Shock is not an emotion frequently associated with Iowa football. For better or for worse, you know what you’re going to get from the Hawkeyes.

And more often than not, it’s better. There’s a reason Kirk Ferentz has headed the program since 1999.

But when senior wide receiver Charlie Jones announced that he was entering the transfer portal on Wednesday, shock was the most appropriate available response. This is a stunning setback for the Hawkeyes.

Jones was Iowa’s most exciting receiving/returning dual-threat since Tim Dwight.

He is to Iowa as Devin Hester was to the late-2000s Chicago Bears — a jolt of special teams electricity who props up an otherwise limp offense. Jones deservedly earned Big Ten Special Teams Return Specialist of the Year in 2021. Considering that Michigan State’s Jayden Reed had a pair of return touchdowns, it was a heck of a feat.

And the Hester comparison might even undersell what Jones does for Iowa. Hester was limited as a wide receiver; Jones is not. He was 3rd on the Hawkeyes with 323 receiving yards and tied Tyler LaPorta with a team-high 3 touchdowns despite being 5th in receptions.

Furthermore, he made quite a big deal of the fact he would use his COVID-induced 6th year of eligibility to run it back with the Hawks. He was also among the handful of players who spoke with media following Iowa’s spring scrimmage. This transfer is from beyond left field.

Clearly, something major must have taken place between January and May for Jones to drop such an unexpected bomb.

But maybe it was as simple as a moment of self-realization. A manifestation of the sinking feeling a receiver gets when he goes through another spring realizing his offensive coordinator is Brian Ferentz and his quarterbacks can’t get it done.

Brian Ferentz: An insult to vanilla

Vanilla is a more versatile flavor than it ever gets credit for. So we will not dignify Ferentz’s offense by comparing it to vanilla.

It’s more like a communion wafer, minus the transubstantiation.

Iowa’s 2021 offense was 13th in the B1G in total offense, 11th in passing yards per attempt and 10th in yards per carry. The Hawkeyes were dead last in the Big Ten and 120th nationally with 16.6 first downs per game. And to be worse than Indiana or Northwestern in any offensive category last season took quite some doing.

Naturally, all of that resulted in Ferentz the Younger earning a promotion this offseason. He’s now coaching Iowa’s quarterbacks in addition to his play-calling duties.

If Old Man Ferentz had hired an experienced quarterback whisperer, perhaps we could expect Spencer Petras or Alex Padilla to take a step forward in 2022. Instead, those duties have been given to a guy who has never played or coached the position before. And it feels pretty likely Petras and/or Padilla will look like quarterbacks trained by a former offensive lineman.

They probably already do. And it’s the most logical explanation for Jones’ departure. Part of his rationale for coming back was to improve his NFL stock. By the end of April, it probably became clear that would be a tall task on Iowa’s offense.

His transfer destination should provide a clearer picture — especially if it’s the one at the top of the rumor mill.

Another Purdue Hawkeye?

Hawkeye Report publisher Tom Kakert — a person quite attuned to program comings and goings — indicates that Purdue looms as a likely destination for Jones.

It makes a lot of sense, and not just because Jeff Brohm is the most creative offensive mind in the Big Ten.

Another former Hawkeye receiver, Tyrone Tracy, transferred to Purdue in December. Ferentz’s offense completely wasted Tracy’s talent. It’s pretty telling that “Is Tyrone Tracy hurt?” is one of the top entries when you Google his name.

Tracy went from 36 receptions for 589 yards and 4 touchdowns as a freshman in 2019 to 15 catches for 106 yards last season. The latter statistic wasn’t due to a lack of playing time, either. He was among Iowa’s snap-count leaders at receiver for the early part of the season.

A receiver doesn’t have to be a diva to get frustrated with a lack of receptions in Brian Ferentz’s offense. Just a guy who dreams of a quarterback who can actually get him the ball.

One imagines Tracy’s first spring in West Lafayette was completely reinvigorating. The buzz is that he’ll be playing a major role in Purdue’s offense. And in that vein, you can imagine Tracy calling his former teammate and saying, “Yo. Dude. You wouldn’t believe how creative this Brohm cat is. You gotta get over here.”

Or something like that.

As a graduate transfer, Jones is eligible immediately despite entering the portal after the May 1 deadline. Picking Purdue and quarterback Aidan O’Connell makes a lot of sense for showcasing his talents.

The only downside is that the Boilers host the Hawkeyes. It would be nice for Tracy and Jones to get rousing ovations upon their return to Iowa City.

Usually transfers would be booed after leaving town. But it’s different in this case.

The only guy worth booing for Iowa fans is the one calling the plays, ineffectively.