick said in the statement announcing his departure.
"Special thanks to Coach [Kelton] Copeland for believing in me and pushing me to be the best in all aspects of my life. And to Kammy, the doctors and the best training staff -- thank you for all you have done for me, I will never forget it."
Injuries plagued Bostick's tenure at Iowa; he missed most of fall practice in 2022, which contributed to Bostick redshirting during the 2022 season. Further injuries in spring last year set him back and he was only able to play in five games last fall. Bostick finishes his Iowa career with zero catches.
"Lastly, I would like to thank my teammates, the fans and the Children's Hospital for making these past two years so special," Bostick added. "With that being said and prayerful consideration, I've decided to enter the transfer portal with 4 years of eligibility remaining. I'm excited to take this leap of faith into this new chapter."
With Iowa over the 85-scholarship limit, some roster departures this spring were expected. Still, Bostick's departure does come as a bit of a surprise, given the timing and his recent comments. He met with the media just last Thursday and expressed excitement about the new offense.
"I think the fresh start was nice with the different coaching, the different plays," Bostick said. "We’re all really excited with what’s to come. Coach [Tim] Lester is awesome. He's always full of energy and pushing us to be the best we can."
The Lester hire seemed to have Bostick particularly enthused, as he had been recruited by Lester out of high school when Iowa's new offensive coordinator was the head coach of Western Michigan. Bostick noted Lester's success in developing future Kansas City Chief wide receiver Skyy Moore as motivational for what he might be able to do in Lester's offense.
"I saw myself in Skyy," Bostick said, "He's a little bit shorter, but I was thinking 'Maybe I can go out there and do that.' Seeing their success with the receivers was really awesome."
Instead, Bostick is on the move, in hopes of finding a new program to call home-- and another new offense to learn this spring and summer.
Bostick was listed behind Kaleb Brown on Iowa's most recent depth chart and had been working at the outside, or "X," receiver position. With Brown and Seth Anderson as Iowa's only returning receivers with any experience of note, there will be a lot of opportunities for new faces to emerge at wide receiver.
Redshirt freshmen Dayton Howard and Terrell Washington were tabbed by Brown and Bostick last week as two younger players who had flashed during spring practice so far. Fellow redshirt freshmen Jarrett Buie (who saw a handful of snaps last season) and Alex Mota, as well as junior Alec Wick, are also contenders to earn more playing time. Incoming freshmen Reece Vander Zee and KJ Parker could be in the mix as well.
Per his statement, Bostick has four years of eligibility remaining.