Let's start thinking about Iowa's 2021 season by looking at the offensive side of the ball. Which players is Iowa going to rely upon the most? Who needs to come through in a big way on that side of the ball for the Hawkeyes to have a successful season? Here's our pick for the top five most important players on the Iowa offense.
1. Spencer Petras, QB
Last year, Year One of the Spencer Petras Era, was a challenging one for the passing game. Petras completed just 57.1% of his passes, the worst for an Iowa quarterback since C.J. Beathard completed 56.5% of his passes in 2016. Petras' 6.4 yards per attempt figure was also the lowest posted by an Iowa QB since CJB in 2016. His QB rating of 118.97 was the lowest recorded by an Iowa QB since James Vandenberg posted a QB rating of 107.72 in 2012, aka the Year Iowa Forgot How To Throw The Ball. Add in an OK-but-not-great 9:5 TD:INT ratio and you have a season, or at least 2/3 of a season, that did little to convince observers that Iowa had nothing to worry about at the QB position for the next few seasons.
For some teams, that might mean a challenger -- like Alex Padilla or Deuce Hogan -- could reasonably mount a challenge to Petras' status as QB1. Given the past two decades of Ferentz-led Iowa teams, though, I don't think Iowa fans will exactly be holding their breath for that to happen. Maybe Padilla or Hogan will be lights out in training camp and force Ferentz's hand. But the odds are against that, especially with Iowa set to open the season with two difficult games against Top 25 opponents. You'd certainly bet on him leaning on the experienced hand in that situation.
So... is there reason for hope with Petras? Maybe! While his overall numbers last year were nothing to shout about, he did show improvement in the back half of the season. He completed over 60% of his passes against Penn State, Nebraska, and Illinois, though that dipped to 56% in the season finale against Wisconsin. He also posted a 6:1 TD:INT mark in those four games, all Iowa victories. He also aired it out in the Illinois and Wisconsin games, posting yards per attempt figures of 7.9 and 8.4, respectively. Obviously, a four-game sample size isn't a lot and there are certainly concerns with Petras needing to replace his top two receivers from last season. But there might -- might -- be something to build on with his performance. Let's hope so, because for Iowa to contend for a Big Ten West championship, they're going to need a better Petras than the one we got last season.
2. Tyler Linderbaum, C
The best news Iowa got in the offseason was Tyler Linderbaum's decision to return for his junior season. It was certainly the best news for Iowa's offense, which managed to get an excellent returning starter at a position of critical importance. Linderbaum, a first team All-Big Ten honoree and first/second team All-American and Rimington Trophy finalist, was projected to be drafted in the first two rounds of last year's NFL Draft, but opted to return to Iowa for another season. He enters 2021 as the favorite to win the Rimington Trophy, awarded annually to the nation's best center, and a fixture on preseason All-Big Ten and All-American teams. Iowa has to replace several other experienced players on the offensive line, but returning a player as good as Linderbaum at the middle of the line is a tremendous boost for his new teammates on the line, for Petras, and for Iowa's offense as a whole.
What makes Linderbaum so special? He's just good at... everything. He's incredibly strong, exceptionally quick (with an explosive first step), and he plays with incredible focus and competitveness. He's a great pass blocker, and maybe an even better run blocker, especially with his ability to quickly and reliably get to the next level. He reads defenses well and organizes the line well. And, oh yeah, he snaps the ball well, too, which is a slightly important skill to have in a center. Linderbaum is the rock around which Iowa's offensive line will be built in 2021 -- and he's a very good rock to have as that foundation.
3. Tyler Goodson, RB
The people demanded more Tyler Goodson -- T-Good -- in 2020 and they got it. And the results did not disappoint. Goodson ran for 762 yards in Iowa's eight game season, averaging 95.3 yards per game. He averaged 5.3 yards per carry on almost 18 carries per game, a half-yard per carry improvement on his 2019 numbers (4.76 yards per carry), and scored seven touchdowns. He was somewhat less of a threat in the passing game, notching just 152 receiving yards on 15 catches after totaling 166 yards on 24 catches in 2019.
