Healthy Logan Wolf showing his potential for UNI football

CEDAR FALLS — A career full of obstacles has thankfully become less cumbersome for Northern Iowa senior receiver Logan Wolf.

A highly regarded recruit out of Cedar Falls, Wolf’s anticipated career with the Panthers got off to a promising start. As a freshman in 2019, UNI fans got a glimpse of his potential when he played in the allowable four games to maintain redshirt status.

Among those four appearances Wolf dazzled in a regular-season finale against Western Illinois, reeling in a 61-yard touchdown pass and totaling 82 yards on three catches.

After that redshirt season, Wolf played only eight games the next two seasons as he fought numerous soft tissue injuries — mainly hamstring troubles — that delayed his ability to reach his enormous potential.

“I’ve always said Logan might be the best athlete on this football team,” UNI Coach Mark Farley said on media day in August. “Logan is elite. Logan spends more time in this building than anybody else — between the training room and the pre-stretch, the post-stretch. If he was on the field at 100 percent, he’d be the one on the cover of the (media guide).”

Farley also described how there would be a calculated, conservative ramp up for Wolf this season and it’s seemingly worked.

After appearing in a career-high 10 games a season ago, the former Cedar Falls standout has remained healthy this season, appearing in all seven games. He’s second on the team in receiving with 22 catches and 259 yards.

“What I really like is what’s still out there,” Farley said of Wolf’s potential yet this season. “I think he’s actually getting faster and better because of his confidence now that he’s staying healthy. I’m excited for what the possibility is because I know it’s still not even tapped.”

Told about his coach’s comments, Wolf said it was humbling to hear.

“I think there’s always room for me to provide more, produce more,” Wolf said. “When the opportunities come my way I’ll absolutely step up to the challenge and try to produce as much as I can for this team and help us win.”

A good indicator of Wolf’s health and subsequent confidence was him taking over as the team’s primary punt returner in Week 5.

While he’s still anxious to get a chance for a big return, he’s happy to have more ways to contribute to the team’s success.

“I haven’t punt returned since high school, so getting back out there, I kind of felt like a little kid again,” Wolf said. “Kind of forget how fun it is to do something like that after you haven’t done it for a while. I’m glad to be back punt returning.”

Next up for Wolf and the Panthers is a Missouri Valley Football Conference road game Saturday at Illinois State. The Redbirds (4-3, 2-2) have won two in a row against UNI and have their proverbial backs against the wall when it comes to projecting MVFC playoff teams after a 41-38 loss at Youngstown State last Saturday.

“I think we just have to understand that this is a big game, no matter what way you spin it,” Wolf said. “We’ve got to show that we can play on the road, in whatever elements (there are). We’ve got to be able to take care of the ball. It’s going to be a good one. I hope that we can go down there and get a win and be able to use it to propel us forward to the end of the season.”