Brody Brecht Reaches Comfort Level with Busy Schedule

Iowa Two-Sports Athlete Has Experience on His Side

IOWA CITY, Iowa - Brody Brecht knew the first year was going to be difficult.

Brecht was going to try to play football and baseball at Iowa, juggling the time and the pressures of going between one sport to the other.

Year two, Brecht thinks, is going to be better.

“I think the first year was always going to be the hardest,” said Brecht, a wide receiver for the football team and a highly-touted pitching prospect for the baseball team. “We know how to handle it now.”

If anything, Brecht said, just being with the football program for summer workouts was a big step forward. He missed that last season, as he was completing his high school baseball career in Ankeny.

Just getting that extra work in helped.

“Physically and mentally, I’ve learned a lot,” Brecht said. “I feel like I’m more physically able to compete at the Big Ten level. I was really, really skinny last year. I’ve put on a lot of weight. And just mentally, I’m ready to go.”

Football is Brecht’s priority in the fall, baseball in the spring, although he still tries to get some work in both in each season.

It’s a time-management work in progress that is getting better.

“I knew it was going to be hard,” Brecht said. “I think the biggest thing is just the toll, mentally and physically. Just a lot of time, a lot of back-to-back days, late nights, early mornings. I’ve had a lot of fun, it’s been a blast. There have been some ups and downs, but I love it.

“I’ve said it before, I just needed to have a schedule — what I have to do, where I need to be. Maximizing my opportunities where my priorities are at. That’s just been the biggest thing.”

Brecht suffered a thumb injury early in fall camp last year that set him back, and he took a redshirt season. He’s been bothered with some nagging injuries at the beginning of fall camp this year.

“Brody is a little different story because he hasn't played,” coach Kirk Ferentz said. “We really liked what we saw when he came back in the fall, but we've got to get him going. Hopefully it's sooner than later. I think it will be.”

Brecht came to Iowa with a reputation of being a big-play receiver. He holds Ankeny High School’s career records with 124 catches, 2,269 receiving yards, and 29 receptions.

But he is also a right-handed pitcher who has a fastball that sits in the high 90s and can occasionally get to 100 mph. Brecht threw 22 ⅔ innings as a reliever with the Iowa baseball team last spring. He pitched in 17 games, going 1-4 with a 3.18 earned run average. He struck out 44 while walking 25.

Brecht did get in some baseball work over the summer, playing for the Clinton LumberKings in the Prospect League. Brecht made four starts, although he threw just 6 ⅔ innings, striking out 19.

“Just getting in innings, getting used to starting,” he said. “That helped a lot.”

Now he’s back in football mode and, in Iowa’s deep wide receiver room, trying to find a spot.

“I just want to help in any way that I can, whether that’s special teams, or ‘X’ receiver,” Brecht said. “Whatever the coaches want, I’ll do it.”