Some Hawkeyes make their move

IOWA CITY — Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz believes his young offensive linemen have a chance at great careers. But, yes, he readily acknowledges their 'education' will be an ongoing process.

You saw that it wasn't pretty at times in the spring and summer. You probably will see some rough moments for tackles Boone Myers, Ike Boettger and Cole Croston. Ferentz believes there will be a payoff. When? That's a moving target, obviously.

'I think it's reasonable to say we'll play all three tackles,' Ferentz said Thursday. 'I think they're all pretty close to being even right now. I think it's fair to say we'll have some ups and downs with those guys. . . .

'I look at guys on a year-round basis, what they're doing and how they've improved. All three have really made strides. There are going to be some tough moments. They're going to get educated. They're getting educated in practice, too. They don't have to go to the game field to get it.'

On Iowa Live: What to Make of Iowa's Young Line

It's time to go to the game field. The UI released its first depth chart of the 2015 season on Friday, in advance of next Saturday's 11 a.m. kickoff against Illinois State.

Myers remained No. 1 left tackle; Boettger is No. 1 on the right side with Croston behind him. Ready, set, go.

'It seems to me quality people rise,' Ferentz said. 'I think we'll see that with all three of the guys, not just the two starters. I feel like Cole is the same kind of guy.'

It's been quite the climb for all three this offseason. Of course, Iowa was going to have new offensive tackles in 2015 with seniors Brandon Scherff and Andrew Donnal going to the NFL.

— Senior Dillon Kidd has held off senior Marshall Koehn for the punter spot, which was decided early this week. Kidd struggled at times last season, but Ferentz is a big fan of keeping the punter and kicker jobs separated. Koehn thrived in his first year on field goals and kickoff. For now, the jobs remain split.

— Two true freshmen were listed.

Wide receiver Jerminic (pronounced Jerman-eek) Smith is listed behind senior Tevaun Smith. Here's what recruiting coordinator Seth Wallace said about Smith (6-1, 185) on signing day in February: 'He's a true wide receiver . . . We had to fight like hell for him. There were a lot of schools that had interest in him late. Great route runner, he's got good size.'

Offensive lineman James Daniels is listed at backup left guard behind sophomore Sean Welsh. Daniels (6-4, 285) is the younger brother of junior running back LeShun Daniels (who's listed No. 1). James Daniels picked the Hawkeyes over offers from Ohio State and Alabama.

'James is a national kid,' Wallace said. 'Obviously, having his brother here was key to the recruiting there, but I also think he recognizes what we've done with the offensive line. In terms of a highly rated recruit, historically, there has to be a tie, either geographical or family, to get someone like James. We're hoping for big things out of him.'

— Fifth-year senior Cole Fisher has won the weakside linebacker spot. The 6-2, 236-pounder went into camp behind sophomore Bo Bower, who started all 13 games last season as outside linebacker. It's a major jump if you consider the fact that Fisher has just nine career tackles.

Fisher also is listed as the backup behind Ben Niemann at outside linebacker. Bower is listed with Fisher as backup OLB and freshman Aaron Mends as backup weakside linebacker.

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