'Most improved by far': Iowa football WR room praised by coaching staff
The Hawkeyes haven't had a 1,000-yard wide receiver in 14 years, and despite having some decent talent in the room, they've yet to put it all together. It's not all on the wide receivers. They've had to deal with bad quarterback play and below-average play calling. But, it's still been a big weakness for the program for almost 15 years now.
Heading into the 2025 season, it seems like optimism within the building is growing for the wide receivers room. While it may not look great on paper, there is talent in the room with graduate Jacob Gill, sophomore Reece Vander Zee, junior Sam Phillips, and senior Seth Anderson. The question is, can they put it all together with a new quarterback in town? And it seems like the Iowa coaching staff believes they can.
Kirk Ferentz and Tim Lester both talked with the Big Ten Network crew when they came to Iowa City for their Iowa season preview show on Monday night. And they both had glowing things to say about the wide receivers heading into 2025.
The comments from Ferentz and Lester are very interesting and provide some different insights into the wide receiver room entering the season.
It's great to hear Lester say that the wide receiver room is the most improved room on the entire roster, but it's the second part of his quote that's the most fascinating. He wants the Iowa offense to be more 50/50 when it comes to rushing and passing, which would be a sharp pivot from the rush-first offense that Hawkeye fans have grown accustomed to under Ferentz. The fact that the wide receivers have taken a big enough step forward for Lester to say that is a good sign for that room.
Ferentz's comments are also important, as he talks about the receivers earning the quarterbacks' trust this offseason. With a new quarterback in the fold in Mark Gronowksi, that's a big deal. The more that Gronowski trusts his receivers to make plays, the more opportunities they're going to get. That could open up more explosive passing plays for an offense that desperately needs it.
While we'll still have to wait and see how the wide receivers play when the season kicks off, it's a really good sign that the coaching staff is super high on them. And who knows, maybe Iowa will have its first 1,000-yard season from a wide receiver since Marvin McNutt. If that happens, it means 2025 was a massive success for the Hawkeyes.
Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Zach on X: @zach_hiney
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