Football four to watch: Freshmen
4. A.J. Derby, quarterback
Despite all the speculation of what position Derby might end up playing at Iowa, the Hawkeye coaching staff has slotted him at the same position he primarily played while leading City High to a state championship in 2009 — quarterback.
Of course, Iowa is currently set at that position with Ricky Stanzi and James Vandenberg. But with an athlete as unique as Derby — he played punter, safety, and receiver as a prep — one has to wonder if Iowa will find a role for Derby, or if he will simply redshirt.
Until head coach Kirk Ferentz says on the record that Derby will redshirt or otherwise, that question will be on the mind of many.
3. Jordan Cotton (redshirt freshman), wide receiver
Cotton wasn't listed on Iowa's depth chart following spring practice. But similar to Derby, you'd have to think that the Hawkeye brass can find a way to use the talents of the Mount Pleasant native — especially now that the 6-1 wide receiver has used his redshirt year.
A spot as kick returner might suit him well, although Derrell Johnson-Koulianos and Keenan Davis were listed as the Hawkeyes' first-string kick returners following spring practice. However, when you consider that Iowa has experimented with changing up returners quite frequently over the last couple seasons, and that Cotton is among the most athletic members of Iowa's roster, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him fielding kicks this year.
2. Nolan MacMillan (redshirt freshman), offensive lineman
MacMillan concluded spring practice as second-team right tackle behind Markus Zusevics, and we should expect that listing to remain unchanged going into the season.
But injuries do happen, and as we saw last season, they can be especially plentiful on the offensive line. If someone goes down this year, MacMillan could be in line to step in, much like Riley Reiff did successfully in place of Bryan Bulaga in 2009.
The 6-6 288-pound Canadian is someone to keep your eye on this season.
1. C.J. Fiedorowicz, tight end
Where do we start here?
Fiedorowicz is one of Iowa's most heralded recruits in quite some time — and for good reason. The 6-7 tight end has a big frame but has 4.55 40-yard dash speed, and he showcases skills that many say make him look like an oversized wide receiver.
But that may not necessarily be the greatest of compliments for a youngster coming to play for the Hawkeyes, who pride themselves on producing well-rounded tight ends who can both catch and block. Nonetheless, it's hard to imagine the gem of Iowa's 2010 recruiting class being simply relegated to a redshirt in his first season on campus.
With the way Ferentz-coached teams uses numerous tight ends, I'd be shocked if that happened. Fiedorowicz should get his fair share of chances to contribute to the Hawkeye offense alongside his more experienced counterparts Allen Reisner and Brad Herman.
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