Kaleb Brown, an Iowa wide receiver, used “trust the process” to “break the ice” with a clutch catch against Northwestern.
The city of Iowa City This season, Hawkeye supporters have been aching to see some playmaking wide receivers, and they got a tiny taste of it against Northwestern in the fourth quarter. Despite having only one career catch, Kaleb Brown, an Ohio State wide receiver transfer, came to Iowa with enormous expectations. He has put in a lot of behind-the-scenes work throughout the season to be considered for a rotating role.
He made the biggest play of his young career inside Brown’s city, hauling in a 23-yard pass from Deacon Hill to set up Iowa for the game-winning field goal. He felt a lot of encouragement walking onto Wrigley Field because he was surrounded by all of his family and friends.
“The timing was ideal,” Brown remarked. “Knowing my entire family was there made me feel good and very at ease to be at home.” It felt wonderful just to be in Chicago’s presence.”
It simply involves working hard. The rest all fits together. Simply focus and complete the task at hand.”
Someone had to carry it out. It was a relief to be there. It was an amazing feeling to be in that position.
The level of frustration surrounding the offense has gotten to the point where turning the television remote to mute wouldn’t stop the noise. The noise does find its way into the locker room, despite Iowa’s best efforts to block it out. The offense is the offense right now. Repeating the numbers won’t make it better. Nor have the injuries been helpful. Ferentz has noticed a noticeable difference in Brown’s catch over the past week, following a few drops earlier in the year.
Kirk Ferentz, the Iowa coach, praised the play as outstanding. All in all, the play was excellent. He broke in, if you will, and it was a good thing. It wasn’t until after the game that I realized it was his first catch. Well, that’s a start. Hopefully there will be more.
Ferentz stated, “I think the more impressive part was that he fought for four or five yards after he got the ball.” At that point, that was crucial. We were certain that we wouldn’t need to move it too far—just far enough to move it without endangering anything.
A four-star recruit, Brown was. He was the second-ranked player from Illinois, the 13th-best receiver in the 2022 class, and a top-80 prospect overall according to the 247Sports Composite. Nineteen universities from around the nation, including those in Alabama, Florida, Michigan, Notre Dame, and Wisconsin, offered Brown scholarships. Before using the transfer portal, he spent the last eighteen months at Ohio State. Brown was finally given his chance after deciding to attend Iowa.
Brown remarked, “It has undoubtedly been a long time coming.” But I’ve been working behind the scenes. The time is finally here; it was only a matter of time.
“Staying engaged is not always easy. But for us, as football players in general, having faith in the process is absolutely essential. Always have faith in the process, regardless of your role.
A passionate fan base that is keen to see a blue-chip recruit fulfill his potential at wide receiver has put a lot of pressure on Brown. With an emphasis on Brown’s development, Ferentz has attempted to instill patience in those who are invested in his advancement.
“He’s not an infant as a receiver, but it’s really the first year he’s really been in the deal,” Ferentz stated. “Right now he’s getting the work, he’s doing a really good job — he’s got good ability, good attitude.”
“It felt good for me to break the ice,” Brown stated. “Something that I really needed, and we’ll take it from there.”
The city of Iowa City Cooper DeJean, the standout cornerback for Iowa, is going to garner some recognition over the coming weeks, and rightfully so. The Odebolt, Iowa native has established himself as one of the nation’s most influential and adaptable players. DeJean was announced as a semifinalist for the LOTT Impact Trophy on Friday.
DeJean participated in two offensive snaps last week, totaling 14 yards. Fans of Iowa have been demanding more offensive production from DeJean for weeks, but it’s not as easy as it seems. DeJean, though, is all for doing whatever the coach asks of him.
