5 takeaways from UNI football media day, including leaders for QB and play-caller

CEDAR FALLS — With a lot of questions to answer before its season kicks off, plenty was learned Tuesday during Northern Iowa’s football media day.

The Panthers host Valparaiso on Aug. 31.

Here are some of those answers:

Joel Filani is the favorite to call plays

Coach Mark Farley stopped just shy of naming first-year wide receivers coach Joel Filani the team’s play-caller Tuesday.

After Luke Falk’s departure in late June because of a family illness, Filani was hired from Northern Arizona, where he was the Lumberjacks pass game coordinator and wide receivers coach.

His experience with the Air Raid offense goes back to when he played for the late Mike Leach as a wide receiver at Texas Tech. He also coached with Leach at Washington State.

“There’s no secret — Filani has been calling (the offense) the most,” Farley said.

Aidan Dunne leads close quarterback competition

Farley’s remarks about the starting quarterback competition also fell short of officially naming a starter, but revealed a frontrunner.

With 1 1/2 weeks of camp left before Week 1 practices begin, the 24th-year coach said he’ll likely name the starter after this weekend and hinted that former Dubuque Hempstead standout Aidan Dunne will be the guy.

“Has one guy risen to the top? Yes, but (the others) ain’t far away,” Farley said.

Support for new AD Megan Franklin

Farley had high praise Tuesday for first-year Director of Athletics Megan Franklin. His comments follow a candid description at the end of last season that there needed to be alignment from the top-down within the university, athletics department and football program itself.

Farley described Tuesday how the team eating in on-campus dining halls for the first time in seven years has built camaraderie and brought his players closer to the university and student body — something that wouldn’t have happened without Franklin.

He also pointed toward the quick hire of Filani after Falk’s sudden, unforeseen departure and a formal hiring of a Director of Football Operations in Logan Meyer as highly beneficial.

“(Franklin) has made an impact, a legitimate impact on our football team in this camp,” Farley said. “She’s made a legitimate impact on our football program by some of the things she’s allowed me to do. She’s really aligned some things to give us an opportunity to really do more with football. To her credit, she doesn’t take credit. She stays in the background.”

DB transfers proving themselves

After graduation and the transfer portal wreaked havoc on UNI’s defensive backfield, Farley and his staff rebuilt the group with multiple transfers that have impressed in preseason camp.

Six-foot-2 Fletcher Marshall Jr. and 6-1 Aurora transfer Robbie Peterson Jr. have been starting at cornerback. New Mexico State transfer JJ Dervil is poised to start at free safety. Farley also mentioned true freshman Antonio Scott, a 6-2 defensive back from McRae, Ga.

“If anybody walked in the door they’d say we’re long. We’ve got big corners,” Farley said. “JJ Dervil out of New Mexico State is a great football player. Antonio Scott, the freshman out of Georgia, he could play at corner or at safety. There’s enough talent there.”

The offense? Air Raid-adjacent/inverted

Since mentioning a joke made in spring practices about their new “Air Raid’ offense being more ”Air Raid-adjacent,“ Farley, Filani and players pointed out Tuesday how the team’s personnel has given birth to a hybridized, versatile version of the scheme.

“We definitely do have a lot of ‘Air Raid’ in our DNA, but (we) can also line up in 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends) and run the ball as well,” QB candidate Jaxon Dailey said. “I think our ability to put playmakers in space, and then be able to run the ball down (teams) throats if we need to as well, I think that that’s what’s going to make us special this (season).”