The big question for Goodson in 2021: what kind of workload does he get? Iowa split carries between Goodson and Mekhi Sargent in 2019 (Goodson had 134, Sargent had 119), but Goodson firmly established himself as the RB1 last season, with 143 carries to Sargent's 76. No other RB had more than seven carries (Ivory Kelly-Martin). In recent years, Iowa has eschewed an alpha-dog approach to the running back position for a more balanced approach; aside from last season, 2017 was the last time Iowa had one RB take an overwhelming majority of the carries (Akrum Wadley had 252 carries to James Butler's 91).
But Iowa also hasn't had a running back as talented as Goodson since... well, at least since Wadley and you might have to go even further back than that. Goodson has a very special combination of size, speed, and vision and Iowa should definitely try to maximize his opportunities with the ball. Also? He's clearly the best option; running back-by-committee makes sense when you have several good options but no great option, but taking the ball out of Goodson's hands to give it to a less dynamic running back doesn't seem like the best idea. You don't want to overwork Goodson or put him at increased risk of injury, but he should be the clear workhorse for Iowa's running game. Iowa hasn't had a 1000-yard rusher since Wadley in 2017 but Goodson looks poised to end that drought this season.
4. Tyrone Tracy, Jr., WR
Tyrone Tracy proved to be a very happy surprise for Iowa in his freshman season in 2019. He finished second on the team with 589 yards and three touchdowns on 36 receptions and his 16.36 yards per catch average (second only to Ihmir Smith-Marsette's 16.41 ypc) marked him as a dynamic playmaker and big-play threat. 2020, alas, was a season of regression for Tracy. In eight games he posted just 154 yards and a single touchdown on 14 receptions, along with a ho-hum 11.0 ypc average.
What happened? Well, Tracy's impressive 2019 was in part a function of Brandon Smith suffering an injury and missing several games; his absence created an opportunity which Tracy seized with great gusto. Smith was healthy in 2020, which was good for Smith, but created far fewer opportunities for Tracy in the passing game. With Smith and ISM locking up the outside positions and Nico Ragaini being the most trusted option in the possession/slot role, there simply weren't many snaps for Tracy last season, given Iowa's reluctance for four-receiver sets. A brand-new QB (who had his fair share of struggles, as documented above) didn't help the situation, either.
The good news for Tracy is that he should be in a much better position to thrive in 2021. Both Smith and ISM are gone, offering ample opportunity at both outside WR positions. Tracy has put in his reps at all of the WR positions in Iowa's offense, giving him tremendous positional versatility and flexibility. The pieces are in place for this to be Tracy's breakout campaign; he should get the snaps and the looks on offense to post big numbers (or at least big numbers from an Iowa WR perspective). Here's hoping he delivers on that promise from 2019 and fully turns into the game-breaking threat we fell in love with back then.
5. Sam LaPorta, TE
The other thing that benefited Tyrone Tracy in 2019? For the first time... ever?... the tight end position was basically an afterthought in the Iowa offense. Four Iowa receivers had 36 or more receptions that season. Hell, two running backs had fourteen or more receptions that season. No tight end had more than 15 catches that season, a year after Noah Fant and T.J. Hockenson had dominated the Iowa passing game and rewritten the record book for tight ends. That tight end with 15 catches? Freshman Sam LaPorta.
In many ways order was restored for the role of the tight end in Iowa's passing game last year -- LaPorta finished second on the team in receiving yards (271) and actually led the team in receptions (27), though he didn't develop the same red zone chemistry with Petras (just one touchdown catch) that past Iowa tight ends have had with their quarterbacks. LaPorta is Iowa's only experienced returnee at the tight end position and given how much Iowa loves to use the tight end and the lack of proven weapons at receiver, it's safe to assume that LaPorta will be targeted early and often this year. And that seems like a very good thing, because LaPorta has the tools -- good speed, excellent hands, strong leaping ability -- to become the next Great Iowa Tight End.
Agree? Disagree? Let me know.
