Brody Brecht steps away from Iowa football to focus on baseball career

IOWA CITY — Iowa dual-sport athlete Brody Brecht is stepping away from football to focus fully on his baseball career, he said Friday on Twitter.

Brecht had been playing wide receiver in the fall and pitching in the spring since arriving on campus in 2021.

“Football is my first love,” Brecht said in a tweet. “But in the past few years, baseball has become my true passion.”

Brecht’s baseball career has blossomed in his second season on the mound, posting a 2.74 ERA in 23 innings while throwing a fastball that can reach 100-plus miles per hour.

“I want to be great at baseball and hope to play Major League Baseball in the future,” Brecht said. “I believe putting my focus fully on baseball is the best way for me to achieve that goal.”

Brecht was a Perfect Game second-team freshman All-American last year and was a Baseball America preseason third-team All-American entering this season.

The Ankeny native had a 3.18 ERA in 22 2/3 innings as a freshman.

On the football field, Brecht’s role had been more modest. He had nine catches for 87 yards last season after redshirting in 2021.

Brecht’s departure from the football program leaves the Hawkeyes with seven scholarship wide receivers for 2023, including the incoming freshmen who will arrive in June. Five of them have yet to take a snap at the FBS level.

“We wish Brody the very best as he focuses solely on his baseball career,” Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz said in a statement. “He is a talented and dedicated athlete, and we are appreciative of his contributions while a member of the football team.”

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com