Iowa WR Easley leads on field, back in hometown for Hawks

Nick Easley visited his home town of Newton around seven times during the college football offseason.

The former Newton Cardinal was giving back to his community and trying to help mold the current crop of high school players into the kind of player he became at the University of Iowa.

While his popularity has changed since leading the Hawkeyes in receptions and receiving yards last season, Easley’s mindset hasn’t. He’s always wanted to give back to his hometown.

“I helped with one of the Sunday night workouts and was in the weight room with some of them too,” Easley said of some of the stuff he did when he was back in town. “I was once in those guys’ shoes not too long ago, and it means a lot to me to be able to be around and be an ear to talk to.

“It feels good to give back and I look forward to going back in the future.”

Easley joined the Iowa football program before last season as an unknown walk-on from Iowa Western Community College.

It didn’t take long for Easley to prove that he belonged on the big stage that is NCAA Division I college football.

“We are glad he turned out to be what he is right now. We didn’t know much about him until we got to Orlando a year and a half ago,” Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz said. “He’s a tremendous guy with a great work ethic who is a valued member of our team. We are really lucky he is here.”

Ferentz and the Hawkeyes may have been a little bit lucky.

Easley didn’t have a ton of college football offers during his prep days at Newton. He took his talents to Council Bluffs where he earned All-American status for the Reivers at Iowa Western.

His first Division I commitment was with Iowa State. Then, the Hawkeyes came on board with the same preferred walk-on offer.

Easley’s decision from there was easy.

“It’s a dream come true playing at Iowa. It’s a blessing. It means a ton to me to be able to put this uniform on every day,” said Easley, who is now on scholarship.

This time last year, the Iowa coaches knew Easley would play. His work ethic vaulted him to the two-deep depth chart pretty quickly.

He scored a touchdown in his first two games as a Hawkeye. The first coming on a 45-yard pass from Nate Stanley in the 2017 opener against Wyoming. He also hauled in a TD against Iowa State.

Two weeks later under the lights on national TV at Kinnick Stadium, Easley hauled in a 21-yard TD to put the Hawkeyes ahead at halftime over nationally ranked Penn State.

His final TD of the season came a few weeks later against Illinois. By the end of the season, he recorded a team-high 51 catches and a team-best 530 yards.

Somehow, he still enters 2018 as an under-the-radar Iowa target.

“He’s still being overlooked. I don’t know why,” Iowa wide receivers coach Kelton Copeland said. “He does all the things the coach wants. He blocks the safety and opens stuff up for everyone else. That doesn’t show up in the stat sheet. If he doesn’t do those little things, the offense isn’t as successful.”

Copeland and Easley hit it off almost immediately last season. Easley gives Copeland a lot of credit for his early success. Copeland said Easley made him a better coach last season.

“I can tell you one thing, my first meeting with Nick was one of those I will never forget,” Copeland said. “We didn’t know each other at all. But he had great intensity and had great attention to detail. I could tell in that first meeting with him that he was a special young man.

“We were learning together last year. We fed off each other. He helped me grow and hopefully I helped him grow. I am blessed to be his coach. I hope he has a great senior year.”

But how did Easley go from unknown walk-on to the leader of the receiving core in less than one season? Iowa Offensive Coordinator Brian Ferentz said the answer is simple.

“He worked hard every day. It’s not an Earth shattering answer, but it’s that simple,” Brian Ferentz said. “He came out and worked his butt off every day. He consistently improved. He got better at the things he needed to get better at. When other guys watch that happen, they follow him. That’s where his leadership comes from.”

Iowa’s wide receivers came into last season as one of the team’s perceived weaknesses. As the 2018 season approaches, the Hawkeye wideouts are no longer the weakest unit on the field.

Easley leads an experienced group that includes sophomores Ihmir Smith-Marsette and Brandon Smith and senior newcomer Kyle Groeneweg. The Hawkeyes also bring back junior tight end Noah Fant and sophomore tight end T.J. Hockenson, who combined for 14 touchdowns last season.

Easley doesn’t have Smith-Marsette’s blazing speed. He isn’t 6-foot-3, 219 pounds like Brandon Smith. But he proved to be more effective than both of them last season.

“Nick doesn’t look like Brandon Smith. But Nick is a physically football player,” Copeland said. “There is not one part of Nick’s game that he is lacking. He is good at everything. He understands what we are trying to achieve on and off the field.”

Easley’s role off the field has changed a bit. He’s now showing other wide receivers the way. He’s behind the wheel and hopes to drive them to similar success this season.

“I just want to keep pushing this team in the right direction, keep pushing the receivers in the right direction. That’s my goal every day,” Easley said. “I am still working hard to get better. It hasn’t changed my approach. It was good to get some validation last year.”

Stanley, Iowa’s starting quarterback, developed great chemistry with Easley early in the season. He trusted a non-proven wide receiver from the opening game. Stanley finished his first year as a starter only one TD pass (26) shy of the single-season record at Iowa.

“He has credibility in the room. He is showing the others the way,” Stanley said about Easley. “He came in with a great work ethic, put his nose to the ground and went at it full speed. That’s what made him stand out and allowed for his success last year.”

Before breaking onto the scene at Iowa, Easley spent his first college seasons at Iowa Western. While there, he met running back Mekhi Sargent, who is now Easley’s teammate at Iowa.

Sargent could tell right away Easley was special.

“I met Nick at Iowa Western during my redshirt year there. It was Nick’s last year,” Sargent said. “Watching the games and practices, I knew Nick was a guy who could be a big time player. He was a stud there, too.”

Because of Iowa’s lack of wide receiver depth in 2017, Easley was forced to play all over the field. Brian Ferentz hopes he can keep his best slot receiver inside in 2018.

“The best thing Nick does is play on the inside of the formation,” Brian Ferentz said. “We need to keep him in there. We will put him in the best situation to succeed, and we can do a better job with that this year because some of the other guys have improved in the last 12 months. Unfortunately for Nick last year, he had to play double duty and play all over the field.”

Family and friends can watch Easley four straight weeks at Kinnick Stadium starting with the season opener against Northern Illinois at 2:30 p.m. on Sept. 1 in Iowa City.

The Cy-Hawk game also is in Iowa City as the Hawkeyes host the Cyclones at 4 p.m. on Sept. 8.