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The best detail in Don Doxsie's recent profile of Brandon Scherff (aside from the fact that he once killed 8 coyotes... although not with his bare hands) was this one:
1. He may be the best punt return man on the Iowa roster.
"He can catch punts as well as anybody on our team,'' assistant coach Reese Morgan said. "That's the honest-to-God truth ... He's Ed Hinkel in a big body.''
Scherff has fielded punts in practice a few times but just for fun. It's not something the Hawkeyes ever plan to do in a game.
That would be like lining up a 370-pound guy at running back and letting him score a touchdown in the Super Bowl. No one would do that, right?
It wasn't the first time we've heard about this, either.
And we've seen Scherff goofing around and fielding a punt during a practice before.
And he's still doing it in training camp this year.
#Hawkeyes OT Brandon Scherff (68) returns a punt at the end of the team's 10th practice of fall camp. #HawkeyesCamp pic.twitter.com/Ug3cno3TO0
— The Iowa Hawkeyes (@TheIowaHawkeyes) August 12, 2014
But let's put all our cards on the table here: we want to see Brandon Scherff return a punt. For real. In an actual game.
And, look, if we still need to sell Ferentz on this idea... the Patriots already did it (sort of). And we all know how much Ferentz respects the Patriots.
Hell, he wouldn't even be the first lineman in college football to return a punt in the last few years. UCF's E.J. Dunston beat him to the punch last year, although there were admittedly some HI-JINX involved in said return.
Just the thought of gunners bouncing off Scherff's onrushing form like raindrops off a windshield is enough to make us smile. And, sure, there's obviously a chance that Scherff could get injured during said punt return and that would be truly awful. He could also get rolled up on by an opposing player (or teammate) while blocking for Mark Weisman or Jake Rudock at almost any point next season.
Obviously, unless someone slips some weapons-grade hallucinogens in Kirk Ferentz's morning Starbucks order and he decides to truly let his freak flag fly next year, Brandon Scherff is not going to return a punt. But it sure would be entertaining if he did.