5 things to watch at Iowa’s 2023 open spring practice

IOWA CITY — Iowa football will be in the public eye again Saturday as the Hawkeyes hold their annual open spring practice at Kinnick Stadium.

Gates will open at 9:45 a.m. ahead of the 10:45 a.m. practice.

The open practice — one of 15 practices in the spring — is a small sample size and might not necessarily be a perfect representation of what has happened behind closed doors over the last month.

However, it will be the public’s only on-field evaluation opportunity until the Kids’ Day open practice in August. Here are five things to watch for as the Hawkeyes swarm Kinnick again:

Offensive line development

One does not need to remind Iowa’s offensive linemen of last year’s less-than-ideal results.

“Honestly, there was a lot left to be desired,” Nick DeJong said earlier this month. “That’s pushed us a lot.”

Iowa averaged a Big Ten-worst 2.9 yards per carry in 2022 — a stark contrast from 4.6 yards per carry in 2020 when Alaric Jackson, Cole Banwart and Tyler Linderbaum were in Iowa City.

Improvement on the offensive line will be crucial for how much the offense as a whole can improve with Iowa’s ground-acquisition philosophy.

Saturday will give fans and media alike a chance to see how much players like Logan Jones and Connor Colby have grown in a key developmental period.

Labas’ progress since Music City win

It’s clear Cade McNamara has the QB1 role on Iowa’s depth chart.

"I don’t think there’s any mystery right now,“ offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz said. ”The guys in our room understand Cade’s our starter.”

But Joe Labas likely will be in the spotlight at Saturday’s practice.

Brian Ferentz said McNamara has participated in 7-on-7 and individual drills as he continues to recover from knee surgery. He has not been ready for 11-on-11 drills, though.

That leaves Labas with another opportunity as Iowa’s top available quarterback for the 11-on-11 portion of practice.

Labas, Brian Ferentz said, has “had a really good spring.”

“Joe had a really good bowl prep,” Ferentz said. “Joe acquitted himself very well in the bowl game considering the circumstances. … Really learned a lot about him last December.”

The Brecksville, Ohio, native’s development is important for the Hawkeyes despite him not being in the starting role. Iowa’s previous starter, Spencer Petras, missed time because of injuries in the last two seasons, and McNamara is coming off knee surgery.

Iowa fans also will get their first glimpse of Wisconsin transfer Deacon Hill in a Hawkeye uniform. While Labas seems to be the most likely QB2, Hill also could be in the conversation for that role.

“Deacon’s a guy that has a big arm,” Ferentz said. “He has a lot of arm talent. He can throw it a long way. Very accurate guy. But probably what impresses me more about Deacon than anything is his ability to learn.”

Sneak peek at future at defensive line

With Noah Shannon, Joe Evans, Logan Lee and Yahya Black all missing spring practices because of injuries, Iowa fans will have a chance to see some of the less-experienced defensive linemen in first- second-team roles.

Deontae Craig, who is coming off an impressive 6.5-sack season, is the one projected starter on the defensive line who has been able to participate in spring practices.

Iowa defensive coordinator Phil Parker specifically named Aaron Graves and Jeremiah Pittman as two players who have done well in Shannon, Lee and Black’s absence at defensive tackle.

"Graves is doing a good job inside,“ Parker said, ”and so is Pittman. I think he’s really made some big jumps inside as a defensive tackle.“

Parker also said defensive end and Cedar Rapids native Ethan Hurkett is “right back to where he was, I think, when he was really healthy.”

“Our deepest part of our thing right now is the defensive line,” Parker said.

Fans will get to see that depth for themselves Saturday.

What do Iowa’s second-team defensive backs bring?

Iowa’s lack of depth at defensive back proved costly at the end of last year when Cooper DeJean left the game against Nebraska.

A win would have sent the Hawkeyes to the Big Ten championship game. But the Huskers picked on then-freshman T.J. Hall and then-sophomore Jamison Heinz en route to a 24-17 upset (although that was certainly not the only factor in Iowa’s loss).

Considering the inevitability of injuries, the development of younger players like Hall, Koen Entringer or Deshaun Lee on the second team could play an important role in 2023.

“I feel like I've grown with being more patient and letting the game come to me,” Hall said earlier in the spring. “Not getting too ahead of myself.”

Who’s healthy?

Who is healthy, and who is not, always will be something to watch in a spring practice.

Saturday will offer the closest thing to a full injury report since the 2022 season.

With still more than four months to go until the start of the 2023 season, Iowa obviously has plenty of time before the season for players to recover from injuries.

But for younger players, April injuries mean missed developmental time.

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com