Ohio State transfer wide receiver Kaleb Brown lands at Iowa following Spring practice. The Hawkeyes were low on depth all spring at the position, and they went out and got a huge contributor to their wide receiver room. The former Buckeye was a member of the 2022 recruiting class for Ryan Day, and brings with him loads of talent to Iowa City.
Iowa Lands Kaleb Brown
Brown was recruited out of high school as a four-star wide receiver from Chicago, Illinois. The Hawkeyes originally offered Brown, but he had competing offers from schools including Ohio State, Alabama, Michigan, and Notre Dame. At St. Rita High School, he played a lot of tailback in addition to wide receiver but showed he could play wideout at the next level by excelling at the position during high school seven-on-seven camps. Brown was the 13th-ranked wide receiver nationally in his recruiting class, and the third-best from his home state.
In Columbus, Brown had limited action. That’s to be expected given the Buckeyes’ extremely deep wide receiver room. He only caught one pass for five yards in four total games played at Ohio State. Brown’s one reception actually came last October in their rout of the Hawkeyes inside Ohio Stadium.
At 5’-10” and 195 pounds, Brown is not the true “X” receiver that Iowa is missing, but he has an incredible upside in this offense. He has solid straight-line speed, but more importantly, he has excellent quickness and great burst in short yardage. Brown can become a very dynamic slot option for Cade McNamara and Iowa next season immediately.
Outlook for Iowa Next Season
At Michigan, McNamara utilized his slot guys effectively all season en route to the College Football Playoff. Mike Sainristil and Roman Wilson were their smaller receivers, and they combined for 47 catches, 732 yards, and five touchdowns. That offense also had a highly productive tight end by the name of Erick All. He caught 38 passes for 437 yards and two touchdowns as the team’s second-leading wide receiver.
For Iowa next season, McNamara will have that same production, if not better, at tight end with All and Luke Lachey. With the addition of Brown, the wide receiver room is beginning to look like it has considerable depth with talented players, beginning to emulate that 2021 Michigan team. Nico Ragaini, Seth Anderson, Diante Vines, and Brown fill out a solid core of wideouts in Iowa City. The offense that couldn’t do anything last year now has the pieces to not only increase production but put together meaningful wins.
Joseph Scheller/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
