The moment was not lost on Reece Vander Zee as he peered through his face mask at a sea of 70,000 people inside Kinnick Stadium. Iowa’s true freshman receiver was living out a childhood dream during his first game as a Hawkeye. He started, no less.

Then, Vander Zee was focused on his assignment. Speaking on the experience this summer, he acknowledged the relative enormity of the moment.

The Rock Rapids, Iowa native finished that season-opening rout of Illinois State with five catches for 66 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Vander Zee became the first Hawkeye true freshman with a receiving score in the season opener since Dominique Douglas did it against Montana in 2006. Ihmir Smith-Marsette at Iowa State (’17) was the last Iowa freshman to catch two touchdowns in a game.

“It was pretty crazy, looking back on it,” Vander Zee said earlier this month. “Honestly, when I was in it, it didn’t feel crazy because I was prepared. It was good. But now that I look back at it, it was pretty wild that I was able to do that. It was definitely good to have that experience, and a blessing, for sure.”

Vander Zee (6-4, 215) looked like he’d be a key part of the Iowa passing attack with that performance. Unfortunately, injuries limited him to nine games (eight starts). He added nine receptions for 110 yards and a score following the opener.

When he was on the field, Vander Zee flashed the potential to be a factor on offense. Since then, the multi-sport standout at Central Lyon/George-Little Rock experienced his first offseason solely focusing on football. He added about 10 pounds of good weight and strength. He’s more prepared.

“It’s been great to just get my legs under me,” he said. “I feel confident with my conditioning. My body feels the best it’s felt. It’s nice to have a full offseason of training to fine tune things before we get rolling here.”

The team could use a big, reliable target on the outside to help improve a sluggish passing attack. Vander Zee feels ready to seize the opportunity.

“A whole year of experience is huge. You’re never going to be perfect, but the game is slowing down, for sure,” he said.

Vander Zee and other Hawkeye pass catchers are running as many summer routes as possible with new starting quarterback Mark Gronowski. The South Dakota State transfer is throwing again after offseason shoulder surgery shut him down for spring ball.

“It’s going well,” Vander Zee said of establishing an on-field rapport with Gronowski. “I really like how he throws it. He puts it where we want it. It’s been great having him available to pop things off of. He gives great advice about what he wants from us.”

There’s a buzz in the building about the Hawkeye air game being much much improved from last year’s passing offense, which ranked 129 out of 133 FBS programs nationally. Part of the reasoning is faith in Granowski. Optimism also can be tied to perceived progress in the receiver room.

“It’s really fun to see how we’re developing. We have a great mix of older guys that have done it, and younger guys that are growing pretty fast. It’s a really open group, and we work well together,” Vander Zee said.