Hlas: Iowa's Akrum Wadley, Matt VandeBerg seek many happy returns

IOWA CITY — Iowa's Week 1 football depth chart has a few brow-raisers, starting with more first-year freshmen (seven) than second-year frosh (four) on the two-deeps.

That could say something wonderful or ominous. What strikes me as more of the former than latter are the first-unit kick-returners.

At No. 1 kickoff-return man, with zero career return yards, is No. 1 running back and fifth-year senior Akrum Wadley.

At No. 1 punt-return man is someone who hasn't played a down since breaking a foot before his team's fifth game of last season, senior starting wide receiver Matt VandeBerg. He returned a dozen punts three years ago, but hadn't been called on to do it again until now.

They happen to be players Iowa can ill afford to lose to injury. But the prevailing attitude in Iowa's program this decade is that the return game matters dearly and kicks should be fielded by proven playmakers.

One of the Hawkeyes' many positive changes in 2015 was ace cornerback Desmond King becoming the returner of kickoffs and punts. His 14.2-yard punt-return average in '15 was a true difference-maker after Iowa averaged just 4.9 yards in that category the year before.

OK, great, but why risk assigning one of your best players to one of your most-perilous tasks?

Well, playing football is one big risk in itself. VandeBerg can tell you that, having endured his season-ending injury last year during a September practice. Oh, how that changed and hurt the Hawkeyes.

But what we mere mortals might consider extra danger is what high-level athletes call increased opportunity.

'Any way I can help the team,' VandeBerg said Tuesday. 'If the coaches have confidence in me that I can either make a play or fair-catch it -— what the situation dictates -— then I'll be excited to do that to help the team.'

'Judgment is a big part of being a punt-return guy,' Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz said, 'so it starts there. (VandeBerg) fields it well, and he's got some run-ability afterward, too, so we're hoping that we can get something.'

There's also the incentive of adding variety and versatility to NFL audition tapes. Micah Hyde's willingness and ability to return punts here in 2011 and 2012 surely didn't hurt the way he was viewed by pro scouts.

Last March, then-free agent defensive back/kick-returner Hyde signed a five-year, $30.5 million contract with the Buffalo Bills. His punt-returning feats over four years in Green Bay, which included three for touchdowns, enhanced his value.

Just as Wadley has become Iowa's top running back, he also wants to return kickoffs? Yes, please.

'Just another way to create a big play,' Wadley said.

'You've just got trust in your blockers. … Just don't try to do anything crazy, nothing special, just do what you're told. … The coaches trusted me. I've just got to trust in the team.'

If Ferentz hadn't added a second 1,000-yard rusher this summer in Nevada graduate transfer James Butler, it's hard to picture him sending out Wadley to return kickoffs. Then again, he had the indispensable King field kickoffs and punts the last two years, so who knows?

'Desmond did a great job the last two years really helping us with field position, in both phases,' Ferentz said. 'I think that's important, and then we've got a lot of new players right now, so we need every little edge we can get.

'I think if we have an opportunity to use a veteran player where it might give us a little bit more octane than it would otherwise, then we really need to look into that, and hopefully that'll complement some of the inexperience that we're working through.'

If nothing else, it increases the value of a game ticket. It's hard to believe King never broke a return for a touchdown. He certainly was entertaining as he tried to do so, and you would expect Wadley will be the same. VandeBerg, too.

'It's got a little juice to it,' VandeBerg said. 'If somebody comes free, it's your job to make him miss. (If) the punt-returner does his job, then it's an exciting play for everybody.'