Kennedy Talks Receivers

April 6, 2016

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By JAMES ALLAN
hawkeyesports.com

IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa wide receivers coach Bobby Kennedy is looking for a room of Matt VandeBergs.

Following the graduation of senior starters Tevaun Smith and Jacob Hillyer, the Hawkeyes’ spring two-deep is littered with potential with Jerminic Smith, Jay Scheel, Jonathan Parker, and Adrian Falconer joining VandeBerg and fellow senior Riley McCarron on the depth chart.

“People know we have to replace a couple of guys and we have a young group coming back,” Kennedy said Wednesday during a news conference in the Stew and LeNore Hansen Football Performance Center. “I am excited about this group. If we continue to work hard and improve daily, we’ll have a chance to be a good group.”

VandeBerg emerged as Iowa’s top pass-catching option in 2015. He entered his junior season with 22 career catches for 315 yards and more than doubled his career output with 65 catches for 703 yards and four touchdowns in 2015.

Iowa’s other five wide receivers on the depth chart have 14 combined catches for 239 yards.

“The thing I am most impressed with about Matt is not only does he have the ability to make the wild catch, make consistent plays, and give good effort on the perimeter blocking, but he is a guy that loves this game and doing well is important to him.

“I am excited about the future with him, and I know he’s eager to get better every day. When we talk about some of the younger players, I’d like to see a little bit more of him (Matt) in them.”

Kennedy is looking for consistency this spring. He wants to see which players have the moxie to step up when their number is called. He is eager to see which players will perform the gritty work.

Gritty work — a.k.a. downfield blocking — is a critical component in Iowa’s offense. It’s a transition that doesn’t happen overnight.

“They’re doing a better job, but we still need to be grittier on the perimeter,” said Kennedy. “They need to be tough. If you look at a bunch of our explosive runs, the third level is where the wide receivers spring you.

“We need to do a better job. I have seen flashes, but it’s still early in the spring, and we haven’t arrived yet.”

Overall, Kennedy says the process to being consistent begins in spring ball because it’s a catalyst to the upcoming season.

“If you’re not going to be consistent in the spring, going into summer, then training camp, it’s hard to do it in the fall,” said Kennedy. “Guys don’t just emerge. They have to do it over a long period of time.

“Guys have to take things on a daily basis, keep improving on a daily basis and understand that there’s going to be some good days and bad days in practice. It’s my job to keep pushing them to improve, and I’m confident they’ll do that.

“It is a process, and we’re not a finished product, but I’m excited for the future.”

The public can get a glimpse of the Hawkeyes on Friday during an open practice at Valley Stadium in West Des Moines, Iowa. Drills begin at 6 p.m. (CT) with a youth clinic following practice at approximately 7:45.