Reece Vander Zee’s impressive debut has earned him a top spot on Iowa’s depth chart at one of the wide receiver positions for Saturday’s game against Iowa State at Kinnick Stadium.
The true freshman had five catches for a team-high 66 yards and two touchdowns in last Saturday’s 40-0 win over Illinois State.
Vander Zee was the first Hawkeye true freshman with a receiving touchdown in the season opener since Dominique Douglas had one against Montana in 2006. Vander Zee was the first Hawkeye freshman wide receiver to have two receiving touchdowns in a game since Ihmir Smith-Marsette at Iowa State in 2017.
Asked if he was nervous in his debut, Vander Zee said, “Not really. I kind of never really been a guy to get nervous. Just kind of trust my preparation, and go out there and have fun.”
Assistant head coach Seth Wallace, who was interim head coach for the opener as Kirk Ferentz was serving a one-game suspension, said he wasn’t surprised how Vander Zee played.
“Reece, probably for the first two weeks of camp, was in a freshman role, and then I think our offensive guys started to see some things that he was doing that gave them the confidence that let's put him in there and see how he swims with some of these other guys,” Wallace said. “So they put him in there, and there were plays that were made, plays very similar to the ones that you guys saw today.”
“The first week, I was kind of limited, just working my way back from an injury,” Vander Zee said. “And then after that, it kind of clicked. I was running my routes, and they were coaching me up. And then it kind of clicked.”
There were only two other changes to the depth chart.
Wide receiver Kaleb Brown is back on the depth chart after being suspended for last week’s game. Brown is No. 2 behind Kaden Wetjen at one of the receiver spots.
Kaleb Johnson, who had 11 carries for 119 yards and two touchdowns in the second half of Saturday’s game, has moved up to No. 2 behind Kamari Moulton at running back. Johnson was suspended for the first half of last Saturday’s game.
A look at the top spots on the depth chart for the 2:30 p.m. game against the Cyclones:
OFFENSE
WR — Reece Vander Zee (Fr, 6-4, 207), Kaden Wetjen (Sr., 5-10, 196); Jacob Gill (Jr., 6-0, 185)
TE — Luke Lachey (Sr., 6-6, 247)
LT — Mason Richman (Sr., 6-6, 312)
LG — Beau Stephens (Jr., 6-6, 322)
C — Logan Jones (Sr., 6-3, 293)
RG — Connor Colby (Sr., 6-6, 310)
RT — Gennings Dunker (Jr., 6-5, 316)
WR — Kaden Wetjen (Sr., 5-10, 196)
WR — Jacob Gill (Jr., 6-0, 185)
QB — Cade McNamara (Gr., 6-1, 210)
RB — Kamari Moulton (R-Fr., 5-9, 197)
FB — Hayden Large (Gr., 6-5, 250)
DEFENSE
LE — Deontae Craig (Sr., 6-3, 266)
LT — Aaron Graves (Jr., 6-4, 300)
RT — Yahya Black (Sr., 6-5, 317)
RE — Ethan Hurkett (Sr., 6-3, 260)
CASH — Sebastian Castro (Gr., 5-11, 205)
LEO — Kyler Fisher (Gr., 5-11, 231)
MLB — Jay Higgins (Sr., 6-2, 232)
WLB — Nick Jackson (Gr., 6-0, 235)
LCB — T.J. Hall (Jr., 6-1, 187)
SS — Xavier Nwankpa (Jr., 6-2, 215)
FS — Quinn Schulte (Gr, 6-1, 209)
RCB — Jermari Harris (Gr, 6-1, 189)
SPECIAL TEAMS
K — Drew Stevens (Jr., 6-0, 205)
P — Rhys Dakin (Fr., 6-4, 225)
Snaps — Luke Elkin (Sr., 6-1, 228)
Holder — Ty Nissen (Sr., 5-11, 192)
PR — Wetjen
KR — Wetjen and Kaleb Johnson (Jr., 6-0, 225)
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The best is yet to come for Deion Burks. Last year, the Purdue transfer was unable to make a real impact in Oklahoma’s offense. He suffered a soft tissue injury in the Sooners’ fourth game of the year against Tennessee, and he didn’t return until OU took on Missouri in November. Burks exited that game, too, after taking a big hit that essentially ended his year. Despite playing in just five games, he still finished second on the team with 31 receptions and third on the team with 245 receiving yards. Burks elected to return to Norman for another year with the Sooners, something that has his teammates fired up. “I’m super proud of Deion,” OU quarterback John Mateer said earlier this month at SEC Media Days in Atlanta. “He had a rough year last year on and off the field, but he’s super promising. He cares a lot about football and he cares a lot about the Sooners.” The 5-foot-9, 188-pound receiver proved just how explosive he can be in 2023 at Purdue. He hauled in 47 catches for 629 yards and seven scores, averaging 13.4 yards per catch. Burks caught touchdowns against both Ohio State and Michigan in 2023, and he caught a career-best 84-yard catch in the season opener against Fresno State. Oklahoma’s offense is under new leadership in 2025, but Burks’ athleticism quickly turned the head of new offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle. “Deion