Three and Out: Three players worth talking about

1. He doesn't mind 'Meerkat' — 'Meerkat' is the nickname that Iowa wide receivers coach Bobby Kennedy put on sophomore Matt VandeBerg

. The funny part is the fact that VandeBerg is 6-1, 180-or-so-pounds. He is 'meerkat-ish.' VandeBerg is a good-natured kid from Brandon, S.D. Of the five true freshmen wide receivers who began their careers at Iowa in 2013, VandeBerg was the only one who played. He was going to get a nickname, that's how this works.

'I wasn't against it,' he said with a laugh. 'I guess I've made a name for myself. I'm not too upset with that.'

VandeBerg caught eight passes for 59 yards last season. In Iowa's August scrimmage, the 6-1, 175-pounder caught three passes for 31 yards and rushed once for 11. This was a day in which several wide receivers sat out, so you wondered if this might be foreshadowing or out of necessity. After the scrimmage, head coach Kirk Ferentz

said 'He'll play a lot, he'll play a lot.'

2. They all have doubts at different times — Sometime during camp, sophomore linebacker Reggie Spearman

let an Instagram picture and thoughts slip into the Hawkeye internet vortex. The message expressed some serious doubts about how much he wanted to be in football. Since then, though, he's been pictured in practice and that little bit of social media has washed away.

How much of a big deal is this? Imagine if social media were a bigger deal early in the Ferentz era? Defensive tackle Colin Cole had severe homesickness for south Florida. DT Louis Trinca-Pasat once had a foot out the door. Linebacker Pat Angerer got serious about being a player sometime during his sophomore year. Point is, Spearman wouldn't be the first person to have these thoughts. He's still here and engaged and is listed as a slash with freshman Josey Jewell

on the weakside. Spearman (6-3, 230) looks like a serious linebacker.

3. Literally first foot forward — Cornerback Greg Mabin redshirted his true freshman season. He came to Iowa from Calvary Christian Academy in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He was a gangly 6-2, 180-or-so-pound wide receiver who didn't see mega-competition on Calvary's level of football. His college offers were Jacksonville (Fla.) State, an FCS school, and Tulane. Wide receiver didn't work out, so he moved to defensive back, corner and/or safety. Mabin began 2014 spring practice as a No. 3 corner behind sophomore Maurice Fleming and junior Sean Draper

.

He ended fall camp as No. 1 cornerback opposite sophomore Desmond King. Is this a massive leap for a player in his third season who has yet to see a down in a game? Yes, it is.

'Last year at this time, he was a scout team player who really hadn't done much to distinguish himself in a real positive way,'Ferentz said. 'But to his credit, he's worked hard. This spring, he really started to rise and get noticed through his hard work and his play. Again, we had an opportunity, door was open, so he's really done a good job.'

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