Iowa Hawkeyes
Big Ten
0-0 (0-0 conf)
SP+ #12
Ratings
2025 final
- SP+
- 19.7 (#12)
- SP+ Offense
- 32.1
- SP+ Defense
- 14.2
- SRS
- 13.8
- FPI
- 15.3
- Elo
- 1937
- Talent
- 710
- Recruiting
- —
2026 Outlook
Projected wins
9.0p10 7.0 — p90 10.0
| Round | Prob | |
|---|---|---|
| Win conference | 3.6% | |
| Make CFP | 23.8% | |
| Quarterfinal | 12.7% | |
| Semifinal | 4.2% | |
| Natl. final | 1.5% | |
| Natl. champ | 0.5% |
Schedule
proj record 8.6–3.4
Schedule
41st
toughest of 136
Offenses faced
84th
toughest of 136
Defenses faced
13th
toughest of 136
Strength of schedule — how tough this team's opponents are, ranked 1 (hardest) to 136 (easiest) · by 2025 SP+ · 1 FCS game.
| Wk | Opponent | SP+ | Score | Proj | Win% | Res |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | vsNorthern Illinois | -16.7 | 47-8 | +39.3 | 100% | — |
| 2 | vsIowa State | +9.9 | 32-19 | +12.7 | 81% | — |
| 3 | vsNorthern Iowa | FCS | 49-3* | +46.3 | 100% | — |
| 4 | @Michigan | +12.4 | 26-29 | -2.7 | 42% | — |
| 5 | vsOhio State | +30.1 | 26-32 | -5.8 | 34% | — |
| 6 | @Washington | +18.4 | 26-25 | +1.2 | 53% | — |
| 8 | @Minnesota | +1.5 | 31-23 | +8.3 | 72% | — |
| 9 | vsWisconsin | -4.4 | 35-20 | +15.4 | 86% | — |
| 10 | @Northwestern | +5.8 | 31-26 | +4.4 | 62% | — |
| 11 | vsPurdue | -6.1 | 40-19 | +21.1 | 93% | — |
| 12 | @Illinois | +12.9 | 31-29 | +2.1 | 56% | — |
| 13 | vsNebraska | +6.2 | 33-21 | +11.2 | 78% | — |
* FBS-vs-FCS estimate from the SP+ gap — no per-game model for FCS opponents.
Quarterbacks · 3
2026 · 65
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB | 1st | Mark Gronowski | SR | 6'2" | 235 | — |
| QB | 2nd | Hank Brown | SO | 6'4" | 215 | ★★★ |
| QB | 3rd | Jeremy Hecklinski | FR | 5'11" | 188 | ★★★ |
Running Backs · 6
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RB | 1st | Kamari Moulton | SO | 5'9" | 205 | ★★★ |
| RB | 2nd | Xavier Williams | FR | 5'10" | 225 | ★★★ |
| RB | 3rd | Nathan McNeil | FR | 5'11" | 203 | — |
| RB | 4th | Terrell Washington Jr. | SO | 5'10" | 208 | ★★★ |
| RB | 5th | Brevin Doll | FR | 6'0" | 211 | ★★★ |
| RB | — | L.J. Phillips Jr.← South Dakota | — | — | — | ★★★ |
Wide Receivers · 10
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WR | 1st | Sam Phillips | SR | 5'7" | 183 | — |
| WR | 2nd | Jacob Gill | SR | 6'0" | 185 | — |
| WR | 3rd | Reece Vander Zee | SO | 6'4" | 215 | ★★★ |
| WR | 4th | Dayton Howard | SO | 6'5" | 215 | — |
| WR | 5th | Seth Anderson | SR | 6'0" | 187 | — |
| WR | 6th | Alex Eichmann | JR | 6'2" | 210 | — |
| WR | 7th | KJ Parker | FR | 5'10" | 184 | ★★★ |
| WR | — | Lance Beeghley← SMU | FR | 6'2" | 194 | ★★★ |
| WR | — | Evan James← Furman | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| WR | — | Tony Diaz← Texas-Rio Grande Valley | — | — | — | ★★★ |
Tight Ends · 4
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TE | 1st | DJ Vonnahme | FR | 6'4" | 240 | — |
| TE | 2nd | Zach Ortwerth | JR | 6'4" | 245 | ★★★ |
| TE | 3rd | Hayden Large | SR | 6'4" | 250 | — |
| TE | 4th | Addison Ostrenga | SR | 6'4" | 248 | ★★★ |
Defensive Line · 16
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DE | 1st | Joseph Anderson | FR | 6'6" | 241 | ★★★★ |
| DL | 1st | Aaron Graves | SR | 6'5" | 295 | ★★★★ |
| DL | 2nd | Ethan Hurkett | SR | 6'3" | 259 | ★★★ |
| DL | 3rd | Jonah Pace | SR | 6'5" | 285 | ★★★ |
| DL | 4th | Kenneth Merrieweather | SO | 6'3" | 263 | — |
