Iowa finished 2022 with an 8-5 record. This included a regular season win and shutout of Kentucky in its bowl game. However, the Hawkeyes put one of the worst offenses in recent memory on the field. FanDuel Sportsbook has opened the bidding on Iowa’s win total at 7.5, with the over juice to -162. Iowa comes in at +1200 to win the Big Ten. While this only trails Wisconsin from the Big Ten West, Iowa figures to be a sizable underdog in any theoretical matchup against a Big Ten East team. With all of that said, let’s dive into the Iowa roster.
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2023 Iowa Football Season Preview & Predictions: Roster Overview
Iowa Football 2023 Season Preview: Coaching Staff
Much to the disappointment of the Iowa faithful, the Hawkeyes retained all of their major coaches. Kirk Ferentz returns after initially taking the head coaching job in 1999. His son, Brian Ferentz, returns as offensive coordinator after much criticism this offseason. The Hawkeyes also return Phil Parker as defensive coordinator, who has put together strong defenses since 2012. Rumor has it that Iowa will make some changes offensively, which could redeem Brian Ferentz or potentially cost him the offensive coordinator job this upcoming season.
Iowa Football 2023 Season Preview: Offense
Quarterback
At quarterback, Cade McNamara transferred to Iowa from Michigan after serving as the Michigan backup last year. McNamara started in 2021, with decent overall numbers. He completed 210 of 327 passes (64.2%) for 2,576 yards (7.9 yards per attempt), 15 touchdowns and six interceptions. McNamara does not provide much mobility with three career rushing yards on 46 attempts. He was the fifth highest graded quarterback in the Big Ten in 2021, per PFF. All things considered, this should be considered a major upgrade for Iowa at the position. Behind him, some combination of Joe Labas or Wisconsin transfer Deacon Hill should serve as the backup. Neither player has much experience, but this would only become an issue in the face of an injury to McNamara.
Running Back
At running back, Iowa returns its top two backs in Kaleb Johnson and Leshon Williams. Johnson is 6-foot-0, 212 pounds and rushed 151 times for 777 yards and six scores last year. He only caught four balls for 27 yards in the passing game, but he should play more in this capacity this year. Efficiency wise, Johnson averaged 3.34 yards after contact, while forcing a missed tackle on 23.8% of his attempts. Williams is 5-foot-10, 210 pounds and rushed for 413 yards on 117 carries. He operated more as the pass catching back, reeling 11 of 16 targets for 78 yards. Williams averaged 2.57 yards after contact and a missed tackle on 21.4% of his attempts. Jaizun Patterson is also back for depth after 14 carries for 47 yards last year. Gavin Williams left the program after catching nine passes and rushing 43 times, vacating some opportunity for the top two backs. Overall, this position is deep enough for Iowa.
Wide Receiver
Iowa runs a funky offense at times, often utilizing two tight ends of a fullback. Last year, both of Iowa’s top pass catchers were tight ends. Iowa also lost Arland Bruce to transfer and Brody Brecht elected to pursue baseball full time. With that said, the team did upgrade its pass catchers ahead of 2023. , Iowa added Ohio State transfer Kaleb Brown after the summer session. Brown is a former 4-star recruit from the 2022 class and the 79th-ranked player in that class. He immediately comes in as the highest recruited player in this room. Iowa returns third leading receiver, Nico Ragaini. He caught 34 of 54 targets for 396 yards last year. Ragaini played in the slot 76.1%of the time and logged 1.36 yards per route, which ranked 40th in the Big Ten. It looks like Diante Vines will play the most in three wide sets. Vines is 6-foot-0, 198 pounds and caught 10 of 21 targets for 94 yards last year. These were the only two healthy scholarship receivers for most of spring, leaving Iowa inexperienced despite the addition of Brown. Walk-ons Alec Wick and Reese Osgood rounded out the two deep this spring. Wick is 6-foot-1, 196 pounds and played a little bit last year. He still only recorded two receptions. Instead of relying on walk-ons, Iowa hopes Seth Anderson and Jacob Bostick can get healthy. Anderson is a Charleston Southern transfer, who is 6-foot-0, 178 pounds. He caught 43 of 95 targets for 657 yards and eight scores in his second collegiate season last year. He played on the perimeter 96.3% of the time. Bostick came in as a high three recruit in 2022. He was the No. 635 player in that class. While he could not get on the field last year, Iowa will need him this year to some degree.
Tight End
Iowa lost its elite tight end Sam LaPorta to the NFL, but it returned Luke Lachey. Lachey is 6-foot-6, 252 pounds and now enters his third season. He caught 28 of 43 targets for 382 yards and four scores. His 1.46 yards per route ranked 34th in the Big Ten and he lined up in the slot on 29.5% of his routes. Lachey blocked on 54% of his 581 snaps, where he excelled. He should immediately slide into full time snaps. Iowa usually runs two tight ends, making Michigan transfer Erick All exceedingly important. All was injured most of last year, but he is 6-foot-5, 255 pounds and blocked on 56% of his 484 snaps in 2021. He also caught 38 of 48 targets for 437 yards, while lining up in the slot on 43% of his routes. His 2.14 yards per route came in as one of the more efficient marks for tight ends in 2021. Behind him, Addison Ostrenga should provide depth after playing 49 snaps last year. Iowa often uses a fullback, which should be Eli Miller this year. He is 6-foot-1, 232 pounds.
