Five potential good stories for Iowa football
Kirk Ferentz likes to call them “good stories”. His thought is every year there needs to a few unexpected players emerge to become significant contributors for the Hawkeyes to have success on the football field.
Over the years there have been plenty of good stories. Some turn into All American’s like Josh Jackson did in 2017. Others could be a role player on special teams or as a contributor in a reserve rotational role.
The fact is, if the Iowa football team is going to have a successful year, they need some good stories. They need a few sleepers to emerge as significant contributors this season if the Hawkeyes are going to make a run for a Big Ten West championship.
With that in mind, let’s look at five potential sleepers heading into the 2023 season.
I’ve always been a believer in the Cedar Rapids Xavier standout since he committed to Iowa. It was going to be a process as he grew from linebacker to defensive end. Along the way, a knee injury sidelined him and he had to get healthy.
Last year he saw his most significant action of his career, playing in all 13 games and recording 15 tackles, including one sack against Northwestern. Hurkett will be the backup to veteran Joe Evans, but he’s poised to pick up more work this fall and have a larger impact on the Iowa defense.
There’s been a buzz about Sharar since he arrived on the Iowa campus. Heck, if you are an Iowa linebacker and they hand you the #43 jersey, it means there are expectations that you are going to be a good player.
In his true freshman season, he played in four games and maintained his redshirt. Last year he saw action, mainly on special teams, in seven games due to injuries. Now he goes into fall camp healthy and ready to carve out a roll on defense. Iowa has a pair of starters at linebacker in Jay Higgins and Nick Jackson, but Sharar could end up being their third linebacker this year.
There’s been a pretty good buzz among Iowa fans about their group of transfers who joined the program this year. There are headliners like Cade McNamara, Nick Jackson, Erick All, and Kaleb Brown. Then there’s Rusty Feth, who is flying under the radar. Heck, he might be behind fellow offensive line transfer Daijon Parker in terms of Iowa fan excitement.
But, Feth might be exactly what the Hawkeyes need this year. He’s a great fit for the Iowa offensive line. He’s mature. He knows the style of coaching coming from George Barnett, having played for him at Miami,OH. Finally, he can play either guard position or center if needed. Plus, he just launched his own gear and it’s incredible.
There are great football names and a darn good one is Hayden Large. He’s a 6-foot=5 and 240 pounder from Dort College. Initially his plan was to play tight end for the Hawkeyes. But, those plans have changed.
Expected starting fullback Eli Miller tore his ACL early in spring ball and that left the Iowa coaches look for other options at the position. When you are down the depth chart at one position, you raise your hand if there is an opportunity to get on the field. That’s what Large did and Iowa might have found their fullback for the 2023 season. He certainly looked the part as a converted tight end and he’s not a bad pass catcher and a solid blocker.
Not many people realize it, but Alec Wick started the first two games of the 2022 Iowa football season. Then he sort of fell off in terms of snaps and his spot on the depth chart at wide receiver. He ended up with a pair of receptions last year for 31 yards.
While he will likely not be a starter when the Hawkeye season gets underway, it appears that he could have a role this fall as a reserve wide receiver. It would likely be the fourth wide receiver at best, but he’s developed a pretty good chemistry with Cade McNamara so that always helps when it comes to receptions.
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