On Friday, Iowa wide receiver Brody Brecht took to social media to announce his decision to step away from the football team. His announcement came following Iowa Baseball’s home victory over Western Michigan, in which he was the winning pitcher. The two-sport athlete has been in the Iowa football program since 2021 where he has quickly become one of the team’s top receiver target. On the diamond, Brecht is the Hawkeyes’ starting pitcher under head coach Rick Heller, and he has begun to put together a significant young career on the mound.
Brody Brecht Leaves Football
Brecht has started six games so far this season with a 2-1 record. Just two weeks ago, he helped lead the Hawkeyes to the #23 overall ranking according to the D1 Baseball Rankings, and the #16 ranking according to Collegiate Baseball Rankings. In 28.2 innings pitched, he has tallied 46 strikeouts and a 2.20 ERA. Major League scouts are eying the 6′-4″ right-handed thrower. Prospects Live projects Brecht to be the #18 overall selection in the 2024 MLB Draft. His ceiling in baseball has skyrocketed, and his decision to leave football almost seems like a no-brainer. Brecht is very likely to become one of the highest-selected pitchers in next year’s draft.
What This Means for Football
On the football field, Brecht saw action in 11 games last season. He started in six of them and quickly became a reliable target in Iowa’s pass game. His arm length and physical size were an asset to the thin receiver room last season. Brecht had a keen ability to win 50/50 balls and make himself open on routes. He finished the 2022 season at Iowa with nine receptions for 87 yards. Not huge numbers, but reliable. Brecht’s best game came against Minnesota where he caught two passes for 21 yards. One of those receptions fell under the “contested catch” category according to Pro Football Focus.
Going forward, Iowa will be down to four scholarship wide receivers. Two of them are currently out with injuries. Jacob Bostick and Charleston Southern transfer Seth Anderson are both sidelined and likely out for all of Spring practice. This leaves Nico Ragaini and Diante Vines as the team’s only guys on scholarship. This is a similar issue to what Iowa dealt with last season at the same position. It bled into the regular season as Arland Bruce IV was the only scholarship receiver available for the first two weeks of the season.
The situation is not ideal for the football program, given the arrival of Cade McNamara and other key offensive contributors this offseason. However, Brecht’s decision to leave football is a good one. His career potential on the baseball diamond is something that is very rare and could bring him generational success. The 17-3 Hawkeyes defeated #1 LSU earlier this year, and Brecht will finish out the season with the Hawkeye Baseball team. They currently sit third in the Big Ten Standings with conference play getting started just around the corner.
Photo courtesy: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
