Iowa Football: 5 breakout freshmen to watch in 2018

Iowa football is coming off a youth movement-filled 2017 season and there could be another to follow in 2018. Which freshmen could break out?

In the 2017 season, Kirk Ferentz saw a youth movement of sorts take place on his football team as the season progressed. By the time Iowa played their final home game in Kinnick Stadium against Purdue on Nov. 18, the Hawkeyes had seen six true freshman see significant playing time on either sides of the football.

Other young players such as sophomore’s Nate Stanley, Alaric Jackson and Amani Hooker, became cornerstones on their respective sides of the ball.

When the 2018 recruiting class was finalized, it showed the Ferentz had continued Iowa’s recent trend of high-level recruiting success. Not only did Ferentz dominate the in-state recruiting (which is normally the case), he appeared to open up new pipelines that have plenty of talent to tap into.

Areas such as the Indianapolis metro, southern states such as Alabama and Georgia, and the first Iowa recruit from California since 2000 in Spencer Petras. This certainly turned the heads of many in the Hawkeye fanbase.

Could 2018 bring a similar type of youth movement in Iowa City? Here are five players Iowa fans should watch for.