| DL | 5th | Bryce Hawthorne | SO | 6'3" | 296 | — |
| DL | 6th | Maddux Borcherding-Johnson | SO | 6'3" | 292 | ★★★ |
| DL | 7th | Jeremiah Pittman | SR | 6'2" | 285 | — |
| DL | 8th | Will Hubert | JR | 6'3" | 287 | ★★★ |
| DL | 9th | Iose Epenesa | FR | 6'3" | 260 | ★★★★ |
| DL | 10th | Devan Kennedy | FR | 6'3" | 275 | ★★★ |
| DL | — | Luke Gaffney | JR | 6'2" | 285 | — |
| DL | — | Brice Stevenson← Holy Cross | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| DL | — | Emmanuel Olagbaju← North Dakota | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| EDGE | 1st | Lance Ingold← Northern Illinois | FR | 6'5" | 258 | ★★★ |
| EDGE | — | Kahmari Brown← Elon | — | — | — | ★★★ |
Linebackers · 10
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LB | 1st | Jaden Harrell | SR | 6'2" | 237 | ★★★ |
| LB | 2nd | Jayden Montgomery | JR | 5'10" | 225 | ★★★ |
| LB | 3rd | Jaxon Rexroth | SR | 6'1" | 230 | — |
| LB | 4th | Cam Buffington | FR | 6'3" | 239 | ★★★★ |
| LB | 5th | Preston Ries | FR | 6'1" | 225 | — |
| LB | 6th | Derek Weisskopf | FR | 6'3" | 235 | ★★★★ |
| LB | 7th | Landyn Van Kekerix | JR | 6'2" | 236 | ★★★ |
| LB | 8th | Zach Twedt | SR | 6'2" | 242 | ★★★ |
| LB | 9th | Kelby Telander | SR | 6'4" | 240 | — |
| LB | 10th | Nolan DeLong | SO | 6'0" | 233 | — |
Defensive Backs · 13
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DB | 1st | Zach Lutmer | SO | 6'0" | 205 | — |
| DB | 2nd | Xavier Nwankpa | SR | 6'2" | 213 | ★★★★ |
| DB | 3rd | Deshaun Lee | JR | 5'10" | 189 | — |
| DB | 4th | Rashad Godfrey Jr. | FR | 6'0" | 195 | — |
| DB | 5th | Jaylen Watson | SO | 5'11" | 185 | — |
| DB | 6th | Jacob Wallace | FR | 5'10" | 178 | ★★★ |
| DB | 7th | Kyler Gerardy | FR | 6'0" | 198 | — |
| DB | 8th | Shahid Barros | SR | 6'0" | 185 | — |
| DB | 9th | Alex Mota | SO | 6'0" | 193 | — |
| S | 1st | Tyler Brown← James Madison | SO | 5'11" | 194 | ★★★ |
| S | — | Cody Haddad← Ohio State | FR | 5'11" | 186 | ★★★ |
| S | — | Xavier Styles← Robert Morris | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| S | — | Anthony Hawkins← Villanova | — | — | — | ★★★ |
Special Teams · 3
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| K | 1st | Eli Ozick← North Dakota State | SO | 5'11" | 191 | — |
| P | — | Tanner Philpott← Simpson College | — | — | — | — |
| PK | 1st | Drew Stevens | SR | 6'1" | 205 | — |
Season History · last 12
1 AP top-10 · 11 postseason
| Season | Record | Conf | SP+ | AP | Post |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 8-4 | 6-3 | #12 | #17 | 1-0 |
| 2024 | 8-4 | 6-3 | #16 | #21 | 0-1 |
| 2023 | 10-3 | 7-3 | #46 | #18 | 0-1 |
| 2022 | 7-5 | 5-4 | #26 | — | 1-0 |
| 2021 | 10-3 | 7-3 | #27 | #2 | 0-1 |
| 2020 | 6-2 | 6-2 | #13 | — | — |
| 2019 | 9-3 | 6-3 | #20 | — | 1-0 |
| 2018 | 8-4 | 5-4 | #23 | — | 1-0 |
| 2017 | 7-5 | 4-5 | #35 | — | 1-0 |
| 2016 | 8-4 | 6-3 | #37 | — | 0-1 |
| 2015 | 12-1 | 8-1 | #42 | — | 0-1 |
| 2014 | 7-5 | 4-4 | #49 | — | 0-1 |
Recruiting Classes
avg #40 · 29 blue-chip
■ 5★■ 4★■ 3★153 rated signees
| Class | Natl | Pts | 5★ | 4★ | 3★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #38 | 208 | 0 | 4 | 8 |
| 2024 | #32 | 215 | 0 | 6 | 11 |
| 2023 | #41 | 204 | 0 | 2 | 11 |
| 2022 | #30 | 215 | 0 | 2 | 11 |
| 2021 | #23 | 214 | 0 | 7 | 5 |
| 2020 | #35 | 204 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
