IOWA CITY, Iowa– Kirk Ferentz is gearing up for his 26th year at the helm of Hawkeye football. Iowa returns a plethora of talent and have the potential to be a ‘sleeper’ pick for the 2024 College Football Playoff. The Hawkeyes’ over/under win total is currently projected 7.5 by most Sportsbooks.
CBS Sports’ Tom Fornelli took a crack at how the Hawkeyes will finish this upcoming season. While some are higher on Iowa than Fornelli, he still expects Iowa to be above that 7.5 win total. Here’s what he had to say about Iowa.
“I’m really excited to see what Iowa’s new offense looks like, even if I don’t expect it’ll suddenly be scoring 30 points per game. Iowa will still be Iowa, which typically means it wins most of the games it should but struggles with the top of the league. This win total is technically a push, but I lean slightly more toward the over than under here.”
Fornelli has the Hawkeyes going undefeated at home, but believes that they are going to drop several on the road. His total list includes Wins: Illinois State, Iowa State, Troy, Washington, Northwestern, Wisconsin, at Maryland, Nebraska.
Losses: at Minnesota, at Ohio State, at Michigan State, at UCLA
There’s internal confidence and a renewed sense of excitement on the offensive side of the ball. It’s impossible to expect Iowa to go from dead-last to top-50 in one year, but there’s more talent than meets the eye on that side of the ball. A new scheme, pre-snap motion, emphasis on the run game and a willingness to spread the ball from sideline to sideline will be key.
Of course, one of the biggest things that could help Iowa take a step forward is the offensive line. George Barnett has more talent and experience in that room than he has had since his arrival. If the Hawkeyes can string together some consistent upfront, that could pave the way for a double-digit win season.
“It’s very important (to have that continuity),” left tackle Mason Richman said. “It makes it a lot easier for transition, knowing who our top dogs are going to be, who we still have to push a little more. It allows the younger guys time to develop behind us. But it also gives the older guys another year under their belt, another offseason to get better.”
Iowa will get back several key contributors on offense after missing significant time in 2024. Tight end Luke Lachey is going to be a trendy all-American caliber player while starting quarterback Cade McNamara has been fully cleared for Iowa.
“That is part of the goal of any offense is whether it’s through an RPO, whether it’s through a motion, whether it’s through a shift, whether it’s through a post-snap sift, just continue and make sure that they have to be perfect in their fits,” Lester said of tricking eyes of the defense. “We are probably going to try to change their fits two or three times before the snap, and one might be post-snap or they better all be on the same page or we might hit one on them.
That’s a huge part of what we do. We don’t motion every play, but we’ve been using it as a way to hopefully lighten the load a little bit to the guys up front.”
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