Iowa Football Media Day Notebook

IOWA CITY, Iowa - It’s not a media day press conference without an injury list.

Iowa’s list included plenty of wide receivers when coach Kirk Ferentz talked Friday at Kinnick Stadium.

It’s nothing new for the Hawkeyes, who dealt with various injuries in the spring.

“It was a little frustrating back in the spring,” Ferentz said. “As you know, we were really impacted by injuries quite frankly, probably as many as I can remember, and we've still got too many guys that aren't practicing.”

The only new injury that will definitely involve some missed playing time is to wide receiver Diante Vines, who has a wrist injury.

“He'll be in a cast,” Ferentz said. “You'll see that, and that is going to impact the beginning part of the season for him. That's unfortunate. He was really practicing well, and certainly would have been a guy who could help contribute to our football team.”

Ferentz hopes Vines will get some playing time this season.

“It's not season-ending, I don't think, but hopefully we'll get him back here somewhere midseason, whenever,” Ferentz said. “We'll just kind of take that day by day.”

The Hawkeyes have also been without wide receivers Keagan Johnson and Brody Brecht at times in fall camp.

“Keagan is working back,” Ferentz said. “He won't do a lot tomorrow, but he's working back. I think he's close to being where he needs to be, and hopefully the same thing with Brody (Brecht). They're really the two guys that have missed the most time now.

“If you look big picture, you're including spring practice, too. I don't know if concerned is the right word, but that's where my awareness is. They missed a lot of time.”

Johnson played last season, so he has the game experience. Brecht, who also plays baseball at Iowa, didn’t play last season, missing time during the season because of a thumb injury.

“The sooner we can get them back — hopefully it's next week — that'll be encouraging,” Ferentz said. “In Keagan's case, he's played 12 games, 13 games, so he's got experience there, but you still have to play the game and practice.

“Brody is a little different story because he hasn't played. 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.”

Offensive lineman David Davidkov is also among those who have been dealing with camp injuries.

“Going through a medical issue, too, like several of our guys, so hopefully we can get him back,” Ferentz said. “But no, he hasn't gotten any work this camp.

MARRIED MAN: Defensive lineman Logan Lee got married this summer, so Ferentz had to give him a hard time about it.

“Logan is like a 40-year-old guy, too,” Ferentz said. “He is married and you can easily see that. He's probably got three kids and a station wagon by now, too, three months later.”

Lee got a laugh out of that.

“Oh really?” he said when he was told of the wisecrack. “Maybe not a station wagon, but I’ll take the other ones.”

Lee’s wife, Tori, has moved into the couple’s house in Iowa City, but with Lee being in camp and staying with the team in an Iowa City hotel, he hasn’t seen her much.

“We’re able to see each other about an hour at night,” he said.

Lee is the only married Hawkeye player on the roster.

“It’s definitely something that’s going to be different,” he said.

NO RANKING, NO BIG DEAL: Ferentz had that traditional Ferentz look when asked about the coaches’ preseason national poll, which didn’t have the Hawkeyes ranked.

Ferentz, of course, doesn’t care about polls, certainly not ones in the preseason.

“It's like, ‘Oh, gosh, oh, gee,” Ferentz said. “It's one of those deals … I think you guys know how I feel about preseason polls. You talk about a waste of time, with all due respect. And that was a coaches' poll, so I can say that and not offend anybody in the media. I do have feelings on that, too, opinions about coaches versus media.

“I wonder how many coaches actually do the polls. That's the first thing. The bottom line is what's really important is where you are in January. That's still all that counts.”