The Iowa football team may as well take out an advertisement in an Iowa City newspaper looking for wide receivers.
The Hawkeyes were abysmal in the passing game last season. It all started when Matt VandeBerg went down with an injury.
They’ll get VandeBerg back as long as the injury issues are gone. If you look at the roster, VandeBerg could be one of a few names a fan recognizes.
The latest setback involves top returning wide receiver Jerminic Smith. Head coach Kirk Ferentz announced this week that Smith was no longer participating in team activities because of academic issues.
We’ll never know what those issues are, but something like this never seems to end well. Smith could return for his junior season in 2017, but what if he doesn’t?
That would be a big blow to the Hawkeyes’ passing game. The chances of seeing new players on the field would increase though.
Former Newton Cardinal Nick Easley’s name has been brought up a ton this spring. He is definitely moving up the depth charts. I’m to the point where I don’t think there’s any doubt he will take significant snaps this next season.
VandeBerg has to get back to his 2015 form if the passing game can improve. The Hawkeyes also need guys like sophomore DeVante Young and junior Adrian Falconer to progress into bigger roles.
They are the only two receivers on scholarship who are not injured or out with academic issues.
Incoming freshman Brandon Smith has all kinds of hype, and the Hawkeye coaching staff heavily recruited the position. Counting on true freshman to play huge roles right away is not a guarantee though.
In area news, Baxter High School has hired some new coaches as it begins the transition into the Baxter Bolts era in this fall.
Athletic director Lori Fricke announced that Dennis Vaughn will be the head cross country coach, and his assistant will be Breanne Ulloa.
The Baxter Bolts also needed a new softball coach. The head coach will be Kourtney Peters, and her assistant is Dana Berry.
There will be hires to a few other programs in the coming days.
Several CMB coaches will transition into those same roles at Baxter.
Rob Luther will remain the football coach, Scott Ranck will stay on to coach volleyball, the basketball coaches will still be Eric Padget (girls) and Zack Hasselbrink (boys), Josh Russell will remain the boys track coach and Max Seeman remains the baseball coach.
Speaking of CMB, former standout Jordan Coughenour was named Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Outdoor Track and Field track performer of the week for his efforts at Simpson College.
Coughenour, a 2014 graduate of Collins-Maxwell High School, finished first in the 400-meter hurdles during the Storm’s team win at Cornell College.
Coughenour’s time in the event was clocked at 54.51 seconds. That time currently ranks first in the conference and 12th nationally in NCAA D-III.
Coughenour, who was the IIAC outdoor track and field 400 hurdle champion, also runs on the Storm’s 4x400 relay team. That foursome currently ranks second in the conference and fifth in the nation with a time of 3 minutes, 17.72 seconds.
Contact Troy Hyde
at thyde@newtondailynews.com