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Nico Ragaini not listed on Iowa football’s Week 1 depth chart
Spencer Petras remains starting quarterback after fall camp
IOWA CITY — Iowa football appears to be without its most experienced wide receiver to start the season.
Nico Ragaini was not listed on the Hawkeyes’ first depth chart of the 2022 season.
That leaves Iowa with only two available wide receivers for Saturday who have caught a pass in an Iowa uniform before — Keagan Johnson and Arland Bruce IV.
Johnson and Bruce are listed as first-team wide receivers. Walk-ons Alec Wick and Jack Johnson are listed as second-team wide receivers.
Wick, the former Iowa City Regina standout, is a redshirt freshman. Johnson is a sophomore from West Des Moines Valley.
Spencer Petras remains top QB
Spencer Petras is once again the No. 1 quarterback on Iowa’s depth chart, with Alex Padilla backing him up.
Petras is coming off a 2021 season where he completed about 57 percent of his passes and had 10 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
“I think Spencer has really done a nice job out there leading our football team,” head coach Kirk Ferentz said at media day.
Starting offensive line doesn’t change in fall camp
Iowa’s first-team offensive line looks the same way it did going into fall camp.
From left to right, the starters are Mason Richman, Tyler Elsbury, Logan Jones, Connor Colby and Jack Plumb.
There were some questions about whether Colby would move to tackle after taking some snaps there in fall camp, but the 6-foot-6 lineman appears to be staying at guard for now.
Barring a change between Monday’s depth chart and Saturday’s season opener against South Dakota State, Elsbury and Jones will be making their first career starts. Jones switched positions from the defensive line to center during the offseason.
Offensive tackle David Davidkov, who was the second-team left tackle going into fall camp, is not listed on the depth chart. He was not in uniform for Iowa’s Kids Day open practice on Aug. 13.
Aaron Blom listed as starting kicker
Sophomore Aaron Blom is the starting kicker following a fall camp where both kickers showed significant improvement from the spring.
That doesn’t rule out true freshman Drew Stevens from seeing action in Saturday’s season opener, though.
Special teams coordinator LeVar Woods said at media day a two-kicker scenario is “on the table.”
Other notes
- Terry Roberts has the first-team cornerback spot opposite of Riley Moss. Jermari Harris was arrested in April on an OWI charge, which typically comes with a one-game suspension.
- Defensive back Cooper DeJean’s positioning changed slightly. He still is the defensive back at Iowa’s “Cash” position, but now he is a second-teamer at cornerback instead of safety. Sebastian Castro is the second-team strong safety behind Kaevon Merriweather.
- Iowa’s depth chart did not include punt or kick returner. The Hawkeyes have to replace Big Ten Return Specialist of the Year Charlie Jones, who transferred to Purdue.
Comments: (319) 398-8394; john.steppe@thegazette.com
Iowa wide receiver Nico Ragaini (89) tries to outrun a Kent State defender in the fourth quarter of the Hawkeyes’ 2021 win over the Golden Flashes at Kinnick Stadium. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette)
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