Iowa's Jay Scheel uses public interest as motivation

IOWA CITY — Iowa wide receiver Jay Scheel knows many of you are talking about him, and he's really not comfortable about it.

Scheel's a red-shirt sophomore and has played in only two games without registering a statistic. Yet he hears the chorus of fans singing his praises. It's something he finds almost unsettling.

'It's all good and well to get mentioned and everything but you can't think about that kind of stuff,' Scheel said. 'Because if you think about that kind of stuff, it gets in your head. ... I haven't done anything on the field so it's come out of nowhere but all I can do is just work.

'It is what it is. I can't really do anything about what people decide to say about me.'

Scheel was an all-state dual-threat quarterback at La Porte City-Union, which he guided to a state title his sophomore season. Scheel was recruited as both a quarterback and wide receiver but shed his quarterback responsibilities once he stepped on campus.

Rivals ranked Scheel as a four-star athlete so it frustrated many Iowa fans to not see Scheel in his first two seasons. But the 6-foot-1, 195-pound Scheel endured four different knee surgeries before working into a daily practice routine. Two operations on Scheel's left knee were designed to 'scrape the tendon' he said. Two others on his right knee were arthroscopic procedures and removed bone fragments. He didn't even practice full-time until the team prepared for the TaxSlayer Bowl 16 months ago.

While Scheel barely played last year, he showed his value in practice. Now that he's healthy, he's moved into a regular rotation.

'I like the fact, one, that he's very dependable,' Iowa offensive coordinator Greg Davis said. 'He can play either of the two outside spots and not miss a beat. He's smart, having been a quarterback, so he kind of understands what defenses are trying to do.

'It's really the first spring we've seen him where he knew what to do and he was well. He made a catch and run the other day, I guess Saturday, that was really impressive. He made a nice catch (Wednesday). So he's come a long way. And you can just see that when he goes out there now, his head is not spinning. He's more relaxed and comfortable.'

Scheel's quarterbacks are noticing, too.

'He's made himself a great option for the quarterbacks to go to whenever he's in a one-on-one match-up,' Iowa backup quarterback Tyler Wiegers said. 'He's always getting open. Obviously he's healthy. He's looking really fast right now, playing well. I think he's definitely put himself in there to be playing next fall.'

Quickness and speed always were among Scheel's strengths, but he routinely gains separation on defensive backs. That in turn has allowed him to separate from his peers.

'I think his speed definitely helps, but he's been good in the nuances of route-running,' Wiegers said. 'He's been getting really good at that, getting out of his breaks really well and setting up the defenders.'

Although the attention has been unnerving at times, it's also provided Scheel with an incentive.

'I want to push myself to be the best I can be but also show people what I can do,' Scheel said. 'So there is a motivation factor for sure.'

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