⚡ CFB Dashboard

IOWA CITY, Iowa-- There are multiple levels as to why Iowa's wide receivers haven't gotten it done in the passing game throughout the past decade. They went years without getting consistent separation from defenders. The playbook was dull and didn't have the talent to run high-level schemes. Fundamentals weren't executed at a Big Ten level. Inconsistent quarterback play. Whatever the case may be... Iowa hadn't cracked the code. Tony Diaz might be the key to unlocking a different level of production from the position. Every year, it seemed like there was hype about one certain receiver. Kaleb Brown, Seth Anderson, Keagan Johnson, Arland Bruce IV—the list goes on. Diaz showcased a rare upside that we've seen from an Iowa wide receiver. More importantly, he made it look effortless. Diaz had a modest showing during the fall open practice with a couple of nice snags and some good yards after the catch. Furman transfer Evan James stole the show with a pair of touchdowns and showed that he could be more of a factor in Iowa's passing game. Saturday was immediately all about Diaz. On Iowa's third play from scrimmage, Diaz hauled in a simple nine-yard comeback route and dragged a Huskie defender out of bounds. He looked down at him and made it known that he was going to be a problem. Two plays later, Diaz snagged a 16-yard catch to set Iowa up inside the 10-yard line. On third-and-goal from the eight-yard line, Diaz drew a pass interference to keep Iowa's drive alive. He eventually made a great grab over the middle on third-and-six for Iowa's first score of the year. Constant, impactful plays that relied on great individual effort and smart game planning. Diaz was targeted 13 times during Saturday's 40-0 win and caught seven passes for 84 yards along with a score. He very easily could have had another pair of touchdowns and 140 yards, but a couple of passes were placed just off the mark. Those things are fixable throughout the course of the season. The stats don't showcase his fluid movement and his separation from mismatches. Diaz was seemingly open almost every play.  Lester has said that Diaz and some other talented players have really helped open up the offense. While Iowa didn't run anything too crazy on Saturday, the execution level, along with the potential upside, showcased itself. Most importantly, Iowa seemed to force-feed touches to Diaz and prioritized getting him out in space. That's exactly how you generate explosive plays. "I'm glad (my quarterbacks) have trust in me," Diaz said. "We've been working since spring ball and training camp. I just tried to make them look good. If the ball is thrown to me, I'm going to try to make a play on it. They put the ball where it needs to be. When they do that, it makes it easy on me. I'm glad they trust me and I trust them for sure." Northern Illinois isn't going to be a good team this season, as they are trying to navigate through numerous hurdles. That doesn't negate the way that Diaz moves in and out of his breaks, his aggression going after the ball, and the level of confidence that he plays with. He plays with a noticeably different level of swagger and edge that Iowa hasn't had enough of in that room lately. "If he's out there healthy, that's what he does. He got banged up a little bit in the spring, but he just plays hard," Ferentz said. "He plays fast, also. He is fast and plays fast. As dumb as this sounds, he's aggressive catching footballs. That does sound dumb and kind of silly in some ways—you hope a receiver's that way—but he really enjoys catching footballs. He tries hard to do it, sometimes to his own detriment with the injury stuff. But he's just got a great attitude, and he's been a good addition for us." Diaz was frequently showcased throughout spring and fall camp in social media videos for his freakish athleticism and ability to make jaw-dropping catches. Despite only being on campus since January, Diaz has developed great chemistry with both quarterbacks. His versatility and reliability are two things that are going to make him a focal point of the offense. "He's a stud athlete and I think everybody knows that," Hank Brown said. "He's also a smart player. He has great football IQ and he is seeing the defenses well. Being able to be on the same page as him and knowing he's an athlete—if I put the ball there, he's going to come down with it. At the same time, he's not making dumb decisions and he knows where to be and what to do with it." The competition is going to get significantly more difficult throughout the course of the season. It's also fair to expect that Diaz is going to grow exponentially within Lester's system and develop more chemistry with whoever the quarterback is going to be. We're one week into the season, but Diaz has lived up to the offseason hype and has a chance to really push the position group to a new level of production. It's time to look out for "The Boogeyman."