Offensive Line
Along the offensive line, Iowa lost right tackle Jack Plumb, but he often struggled in 2022. It returns left tackle Mason Richman, who played 776 snaps for Iowa last year. It also returns tackle/guard Connor Colby. Colby profiles more as a guard after playing 714 snaps last year. He is tentatively penciled in at left guard, but it is nice to know he has the versatility to play almost four offensive line positions. At center, Logan Jones returns after playing 781 snaps last year. At right guard Nick DeJong look like the tentative favorite after allegedly impressing in the spring. He played 487 snaps last year across various positions. Iowa also has some depth at guard with Beau Stephens playing 395 snaps last year. The projected right tackle is Saginaw Valley State transfer Daijon Parker. He initially committed to Virginia, but he flipped this spring. Parker was not recruited heavily coming out of high school as a former basketball player. After entering college around 220 pounds, he has allegedly gotten north of 300 pounds and retained much of the athleticism from his basketball days. Iowa also took Miami Ohio transfer Rusty Feth after four seasons in the MAC. He started two seasons with Miami Ohio and projects more as depth here. Ultimately, Iowa lost its weakest link along the line but returns most of its quality production here.
Iowa Football 2023 Season Preview: Defense
Iowa ranked first on defense in 2022. This included the fourth-ranked run defense, 49th-ranked pass rush and first-ranked secondary. The defense lost a few premier players, including Riley Moss, Jack Campbell and Lukas Van Ness. With a few other players departing, this team will have to lean on its depth to replace that production.
Defensive Line
Iowa lost premier edge defender Van Ness, but it also lost John Waggoner from the edge group. Iowa still is experienced at this position due to its rotation last year. Deonte Craig played 325 snap off the edge and Joe Evans recorded another 473. Craig led the team with seven sacks and tied for the team lead with 10.5 tackles for loss. Waggoner recorded 6.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. He will now be asked to step into a larger role. Ethan Hurkett also played 226 snaps last year. While some younger players may see the field more, Iowa has consistently developed its defensive line talent.
On the interior, Noah Shannon and Logan Lee both exceeded 500 snaps last year. Lee played extremely well from the inside, recording 53 tackles, eight tackles for loss and two sacks. Shannon was not far behind with 44 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and two sacks. Aaron Graves gave Iowa 226 rotational snaps, making this one of the deepest positions along the defensive line.
Linebacker
At linebacker, Iowa lost Campbell, Seth Benson and Jestin Jacobs. One clear starter should be Jay Higgins after a pair of starts in 2022 and 213 snaps. Higgins recorded 40 tackles on his limited snaps last year and is to benefit from more snaps. Iowa listed Karson Sharar as a starter in the spring. He did not play any meaningful snaps last year, but he figures to play more now. Many thought Kyler Fisher would take over this role and there is a chance he still wins the job in the fall. Finally, Iowa added Virginia transfer Nick Jackson. Jackson started three straight years for Virginia. He led his team with 104 tackles this year and should be considered the favorite to start at the moment.
Defensive Back
The secondary lost Moss and safety Kaevon Merriweather. It still returns plenty of production at corner. Cooper DeJean leads the returners with 813 snaps last year. He posted some elite numbers in 2022, including five interceptions, eight passes defended and 75 tackles. Opposite DeJean should be Jermari Harris, who played 462 snaps in 2021. Harris spent all of 2022 injured, but he recorded four interceptions and four passes defended in 2021. Finally, Sebastian Castro is out as the favorite for nickel. Castro logged 446 snaps and broke up five passes in 2022. This position lacks the depth of 2022, but Iowa has a solid starting group.
At safety, Quinn Schulte returns as an elite starter. Schulte played 880 snaps, recorded 72 tackles and broke up six passes. He will be locked into one of the safety positions. The other starter looks like Xavier Nwankpa. Nwankpa only played 90 snaps last year, but he was a 4-star recruit in 2022. In fact, Nwankpa came in as the 53rd overall player in his class. This position comes with very little depth, making a step forward from Nwankpa crucial here.
2023 Iowa Football Season Preview: Schedule & Predictions
Iowa Football 2023 Schedule
As far as Big Test schedules go, Iowa’s comes in on the more difficult side. The Hawkeyes face Utah State, Iowa State and Western Michigan in non-conference. They travel to Iowa State for that rivalry match. From the Big Ten East, Iowa draws Penn State, Michigan State and Rutgers. Within its division, it travels to Wisconsin and Nebraska, which leaves a little to be desired.
Iowa Football Futures Bet & Prediction
Ultimately, Iowa’s win total comes in efficiently priced. It will likely be an underdog to Penn State and Wisconsin. However, much of its schedule could involve tight point spreads. Games like Minnesota and Nebraska fit that mold. Overall, Big Ten West teams are tricky to bet in post-season markets due to its non-competitiveness against the top of the conference. However, Iowa over 7.5 wins at -162 makes some sense. Already bet up considerably, this number figures to take more action ahead of the regular season.
Best Iowa Football Futures Bet: Over 7.5 Wins -162 at FanDuel
You can read the rest of Matt Gajewski’s 2023 college football season previews and predictions below!
- Alabama Season Preview & Predictions
- Arkansas Season Preview & Predictions
- Auburn Season Preview & Predictions
- Georgia Season Preview & Predictions
- Kentucky Season Preview & Predictions
- LSU Season Preview & Predictions
- Mississippi State Season Preview & Predictions
- Missouri Season Preview & Predictions
- Ole Miss Season Preview & Predictions
- South Carolina Season Preview & Predictions
- Tennessee Season Preview & Predictions
- Texas A&M Season Preview & Predictions
