Iowa FB notes: Tevaun Smith at KR, James Daniels a starter?

IOWA CITY - At least six different players returned kickoffs in Iowa's early portion of Saturday practice, including senior wide receiver Tevaun Smith.

It's unusual for some schools to put their most experienced offensive weapon in a new return position, but the Hawkeyes are trying to maximize their special teams performance. Also, Smith raised his hand for the duty.

'I hope they have me return the ball, but it's too soon to really tell,” Smith said. 'I'm just going to keep working every day and show them that I've got that speed to get through those wedges and score a touchdown.”

Smith (6-foot-2, 205 pounds), caught 43 passes for 596 yards and three scores last year. He has 70 catches for 937 yards and four scores spanning his Iowa career. He participated as a kick returner three years ago but only as the off returner.

'I'd love to,” Smith said about returning kickoffs. 'Whatever they want me to do, I'm ready to do it.”

Also taking reps as kick returners on Saturday were wide receivers Jonathan Parker (sophomore), Matt VandeBerg (junior), Riley McCarron (junior) and running backs Jordan Canzeri (senior) and Akrum Wadley (sophomore). Cornerback Desmond King also figures into the discussion.

Parker took the bulk of kick returns last year and finished eighth among Big Ten kick returners at 22.1 yards per return. But he was the league leader with three weeks as late as Nov. 10 with 25.6 yards per return. Then he became tentative and returned 15 kickoffs for 239 yards (a 15.9 yard-per-return average).

'It's wide open like every position, and Tevaun has expressed an interest in doing it which it starts there, with being a good return guy or be good at anything,” Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz said. 'You've got to want to do it. He feels like he can help us there and based on what we've seen, I think he looks pretty natural back there and pretty good.”

Canzeri (seven), VandeBerg (two) and McCarron (one) also returned kicks last year. For Smith, it might be important to showcase any special teams skills that could translate to the next level.

'I need to be available on special teams, on offense,” Smith said. 'I'm doing whatever it takes to help the team win right now.

DANIELS MOVING UP?

True freshman James Daniels (6-foot-4, 285 pounds) worked at times with the first unit at left guard. Daniels, brother of starting running back LeShun Daniels, graduated early from high school and joined the program for spring drills.

'He's made a lot of progress,” LeShun Daniels said about his brother. 'Coming in early definitely helped him a lot because at first he doesn't really know what to expect, the tempo, stuff like that. As we've gone along, he's really picked up everything and getting better every single day in practice. Just keep on working and things will be good for him.”

Their father, also named LeShun Daniels, was a starting offensive lineman for Ohio State from 1994-86. James Daniels was a four-star recruit by Rivals and rated as the fourth-best center nationally. He chose Iowa over offers from Alabama, Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin among others.

'He's a tremendous young guy; he's really handled it real well,” Ferentz said. 'I always worry about a guy leaving high school a little early. I think having LeShun here helped a great deal. Having (James Daniels) on campus for just a week you could really see he operates at a good level. We'll see how it goes. That's an open book right now, and we'll let him continue to compete. He's doing a good job.

'There's some things he has to learn; that's probably true of most of our players. You talk about the line, little technique things that you're battling.”

INJURY TIME

Free safety Jordan Lomax and guard Jordan Walsh remained out of practice on Saturday. Ferentz didn't say which player had what issue, but he called their injuries 'nothing major.”

'We've got a bone bruise and a soft tissue issue,” Ferentz said. 'Hopefully by next week, early in the week, we'll have both of them back. The tissue thing is a little harder to predict but nothing serious.”

Tight end Jake Duzey remains out after left knee surgery but he participated in calisthenics. Other players who didn't compete with injuries include Jalen Embry, Brady Reiff, Michael Slater, Omar Truitt and Levi Paulsen.

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