Which younger Iowa football players have stood out during 2024 bowl prep

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — When Iowa football arrives at Nissan Stadium for Monday’s Music City Bowl, it will be the end of an era for several key players.

It will be Mason Richman’s 52nd and final start as a Hawkeye. It will be the end of the road, too, for sixth-year players like Sebastian Castro and Quinn Schulte.

“I’m excited for it,” said tight end Luke Lachey, who has appeared in 41 games in his Hawkeye career (despite missing most of last season with an injury). “Looking forward to the last game with my teammates.”

But as several veteran players face the sunset of their Hawkeye careers, this week’s trip to Nashville — and the month of practices leading up to this week — also marks a crucial developmental period for younger players.

Here are some of the younger players that have caught the eye of Iowa’s coaches and veteran players during bowl prep:

Brevin Doll and Rashad Godfrey

Running back Brevin Doll and defensive back Rashad Godfrey — both true freshmen — “have taken a step forward here,” Iowa special teams coordinator LeVar Woods said after Friday’s practice in Nashville.

“When you give them an opportunity, you can tell they’ve been paying attention throughout the whole year,” Woods said. “They all get taught everything in training camp and spring football. They weren’t here for spring; but for training camp, they all get taught. And then you see them kind of — some figure it out, some figure it out a little bit slower, some figure it out and then keep building on it.”

Doll and Godfrey appear to fall into that last category. Neither of the true freshmen have seen game action yet, according to Pro Football Focus’ snap count data.

Iowa’s true freshman running backs

Doll and fellow true freshman Xavier Williams received some praise from Kamari Moulton — a redshirt freshman himself who is atop the depth chart ahead of the Music City Bowl.

“I’ve definitely seen them coming along through the year,” Moulton said. “You could tell they’re learning and getting more comfortable. And they’re getting their feet underneath them. … They each bring something different to the team.”

They could potentially see more opportunities as the Hawkeyes try to fill the void left by consensus All-American running back Kaleb Johnson. Moulton and Jaziun Patterson are the top two running backs on the depth chart, but Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz said a “committee” will replace Johnson’s production.

“We really are enthused about what we’ve seen of Xavier and Brevin Doll,” Ferentz said shortly after the bowl announcement earlier this month. “Both those guys have done a really nice job in practice. I think they’ve grown immensely since August.”

Zach Ortwerth and D.J. Vonnahme

Iowa tight end Luke Lachey said the younger guys “obviously took advantage of their reps” and have done a “great job” while singling out two tight ends in particular.

“Zach Ortwerth did a really, really great job,” Lachey said. “Continuing to get better.”

Ortwerth’s quick development was on display during the season as he stepped in admirably amid injuries to Lachey and Addison Ostrenga. The second-year sophomore had 10 catches out of 14 targets, per PFF, and accumulated 133 receiving yards.

The other name to catch Lachey’s attention has not seen quite as much game action. D.J. Vonnahme — a true freshman walk-on with 12 total snaps, per PFF — “does a really good job, too.”

“Really proud of the way he’s gotten better throughout the year,” Lachey said of the Breda native. “And he’s had to step up and fill some roles. So he’s really learned a lot.”

Vonnahme’s presence has gotten more important as fellow walk-on tight ends Johnny Pascuzzi, Cole Marsh and Jalyn Thompson have entered the portal ahead of next year’s 105-player roster cap.

John Nestor

Iowa safety Sebastian Castro said cornerback John Nestor “has been stepping up.”

“He’s been developing since when he first got here,” Castro said. “I know he’s been thrown into the fire a couple times throughout the season, but he’s been learning a lot.”

The second-year sophomore was the first-team cornerback opposite of Jermari Harris on Iowa’s preseason depth chart, but Deshaun Lee and T.J. Hall ended up getting the bulk of the opportunities at that position.

Nestor appeared in nine games in 2024 — five games with defensive snaps and another four only with special teams opportunities. He also appeared in 10 games on special teams as a true freshman in 2023.

Landyn Van Kekerix

Castro also said that linebacker Landyn Van Kekerix, a third-year sophomore, has been “pretty good” and has gotten “more reps with the ones.”

“I know he could find the ball as well,” Castro said. “That’s always a good skill to have.”

Van Kekerix has taken 64 snaps this season, according to Pro Football Focus, with almost all of them coming on special teams. The Rock Valley native did not see any game action in 2022 and 2023.

Kade Pieper

As Kade Pieper concludes his redshirt freshman season, he continues to look like a rising star on the offensive line.

“He’s really athletically gifted,” fellow offensive lineman Gennings Dunker said. “He almost outjumps LoJo (Logan Jones).”

Back in July at the Big Ten’s annual football media days, Ferentz said Pieper “really caught our eye last year.”

“He’s got a really good attitude, good work ethic,” Ferentz said not long after Pieper’s Solon Beef Days hay bale toss title. “And I don’t know how many bad players we’ve had win the hay-baling contest so far, but it’s a good sign.”

Pieper appeared in 10 games in 2024 and saw significant playing time against Michigan State (20 snaps), Northwestern (41 snaps) and Wisconsin (16 snaps). The guard also played sparingly in Iowa’s postseason losses to Michigan and Tennessee last year.

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com

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