No. 34 -- TE Ray Hamilton

Ray Hamilton has solidified himself as the No. 2 tight end for the Hawkeyes. That could mean 25-plus receptions or a whole lot of blocking for the 6-5, 252-pound junior.

The C.J. Fiedorowicz factor will play heavily at Iowa TE in 2013. Fiedorowicz is a senior TE who was named a top five TE in the country by ESPN's "College Football Live." Fiedorowicz had 45 receptions last season; Hamilton had two. If you look at the first six games, that's where Hamilton might have a chance to get his foot in the door as far as catching passes (and TEs want to catch passes).

Fiedorowicz caught just 16 passes in the first half of the season in '12. That's where a second TE can jar things loose. Defenses can clamp down on one TE, who happens to stand 6-7 and weigh 270. Two TEs would obviously be a bigger headache.

That's the role Hamilton has to have his eyes on this season. He's a true junior, so you know he feels as though his time is now.

Key 2012 factor: A little bit was made out of the "B back" that showed up on the spring depth chart. That moved sophomores Jake Duzey and Henry Krieger Coble out of the regular TE rotation and sort of made a position for them that is basically an "H back." That left Hamilton as the No. 2 "inline" TE -- the tight ends who line up on the line of scrimmage and do everything TEs are asked to do -- alongside Fiedorowicz. In the spring game, the two TE set was liberally used and that second TE almost always was Hamilton, who caught three passes for 24 yards and showed an eye for running into vacant spaces against a zone defense.

Offseason factor: Hamilton has always been an impressive-looking player. He clearly isn't watching TV in the weightroom. Also, the clock is moving for Hamilton. He signed with Iowa a year after Fiedorowicz did, so he knew he was going to have some competition. Iowa also signed Duzey and Krieger Coble in the '11 class. This will be Hamilton's third year grinding away to carve out his role. He has some physical advantages that could carry him and, possibly, dictate a little of what Iowa does on offense.

Competition: There's that B back thing. What is it? How much will Iowa try to use it? Will it take the traditional second TE off the field? Obviously, Duzey and Krieger Coble are competition. How much will Iowa use the fullback? That's another possibility instead of a No. 2 TE in the game. Of course, if last season means anything, Fiedorowicz likely will be the No. 1 TE and the one who plays when Iowa uses just one TE. Plus, Iowa has seven TEs on scholarship (CJF, Hamilton, Duzey, HKC, redshirt freshman George Kittle and incoming freshmen Jon Wisnieski and Ike Boettger). When you're at Iowa and you're a tight end, taking a knee at the end of practice is a competition.

Why No. 34?: Iowa averaged 19.3 points per game last season. That's the second lowest in the last six years, with 2007 clocking in at 18.5 points a game. Iowa needs players who can score TDs. While Hamilton might not be a player who actually does the scoring, he could be a player who catches double digit passes and scores a few TDs. Those aren't unrealistic numbers for a No. 2 Iowa TE, a list at Iowa that has included the names Tony Moeaki, Brandon Myers and Allen Reisner.

Outlook: It's cloudy. Hamilton clearly made some progress this spring, welding himself to the No. 2 TE spot. In the spring game, one of two looks Iowa gave the public, Hamilton performed. He seems on track for a productive year. He does have a short resume and there might not be another player on the team who faces more competitive factors, so he's going to have to go get it. The role of the No. 2 TE has been relatively unrefined under Davis.

Click here for an interactive look at the complete Top 45 series.