Inexperience abounds among Iowa wide receivers and tight ends.

By Ryan Rodriguez
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With the departure of Jake Rudock to Michigan, the concern of who will be under center for the Hawks in 2015 — arguably the biggest question mark surrounding the team in 2014 — has been put to bed.

Barring injury, C.J. Beathard will take the snaps for the Hawkeyes. Beathard, while still relatively untested as a full-time starter, is seen as a much more lively and dynamic quarterback than his predecessor.

But while the question of who will throw the ball for the Hawks has been resolved, uncertainties surrounding whom he’ll target linger.

Relative inexperience at wide receiver and a key injury at tight end have left some with doubts about the potential of the Iowa passing attack.

“Losing Jake [Duzey] in the spring was definitely a blow for us, but I think the rest of our guys have responded well,” Iowa tight-end coach LeVar Woods said. “It’s been an adjustment for them, and it’s been an adjustment for Jake. Just try to keep him involved at all times.”

Duzey, Iowa’s senior tight end and arguably its most reliable down-field threat, has been on the shelf for three months after having knee surgery in late April, and he will likely miss the first few games of the season.

That means that some combination of senior Henry Krieger Coble and junior George Kittle will receive the lion’s share of snaps at tight end until Duzey returns.

Neither player is considered to be the all-around better option to replace Duzey (at least not yet), with Krieger Coble the “hands guy” while Kittle is more the “speed guy.”

And while neither can outright replace Duzey’s role on the field, both could be used effectively if given somewhat separate, more specialized roles.

Kittle in particular has impressed people with his athletic ability in camp.

“The guy is just a freak of nature athletically,” Woods said. “He’s done a great job this spring of really being detailed and knowing what he needs to do. He has every athletic facet you want in a tight end; for him, it’s just a matter of getting the reps.”

And just as depth at tight end is largely unproven after Duzey, depth at wide receiver is fairly thin after Tevaun Smith.

After Smith, the combination of Matt VandeBerg and Jacob Hillyer combined for just 25 catches last season.

The Hawkeyes, who almost certainly will try to take more shots downfield this year, want to squeeze maximum potential out of what some consider an underrated group of wideouts.

They could have a few decent options for a deep threat with Smith and speedy redshirt freshman Jay Scheel when the situation arises. Don’t sleep on VandeBerg, either — he averaged 18.3 yards per catch last season.

“I feel like we [the receivers] have a little chip on our shoulder this year,” Smith said. “We’re hungry, we’re going to do whatever we can to help the team win. There’s really no pressure on us, we’re just hungry guys ready to work.”

And while much is unknown, one thing is for sure: This receiving corps loves to work with Beathard.

“It’s been fun the whole summer working together with him,” Smith said. “It’s going to be fun to watch him and see what he can actually do during the game.”

Potential is probably the best adjective to describe Iowa’s tight ends and wideouts. Largely unproven potential, sure, but the potential is there nonetheless.

Their development is and will continue to be one of the biggest continuing stories for the Hawkeyes this year and one that could have a major effect on the win/loss column come December.

“I think we have the opportunity to be more explosive this year,” offensive coordinator Greg Davis said. “C.J. looks for that a little bit longer, and just some of the guys we have, I think we’ll be a lot more explosive naturally.”

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