| 2019 | #41 | 199 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
| 2018 | #39 | 203 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
| 2017 | #41 | 191 | 1 | 2 | 12 |
| 2016 | #47 | 181 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
247Sports composite · class rank vs all FBS
Roster Talent
2026
Portal in 15net +7Out 8
Portal avg stars (in / out)3.0 / 3.1
Notable Portal Moves
| ▲ | Lance Ingold | EDGE | 3★ | ← Northern Illinois |
| ▲ | Emmanuel Olagbaju | DL | 3★ | ← North Dakota |
| ▲ | Anthony Hawkins | S | 3★ | ← Villanova |
| ▲ | Cody Haddad | S | 3★ | ← Ohio State |
| ▼ | Brian Allen | EDGE | 4★ | → Vanderbilt |
| ▼ | Koen Entringer | S | 3★ | → Louisville |
| ▼ | Jaziun Patterson | RB | 3★ | → Michigan State |
| ▼ | TJ Washington Jr. | RB | 3★ | → New Mexico State |
returning PPA · portal · talent composite · 2026
Injury Report · 0
No injuries reported.
Team News
12 items
- Why Iowa Football's Glass is Half Full and Half Empty in 2026Iowa enters 2026 as a curious team with high hopes, but a floor that could bottom out. Two reasons why the glass is half full and half empty.IOWA8h
- Ranking Iowa Football's 2026 Schedule: Opponents From Worst to FirstIowa might have a few layups on the 2026 schedule, but there are several huge battles to deal with. Here's how nasty the games are, from easiest to toughest.IOWA1d
- Crashing the CFP Party: Why Iowa Football Can - and Can't - Be a Dark HorseIs this the year the Iowa Hawkeyes crash the College Football Playoff as a dark horse from the Big Ten?IOWA2d
- Iowa Football Preview 2026: Can the Hawkeyes Win Just a Little Bit More?After years of being consistently terrific, what will it take for Kirk Ferentz's Hawkeyes to finally take that one extra step forward?IOWA2d
- Iowa Football: Is Kinnick Stadium Still One of the Toughest Places to Play?Kinnick Stadium has built a reputation as one of college football's most intimidating venues, but does Iowa have enough in 2026 to knock off the top teams?IOWA3d
- Iowa football announces Big Ten Media Days representativesKirk Ferentz will be taking three Iowa football players with him to Chicago next month for Big Ten Media Days.IOWA3d
- 3 Iowa Stars Crack College Football 27's Top 10 Ratings - But One Hawkeye Was SnubbedRatings are coming out for EA Sports College Football 27, and while three Iowa Hawkeyes are highly ranked, one notable Hawkeye is missing from the elite lists.IOWA4d
- 2027 4-star OL spurns Iowa football for SEC schoolThough Iowa football was a finalist, a blue-chip target is headed to the SEC instead.IOWA4d
- Biggest Questions for Iowa Football's Big Ten Media Day RepresentativesBig Ten Media Days are a month away, but Iowa has a contingent of three stars going who can expect to answer some big questions heading into 2026.IOWA5d
- Iowa Football Left Hanging by Two OL Recruits in a Row - Now What?Iowa's recruiting has seen two offensive linemen battles go the wrong way. What's next for the 2027 recruiting class?IOWA6d
- Iowa Football Recruiting Misses on Barrett Kitrell, Commits to Big Ten RivalDespite recent offensive line success, the Iowa Hawkeyes lost out on a recruit to one of their bitter Big Ten rivals.IOWA7d
- 3 Underlying Stats That Will Define Iowa Football's Success in 2026How does Iowa define success in 2026? There are three numbers hiding behind the curtain that will explain quite a bit.IOWA7d