Surprised Iowa football to adjust after Tennessee QB news about Joe Milton, Nico Iamaleava
ORLANDO, Fla. − At Iowa’s first on-site practice ahead of the Citrus Bowl, Hawkeye defenders chased a scout-team quarterback wearing a No. 7 gold jersey in preparation for Tennessee’s Joe Milton.
Upon coming off the field at Celebration High School, they were legitimately surprised to learn that Milton – a sixth-year senior who threw for 2,813 yards this season with 20 touchdowns and five interceptions – was opting out of the ball game. The news broke late Wednesday morning; Iowa came off the practice field around 12:45 p.m.
“Oh, he did?” free safety Quinn Schulte said. “… This is news to me today, to be honest with you. Obviously, we’re going to have to go back and take a look.”
Fourth-year defensive end Deontae Craig was also taken aback by the news, his eyes reacting in disbelief. In Milton’s previous game, against Vanderbilt, he completed 22 of 33 passes for 383 yards and four touchdowns. ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. ranks Milton as the No. 10 QB prospect in the upcoming NFL Draft. Milton played with current Iowa quarterback Cade McNamara while they were at Michigan in 2020.
“Obviously, a sixth-year guy. He comes with a lot of experience,” Craig said. “You turn on the tape and you see the athletic traits he has. But it’s Tennessee. So, whether it's their second string, third string … we’re going to prepare the same way.”
Craig’s surprise quickly turned to comfort. No doubt that after getting off the practice field, defensive coordinator Phil Parker and his staff were discussing how to tweak preparations (if at all) for the new Tennessee starter, true freshman Nico Iamaleava, who is a 6-foot-6 prospect from California who arrived as a five-star recruit with a supposed (but never confirmed) NIL deal worth $8 million.
Iamaleava, who was the nation's third-ranked recruit in the 2023 class according to 247 Composite, has appeared in four games this year and completed 16 of 26 throws for 163 yards with one TD, that coming in a 59-3 rout of Connecticut.
“Our coaches do such a good job of handling that stuff for us, so we don't have to worry about it,” Craig said. “I’ve got the utmost confidence in them, so I know they’ll have us ready to go for whoever is back there.”
The last time Iowa faced a true freshman in a bowl game? Last year – against Kentucky four-star prospect, Will Destin, after Will Levis opted out of the game.
Iowa sophomore safety Xavier Nwankpa grinned at that memory, a 21-0 Hawkeye victory in the Music City Bowl. Nwankpa had a 54-yard interception-return touchdown off Destin in that game, his first career start, and Cooper DeJean had a pick-six of his own.
“Yeah, we had a couple picks,” Nwankpa said. “We’re going to try to replicate that.”
Brian Ferentz is coaching in the game
However, the outgoing Iowa offensive coordinator will not appear in the coordinator press conferences Friday here in Orlando. His spot on the schedule has been taken by tight ends coach Abdul Hodge.
There was some question whether Ferentz would be in Orlando, with coach Kirk Ferentz saying that if his son got a job elsewhere, he didn’t expect him to join the team for the Citrus Bowl. Considering Brian Ferentz has deep NFL ties and that offseason avalanche of coaching changes not happening until January, it’s not a surprise – or a concern – that Ferentz has not yet landed a job elsewhere.
“He’s coaching his butt off, and it’s great to have him and learn from him,” tight end Addison Ostrenga said.
One of the offensive players Iowa would love to keep is wide receiver Kaleb Brown. The Ohio State transfer emerged in November with all 19 of his receptions (for 176 yards) coming in the final five games.
Brown was sad to see friend and receiver mate Diante Vines depart via the NCAA transfer portal but seems happy here and is eager to learn who takes over as offensive coordinator. Kirk Ferentz’s timeline for a hire is after the bowl game, so don’t expect any decisions or news this week.
“It's a huge factor … in the production of the offense,” Brown said. “I’m just waiting to see who we’ve got. We’re rolling with whoever we got.”
A better-than-expected one year at Iowa for Rusty Feth
Probably the happiest guy to talk to the media Wednesday was offensive lineman Rusty Feth, who wound up starting eight of Iowa’s last nine games at left guard after transferring from Miami of Ohio. He beamed about the experience he enjoyed in his one season with the Hawkeyes. After Monday, he’s out of college eligibility.
“I expected it would be pretty cool, but nothing can prepare you for being a part of a team like this for coach Ferentz,” Feth said. “You hear so much about him, and playing for him is a whole different level.”
A bonus from being at Iowa? An awesome Christmas gift from the injured starting quarterback. McNamara bought the offensive linemen customized video game controllers. Feth’s has his number (60) and a Tigerhawk and is geared for his PlayStation.
“I feel a little spoiled. He texted us a couple weeks before and tricked us,” Feth said. “He asked what type of console we played on because he was going to get one. We all fell for it. He got us (a controller for) whatever console we had.”
Feth echoed comments from about a month ago from right tackle Gennings Dunker that true freshman Kade Pieper was turning heads in the second part of the season. Feth also had a really cool answer about how he learned by watching a youngster scrap and claw in practice.
“They just go out there and play football. They don’t overthink,” Feth said. “When you do this for so long, you think about the fundamentals and technique more than you should. And watching a young kid come in there and sometimes do it better than you, it’s like, ‘Maybe I just need to go out there and play football.’”
Hawkeyes columnist Chad Leistikow has covered sports for 29 years with The Des Moines Register and USA TODAY Sports Network. Join Chad's text-message group (free for subscribers) at HawkCentral.com/HawkeyesTexts. Follow @ChadLeistikow on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Tennessee QB news about Joe Milton, Nico Iamaleava surprises Iowa