is explosive,” Arbuckle said last week at the OU Coaches Luncheon. “He’s a big play waiting to happen.” Arbuckle said Burks had no trouble learning the new offense during spring football. “He’s a really smart kid, too,” Arbuckle said. “He’s one of the kids that picked up on the new system like that. It was a testament to, one, the retention that he’s able to have, but, two, that retention came with lots of film study, lots of work and learning from his mistakes.” Both Arbuckle and Mateer said they had to work throughout the spring to rebuild the confidence in the offensive pieces who returned from 2024’s disastrous group. Though Burks’ injury kept him off the field for the majority of the season, Mateer was still pleased that the talented pass catcher was able to shake off the disappointment of 2024. “I’m super happy for him and proud of him, just where he’s come with his body and his mind,” Mateer said. “And he knows a lot more about football this year than he did last year. Super proud of him and I’m really excited to play with him.” Burks has plenty of new teammates to lead in his position group. Wide receivers coach Emmett Jones and Arbuckle worked to transform the room, adding Isaiah Sategna from Arkansas, Javonnie Gibson (Arkansas-Pine Bluff), Keontez Lewis (Southern Illinois), Josiah Martin (Cal) and Jer’Michael Carter (McNeese State). The Sooners also signed freshmen Elijah Thomas and Manny Choice, and have Zion Kearney, Zion Ragins, KJ Daniels, Ivan Carreon and Jacob Jordan returning from last year’s freshman class. Arbuckle is excited to see what Kearney can do in his second season with the Sooners, but he’ll spend plenty of time drawing up plays for Burks in 2025. “He’s a fun player to get to coach,” Arbuckle said. “It's going to be fun to figure out how to get the ball in his hands in an assortment of different ways. But he's been great.”
With less than 48 hours to go until the 2025 MLB trade deadline, the New York Yankees are still flirting with the Pittsburgh Pirates over some pitching. According to insider Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Yankees and Pirates are still discussing reliever David Bednar and starter Mitch Keller on Tuesday night. But while there’s interest in both arms, the Yankees might not like the price. “Bednar is a target. Keller interests them, too, but the price tag might discourage them,” Heyman reported Tuesday. That lines up with what we’ve seen from the Yankees so far this month. They’ve been aggressive in scouting relievers but cautious about overpaying, especially for pitchers under long-term control. Bednar, who has a 4.19 ERA and 16 saves in 2025, would fill a pressing need for a club that ranks near the bottom of the league in bullpen ERA for July. His late-inning experience and high ground-ball rate make him a logical fit. Keller, meanwhile, would be a luxury at this point, especially after Luis Gil’s impending return. The right-hander is having a bounce-back year for the Pirates, with a 3.56 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and a team-leading 121 strikeouts in 125 innings. But he’s under team control through 2028, and Pittsburgh doesn’t appear eager to move him unless blown away. That’s likely where the Yankees’ caution kicks in. The team has shown a willingness to deal mid-tier prospects but has reportedly been hesitant to part with top-end talent like Cam Schlittler or Spencer Jones, especially for non-rental pieces. Still, the fact that conversations have occurred shows that even in the wake of Aaron Judge’s injury news, the Yankees remain active on both the bullpen and rotation fronts. The Yankees front office is casting a wide net. With time running out, names like Bednar and Keller remain firmly in the mix.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers spent the bulk of the spring as an unsigned free agent and, thus, only began officially practicing with Pittsburgh Steelers teammates during the team's three-day mandatory minicamp in June. During a Monday appearance on Pittsburgh radio station 102.5 WDVE, Steelers reporter Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette addressed how Rodgers looked during his first few training camp practices with the club. "His release is just astonishing to watch," Dulac said about Rodgers, as shared by Ross McCorkle of Steelers Depot. "Everybody knows about it, and when you see it in person, you see it every day in practice, you just marvel at it. To me, he's the greatest thrower of the football I have ever seen, even at 41 (years old). That flick of that wrist and that ball comes out, it's moving and it is something to see." Rodgers was with