Iowa Football Position Preview: WR

Nico Ragaini has been at Iowa for six seasons, so he’s plenty of comings and goings, especially in the wide receiver room.

He’s back for one final season, and although there are a lot of new faces around him, he still feels, for the most part, at home.

“The past couple of years I’ve been surrounded by guys I’ve known forever. I’ve met some of my best friends, friends I’ll have for the rest of my life,” said Ragaini, Iowa’s leading returning receiver with 34 receptions last season. “A lot of them have left the football team and are starting their jobs, or playing in the NFL right now. That’s been different.

“Being here at Iowa, there’s such a family feeling, I feel like I've already made friends with so many of the new guys.”

Ragaini and Diante Vines, who had 10 receptions last season, are No. 1 at the two receiver spots on the depth chart, but that list doesn’t include sophomore Kaleb Brown, who transferred from Ohio State at the end of the spring, and Seth Anderson, who transferred from Charleston Southern last winter but sat out almost all of the spring with an injury.

The import of talent to go with new quarterback Cade McNamara makes Iowa’s passing game interesting with just a bit of the unknown.

It hasn’t helped that Ragaini and Vines have been dealing with minor injuries throughout preseason camp.

“Nico (Ragaini) has had a really good preseason. He's a little dinged up right now but nothing major,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. “Diante Vines has been injured in and out — he’s had all kinds of crazy stuff happen. He is having a really good preseason.

“Start with those two guys, and then we'll see how the other guys help out. But I think so far, so good. At least we're in a little better situation.”

Brown has most of the hype. He was ranked the eighth best receiver nationally in the 2022 recruiting class, but had just one catch for five yards last season for the Buckeyes.

“I think all of us have seen the talent, and it's flashed,” Ferentz said. “I think what everybody needs to remember about him is he's only played one year of college football and really hasn't played much. I think he had one catch last year.

“So if you look at some of the other guys that transferred, McNamara has got a resumé, (tight end) Erick All has got a resumé. Kaleb doesn't. He was a really good prospect out of high school. I would say he is a better prospect now, but he's still a prospect if that makes sense.”

Anderson has a little experience, and the bloodline — he’s the son of former Los Angeles Rams receiver Willie “Flipper” Anderson. Anderson had 41 catches last season, but took advantage of his time off the field during the spring to learn the Hawkeyes’ offensive system.

Sophomore Alec Wick and redshirt freshmen Jacob Bostick and Reese Osgood are also listed on the depth chart. Wick had two receptions last season.

A lot of new faces, and they’re young. That’s OK, Ragaini said, he’s enjoying it.

“Even if there’s such an age difference, I feel like I’m still young at heart and I’m enjoying working with these guys every day,” he said.