No. 41 — LB Aaron Mends

No. 41 . . . The big question for redshirt freshman Aaron Mends is can he see some time as a weakside linebacker? This spring, the 6-0, 212-pounder from Kansas City, Mo., ran on the second team behind sophomore Bo Bower. During one practice inside the Hansen Center, Mends literally ran drills behind Bower.

Now, Mends is somewhat undersized and just a freshman. He sits behind Bower, who'll begin his second season as a starter. The middle linebacker spot will have sophomore Josey Jewell and senior Travis Perry. On this list, Mends is probably No. 4.

Beyond that, however, he's an intriguing prospect. More than a few times this spring, when you heard a deep pads pop, it was No. 31 doing the popping. Running drills alongside the starter? Is there an acceleration here for Mends? Probably not. Or maybe not.

Mends has been noticed. There's a lot to like.

'Aaron Mends is a fast-twitch, quick player, who has got electric feet,' linebackers coach Jim Reid said. 'He's got a giant heart. He's got tremendous focus and he's a tough guy. I mean, he is a tough guy as the fullbacks on the lead play, he is a tough guy.

'A couple of times — one time last Saturday, it was like, 'Oh, God, is everybody going to be all right here?' I mean, he really can hit with really good leverage, fast. This guy is very, very, very quick. He's playing linebacker for us and he could be a defensive back. I mean, that's a skill that I believe that Aaron has.'

Good things.

More good things . . . From a Kansas City Star piece on Mends:

— Mends' parents, Anne and Othello, grew up in Ghana, a small country in western Africa.

— Mends didn't know much about football, basically jumping into it when he was in eighth grade.

— He said this: 'I didn't care where I played,' Mends says. 'I was going to kick some (rear) somewhere on the field.'

— He did this: Five years after his first football practice, Mends is an all-state linebacker, a four-time letterman and such a punishing hitter that Winnetonka coaches keep his highlight videos only a few clicks away.

— And this: Mends was voted team captain.

— And this: In high school, he logged four straight semesters with a grade-point average above 3.5.

— His dad moved back to Ghana 10 years ago, leaving Aaron, his mom and three sisters (Aaron and his father text, but haven't seen each other for a year, according to the post).

— Mends said this, too: 'Football drives me to do well in school because I want to do big things. Football made a path for me to be better in life.'

All good things.

Outlook . . .

Mends is a player without a real resume, so it's easy to say great things about him. He hasn't missed a tackle or an assignment. He hasn't been out of position. He hasn't read a play wrong or been washed away at the line of scrimmage.

So, it's all good right now. The reality for Mends in 2015 is special teams. That's a really big deal. Iowa wasn't terrible on special teams last season (OK, the punt coverage against Nebraska was awful, we're not letting that off the hook), but it wasn't great. Your core special teamers are usually linebackers and running backs/fullbacks. Mends was made for this, especially with former fullback/linebacker John Kenny's transfer to Arizona. Kenny was set to potentially captain a few special teams units. He's gone.

You probably already figured out Mends and special teams. It makes sense, and we'll see if that comes together.

A bigger question is can he develop enough to challenge at an inside linebacker spot? That position was lost at times last season. MLB Quinton Alston was a second-team all-conference pick and is in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers camp. Jewell and Bower are the holdovers and there's pressure on them to improve. They are well aware of this.

Can Iowa develop Mends to challenge for playing time? The answer is it kind of has to. The staff has to show it can juggle preparing a starter and developing depth. If the starters lock in and excel, that's one thing. Strong competition is the one sure way to draw the best out of players every second they're in practice or in the video room or what not.

There are a lot of bodies for Mends to negotiate and maybe the ultimate answer is that he's not ready, but the starting linebackers need a push.

l Comments: (319) 398-8256; marc.morehouse@thegazette.com