the New York Jets when he suffered a torn Achilles four offensive snaps into the 2023 regular-season opener. He was then slowed by a nagging hip issue, injuries to both his knees, a low ankle sprain and a serious hamstring problem as the 2024 Jets went 5-12. According to Pro Football Reference, Rodgers finished last season ranked 28th in the NFL among qualified players with a 48.0 adjusted QBR and 26th with a 43.9 percent passing success rate. That said, he was also eighth with 3,897 passing yards and tied for seventh with 28 passing touchdowns. Rodgers and Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson endured some struggles during training camp sessions last summer before the two allegedly "never saw eye-to-eye" during the season. It sounds like Pittsburgh fans should be encouraged by how Rodgers performed in recent practices. "That guy can get rid of the ball as quick as anybody," Dulac added. "He made three throws in seven-on-seven (drills) the other day that the cumulative total I bet couldn't have exceeded 2.1 seconds. And two of those were for touchdowns." Rodgers wants to finish his career "the right way" and help the Steelers notch at least their first playoff win since January 2017. As of Monday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had Pittsburgh at -150 betting odds to miss the playoffs for the upcoming season.
Luka Doncic didn’t join the Los Angeles Lakers to wait around. According to a new report from The Athletic, the newly acquired superstar has made his expectations crystal clear behind the scenes: he’s here to win immediately. A source close to Doncic told the outlet that his mentality is firmly “win now,” and he’s applied championship pressure on the franchise from day one. “This isn’t signing away to the Lakers and saying, ‘OK, you have my commitment and I’ll have some patience here,’” said ESPN's Dave McMenamin on NBA Today. “It’s ‘I want to win this year, I want to win the subsequent year. So long as my name is signed to a piece of paper saying I am a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, I expect to be in a position to raise banners at the Crypto.com Arena.’” Coming from the Mavericks, Luka Doncic is feeling extra motivated to have a successful tenure in Los Angeles. In his first 28 games with the team last season, he got off to a pretty solid start with averages of 29.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 7.5 assists per game on 43.8% shooting. Few franchises face more constant pressure than the Lakers. Besides residing in one of the NBA's biggest market cities, the Lakers have a rich history of success that has raised their standards beyond any other team in the league. That's not to mention LeBron James, whose ripe age at 40 years old means that he's on the clock to win now. As he nears retirement, the Lakers are feeling the pressure to give him the kind of hero's exit he deserves. At the same time, Luka Doncic will have title expectations, and if the Lakers fail to stay in contention, it could jeopardize their relationship with the Slovenian superstar. Fortunately, Rob Pelinka has put his team in a good position to compete. After finishing third in the West last year, Pelinka revamped the roster with acquisitions like Deandre Ayton, Marcus Smart, and Jake LaRavia. Plus, with young guys like Austin Reaves, Dalton Knecht, and Bronny James, the Lakers will also get better through internal development. Now 26, Luka is the unquestioned face of the Lakers—and he’s treating it like a mission. After being disrespected and disregarded by the Mavericks, he wants to prove them wrong as soon as possible and convince the NBA world that they made a huge mistake by letting him go. With just one NBA Finals appearance under his belt (2024), Doncic still has a long way to go before he feels any satisfaction, but he's feeling good about his chances for success next season. Thanks to a new training regimen and a commitment to proper conditioning, Doncic is setting himself up for the best stretch of his career. It's up to the Lakers to ensure it doesn't go to waste by giving him the support he needs to make a run in the West. Luka Doncic isn’t just bringing elite talent to L.A., he’s bringing urgency. With his prime years underway and a chip on his shoulder, Luka’s demand for excellence is exactly what this franchise needs to reclaim its identity. The message is clear: title contention is not optional. If the Lakers meet Doncic’s standard, they could be on the verge of another golden era. If they don’t, they risk losing one of the greatest talents of his generation before he ever gets a chance to plant his flag in purple and gold.