Iowa football: Top five QB-WR duos in the Kirk Ferentz era

Nate Stanley/Nick Easley

If you’ve read any of my articles on Dear Old Gold about last year’s team you know I am a big Nick Easley fan. That’s kind of what happens when you grew up in the same small town, you root for the kids who come out of it.

Trying to put my bias aside, the fifth and final inclusion of the top quarterback to wide receiver duos to make this list is none other than Nate Stanley and Nick Easley.

Easley didn’t put up the amazing yard numbers as some of the other guys above nor did he lead the team in touchdowns in any season, but he did lead the team both seasons in catches and once in yards.

The reason I have him on here though is because of how important he was to the Iowa football team’s offense. The Hawks have struggled to run the ball the last two seasons, and in spite of that, they’ve turned to a very-New England Patriots type of offense, which makes sense given the coaching ties, where they use their slot receiver as sort of a running back. They’re not handing the ball off to him, but they will consistently target him within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage to get consistent yards moving up the field.

In essence, Easley was Stanley’s security blanket for the last two seasons. During their tenure together, Easley accounted for nearly 25% of Stanley’s completions and ended up topping the 100 career reception mark for the Iowa football team.

For those reasons, this is one of my top-five quarterback to wide receiver duos in the Kirk Ferentz era.