Iowa Football Notes: Four freshmen in line to play for Hawkeyes

IOWA CITY — At least four Iowa freshmen will see significant playing time this year, coach Kirk Ferentz said Tuesday.

Linebackers James Morris and Christian Kirksey will at least play on special teams, and C.J. Fiedorowicz will get on the field as a tight end. Walk-on Mike Meyer will handle kickoffs.

“Those four guys are right now as of this point set to go, and we have got another probably four to six guys that we are looking at,” Ferentz said. “We'll just see how the week develops and take it a week at a time. But I think those guys have caught on pretty quickly and done some good things.”

Fiedorowicz (6-foot-7, 250 pounds), Iowa's most highly decorated recruit, was named All-America by USA Today and a Top 150 recruit after his senior season in Johnsburg, Ill.

“He's really good offensively,” starting tight end Allen Reisner said. “He can catch the ball. He has one of the best hands for tight ends I'd say coming in.

“Run-blocking, he's new at that but he's definitely making strides, Reisner added.

“He looks like a sculpture. He's chiseled, 260 and just pretty cut.”

Ferentz said Fiedorowicz has adjusted nicely from high school to college.

“He came in with pretty good skills, and he's been able to learn rapidly enough to envision him playing and playing well on the field,” Ferentz said. “It's one thing to throw a guy in there, but also you want him to go in there and have success and be able to compete at a good level.

“We are trying to win football games right now, so we are not just trying to get somebody's feet wet.”

Big-play threat: Freshman wide receiver Kevonte Martin-Manley (6-foot, 190 pounds) has drawn praise as a potential big-play threat. “Kevonte has definitely shown some huge strides,” junior wide receiver Marvin McNutt said. “He's made plays. He's almost in the same position Keenan (Davis) was last year. He knows his play-making ability. Definitely he's a playmaker, and I feel like he'd be a great part or addition of our receiving corps.”

Special teams: Ferentz plans to hand out place-kicking assignments Friday. Senior Daniel Murray and sophomore Trent Mossbrucker split kicking duties in 2008 and were rated as even in the 2009 fall camp. Murray eventually got the nod, and Mossbrucker was redshirted. “It's been pretty close with competition,” Ferentz said. Wide receivers Derrell Johnson-Koulianos and Keenan Davis will handle kick return duties, and Colin Sandeman will return punts. McNutt will back up Sandeman.

Counting on Davis: Junior middle linebacker Bruce Davis worked with the first-team defense while starter Jeff Tarpinian of Millard North was out with a broken right hand. Davis plans to see some time at middle linebacker Saturday.

— Scott Dochterman

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