Hometown Hawkeyes hope to make an impact during 2022 Iowa football season

Iowa Hawkeye fans support all the athletes who wear the black and gold. But it is an added bonus when they come from the team's own backyard.

This season there are four Hawkeye football players from Iowa City and nearby towns: redshirt freshman wide receiver Alec Wick, sophomore defensive lineman Anu Dokun, redshirt freshman linebacker Kelby Telander, and redshirt freshman defensive lineman Jeff Bowie.

Substantial playing time could be hard to come by, but it appears that Bowie and Wick in particular have put themselves in position to make an impact this season. Let's take a closer look at these two players:

Jeff Bowie

Prior to joining the Hawkeyes, Bowie was a three-star defensive lineman according to several recruiting sites. It was not hard to understand why after all that he accomplished during his time with the West Branch Bears.

"My coach Butch Pedersen was a great mentor for me growing up,” Bowie said. “He always believed in me. He taught me that no matter what I do, it is always about the team. The work you put in with the team is what will help you get to the level that you want to be on. That has really helped me here because everyone has that same mentality. We all are team-first and everything else comes after.”

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His team-first mentality helped the Bears earn a 33-7 record while he was there and netted him individual success.

He earned first-team all-state and all-district honors in his junior and senior seasons, attaining district MVP honors in consecutive years. During that time Bowie combined for 65 tackles, 33 tackles for loss, and 10.5 sacks.

He received several offers from other FBS/Division I schools such as Iowa State, Nebraska and Kansas State. But Bowie said it was an easy choice to commit to Iowa.

“I really connected with the coaches when I was getting recruited,” Bowie said. “I felt like it was the best place for me to be. I didn’t really think about the fact that it was close to home, I just wanted to be somewhere that I felt like they gave me the best opportunities. I am very happy with my decision.”

Bowie redshirted in 2021. This year he is a part of a talented defensive line that boasts veterans like John Waggoner and Joe Evans. Hawkeye defensive line coach Kelvin Bell acknowledged the benefits of having veterans around young players like Bowie.

“I have to give credit to the older guys and how unselfish they are,” Bell said. “You will have some guys who have never started a game, but the way that young guys have managed to perform and soak knowledge from the older guys gives me the confidence to put them on the field because they understand what needs to be done. More importantly, they are learning why we play the way that we play. At any point in time, I do not feel any hesitation to put those guys on the field.”

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Bowie said he will be more than ready when he gets his chance.

“I don’t really have any expectations for myself going into this year,” Bowie said. “I just want to continue to get better every day and work to get the chance to show what I can do. I know everyone else who is out there is going to be working as hard as they can, so this is a great environment to be in.”

Alec Wick

After carving out a stellar career with the Regina Regals, Wick had to start from scratch when he decided to walk on with the Hawkeyes in 2021.

The all-time receptions leader in Iowa high school football history was a key cog in the Regals offense, particularly in 2020 when he helped his team win a Class A state championship. In that contest, he set a title-game record with 226 receiving yards.

Unfortunately, those accomplishments did not net him many Division I offers, which led to the wide receiver betting on himself and coming to Iowa.

“You have to work for what you want,” Wick said. “So when I got here, I focused on stacking days and bringing a lot of intensity and a great attitude here.”

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It is safe to say that the team's coaching staff has recognized his intensity and dedication to the game.

As injuries have taken their toll on the team's veteran receivers, it has allowed Wick to step into a bigger role. Hawkeyes coach Kirk Ferentz has noticed the redshirt freshman's work ethic and said that he makes the most out of his opportunities.

"Due to our injury situation last spring he had a lot of opportunities to get a lot of work that maybe in a normal circumstance he wouldn't have," Ferentz said. "The whole trick is when you have opportunities being ready to go, and he's done that. He's made tough catches. He's very precise with what he does."

Iowa's wide receivers coach Kelton Copeland seconded Ferentz's praise for Wick and said that he has seen a lot of growth from him over the past year.

“With another year under his belt, he has done a really good job of learning the offense,” Copeland said. “Alec is one of those guys who does not say a whole lot but is usually one of the first guys out on the field and one of the last ones off. He is just a young man who shows up with the right mindset.”

Wick's efforts earned him a spot on the Hawkeyes' two-deep depth chart that was released before the start of fall camp. Wick said there is still much more to be done before he will allow himself to get comfortable.

“The depth chart came out before camp, so I did not think too much of it,” Wick said. “I still know that I have to come in and work hard because there are other guys who have also been doing well. We have a great group and all want to show that this year.”

Raven Moore covers high school sports for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. You can reach her at RSMoore@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Raven_XReport.

This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Hometown Hawkeyes hope to have an impact on 2022 Iowa football season