To say the Iowa passing attack struggled during the 2024 season would be an understatement. The Hawkeyes began the season with Cade McNamara under center, but he missed most of the season with multiple injuries.
When McNamara was healthy and under center, the Iowa passing attack struggled, and the offense was forced to utilize the rushing attack most of the time.
After McNamara suffered an injury and was replaced by multiple backups, the Hawkeyes' offense struggled to score and was too one-dimensional to be effective.
Iowa finished the 2024 season ranked No. 117 in total offense (328.8 yards per game), No. 104 in team passing efficiency (124.5), and No. 129 in passing offense (131.6 yards per game).
The Hawkeyes' receivers took the biggest hit as the offense could not get the ball to receivers and they were not utilized properly.
The team's leading receiver from last season, Jacob Gill, returned for his senior year and looks to be a leader for a maturing receiving room.
Gill spoke to reporters this week and stated that the group was young last season, but has shown a lot of maturity ahead of next season.
Gill said they have a great room and are growing as a unit on and off the field.
When asked about becoming a team leader last season, Gill said he is usually a quiet person, but had to take on a heavier leadership role last season due to the youth of the receivers.
It forced him to get out of his comfort zone and become more of a vocal leader for the team and for the receiving unit.
He is primarily focused on self-improvement so he can better help the team, and noted that if you cannot focus on the "man in the mirror," it will be challenging to succeed.
The receiver room will look to improve with more years of experience under their belts and a new quarterback under center next season.