Alex Mota Excited to Focus on Football

Freshman WR from Marion Stood Out in Multiple Sports as Prep

His last race at the Iowa State Track Meet a few weeks ago proved bittersweet for Alex Mota. He finished second in the Class 3A 200 meters after taking third in the 100. 

The achievements deserved celebration. They also signaled the end of his prep athletic career. The Marion (IA) High multi-sport standout turned his full focus to Iowa Football, where he'll be a freshman receiver in 2023. 

Mota will miss track and basketball. He'll miss the guys with whom he grew up playing those sports. He's excited to see where his college career on the gridiron can go with him devoting all of his time to it, however. 

"That's pretty good for me because I'm always transitioning to something different so my body is always sore a good couple of weeks when you go to a different sport," Mota told HN. 

Mota (6-0, 180) ranked second on the Marion basketball team this winter in scoring (10.3 PPG) and rebounding (5.2 RPG). In football, he rushed for 742 yards (7.6 YPC) and eight touchdowns, and caught 12 balls for 230 yards and three scores. 

The Marion coaches lined him up in a split-back set last season. He played quarterback the two years before that. He's also spent time at safety and linebacker. 

He wanted to be a receiver in college. Iowa gave him that chance. It offered him a scholarship in May of '21. He verbally committed the following February after also being offered by Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Nebraska and Wisconsin. 

In the end, it came down to the two in-state schools. He wanted to stay close to home. 

"I was always comparing them. Then Iowa said that they wanted me as a receiver. I knew then I wanted to play football at Iowa. It's close to home, not far from home. I knew it was there," he said. 

Mota was raised by family after tragically losing his parents at an early age. That certainly fed into his desire to be close to home for college. 

"I gave it some thought, but I wasn't trying to move all my stuff," Mota said about attending school out of state. "All that driving back and forth every once in awhile, that's not for me." 

He's excited to arrive on campus in less than two weeks. It's a major life moment on and off of the field. 

"I'm a pretty open guy. I can be shy here and there, but I'll talk to people," Mota said. 

He will room with fellow true freshman receiver Dayton Howard this year. Mota holds a strong bond with members of the '23 Class and second-year Iowa receiver Jacob Bostick. 

"He's told me about the reality of college football. You have to work," Mota said. 

Opportunity presents itself at receiver, a position lacking consistent production during the last few seasons. Mota understands that. He welcomes it. 

While he can operate in the slot, Mota prefers lining up on the outside. 

"The slot is more of a shifty area. I wouldn't say I'm shifty shifty. I like playing outside, one-on-one stuff, jump balls, my ability to run down the field, to create space down the field, to use my speed," he said. 

Mota is interested in seeing how his body develops at Iowa. 

"To be honest, I've never been able to consistently lift because of all the different sports. This last month and a half is probably the most I've ever lifted consistently. That's been pretty good so far," he said.  

Mota is confident better days are ahead for the Hawkeye offense. He will do his part in making that happen. 

"We'll get the passing game going, hopefully, and bring a lot more excitement in this class. We'll put the work in to make it happen," he said.