Iowa Football: 10 Things to Expect from the Spring Game

With uncertainty in the Big Ten the Iowa Hawkeyes remain a sleeper team in the conference. They return a total of 13 starters and have an extremely talented team.

The spring game will take place on April 14 and is a chance for every player to prove themselves in a game-like atmosphere what they're capable of.

Here are 10 things to expect from the Iowa Hawkeyes spring game.

B.J. Lowery to Make a Name for Himself

Iowa lost a solid cornerback in Shaun Prater but may not miss much if B.J. Lowery can step in a fulfill expectations. He's an athletic corner who can make plays and is fabulous in coverage. And despite his smaller frame, he wants everyone to know he doesn't shy away from contact and will lay someone out if given the opportunity.

"I love tackling," Lowery said, according to Hawkeye Sports. "Hard contact, everybody yelling. It feels good."

Lowery played well in limited action before breaking his wrist. He finished his sophomore season with 12 tackles, one sack and three passes broken up. Expect him to make a name for himself in the spring game and lock up that cornerback spot for good.

A Lot of Running

We know the situation with the Iowa running game. Nearly every possible running back they had on the team has either transferred from the program or has suffered a season-ending injury. With the Hawkeyes already confident in their passing game, you should see a lot of running plays being called to try and give these guys experience.

Damon Bullock is expected to be the next guy in line and he only had 10 carries last season. Run, run and run some more, because this offense is going to certainly need it.

Brad Rogers

Iowa may even turn to fullback Brady Rogers to help the running game as well. What makes the 5'10", 230-pound back worth watching this spring is the fact his career has been held back due to a heart condition. Now that he's healthy and performing well in the spring, it should be interesting to see just how well he can contribute.

Even if he doesn't perform well, it's great to see he's overcome his illness, and that alone deserves a slide it itself.

Tight Ends Being Used More Often

With the running back position up for grabs and a serious question mark, the tight end position looks to make a comeback in the Iowa offense this season. With talented and experienced tight ends such as C.J. Fiedorowicz and Zach Derby returning, it could add a different dimension to the offense and much-needed weapons.

“I think just that the tight end group as a whole has come a long ways,” quarterback James Vandenberg said, according to Hawk Central. “They are expanding what we can do with the tight end position.”

Hopefully for the Hawkeyes they can actually fulfill some of that potential and become one of the better tight end tandems in all of college football.

A Quicker-Paced Offense?

The Hawkeyes have many of the weapons in place and a veteran quarterback leading the way, so a quicker-paced offense could help this team moving forward. Word is out that Iowa has been working on an up-tempo offense and looks to use it at times to take advantage of defenses in the Big Ten.

"We're experimenting with it," quarterback James Vandenberg said to the media, according to Examiner.com. "It's tough to learn, but we are working at it. We want to do it in the fall."

The fall is where they may unleash majority of what they've been working on, but don't be surprised if they run some of it this weekend. Practice makes perfect, and the last time I checked, this was still a practice spring game.

The Offensive Line to Remain a Mess

Iowa lost three key offensive linemen from a year ago, including future first-round NFL pick Riley Reiff. That means there are a lot of positions up for grabs, as the only person that's likely guaranteed a spot on the line is senior center James Ferentz.

The fact is that there are simply tons of players competing for spots and it's going to take much longer than the spring to figure out who's going to play where.

Safety to Remain a Battle

Iowa returns several key defensive players, but the defensive backfield is loaded, particularly at the safety position. Nico Law was listed as the No.1 safety on the depth chart, but don't count out players like Collin Sleeper or Tom Donatell just yet.

"Tanner Miller had a really good year last year, and he's doing a nice job again," said defensive backs coach Darrell Wilson, according to Hawkeye Sports. "Nico is extremely talented, still learning the game, but he's going to be a nice player. John Lowdermilk moved back on the hash and he's really comfortable back there with Tom and Collin. We feel we have a great group of safeties."

This is a battle between several talented and experienced players and it wouldn't be surprising if it ended up lasting well into the fall.

Open Competition at Wide Receiver

Iowa had the third-best passing offense in the Big Ten last season and is returning every wide receiver except for one. (Granted, Marvin McNutt is a huge loss, but still.) You'd think that a majority of the starters last season would be able to keep their jobs, but not so fast, says wide receiver coach Erick Campbell, according to The Gazette.

“You never can relax here because there’s always competition, even with having great tight ends. Everybody is competing to get the ball. The better you play, the more opportunities you going to have it versus giving it to another position or another player," he said.

Even with that said, you'd expect Keenan Davis and Kevonte Martin-Manley to remain the starters, but this could make things interesting for the younger guys behind them like Jacob Hillyer or even Steven Staggs.

A Better and More Improved Keenan Davis

Speaking of wide receivers and players stepping up, wide receiver Keenan Davis has been called out by wide receivers coach Erick Campbell and he better answer the bell.

“He’s a veteran guy,” Campbell said via The Gazette. “We expect more out of him than we have in the past because now he is the most experienced guy. He’s coming and practicing. At the same time, again, learning the new system, it slows you down a little bit."

With Marvin McNutt no longer around to do majority of the heavy lifting at wide receiver, it's now Davis who will become the No. 1 guy. He took a huge jump last season catching 70 passes for more than 700 yards, but will drastically have to improve those four touchdown receptions. He has to become the key playmaker for this offense if the Hawkeyes want any type of success in the Big Ten this season.

A Successful Spring Game

Spring is great for young teams or teams that are going through transition. With Iowa bringing in several new coordinators, the spring game is very important for them as they try and get more comfortable in a game-like atmosphere. Regardless of what happens in the game it will be a success just because of the time with the players—unless an injury to a key player happens of course.

Iowa returns a majority of its team, and despite several questions it may have on both sides of the ball, expect to see a solid spring game with many of those questions answered.