What Penn State fans need to know about the Iowa Hawkeyes in 2025
Here's a look at the Hawkeyes entering the 2025 college football season.
Advertisement
2024 in review
The theme of Iowa football in recent years has been playing with solid defense and wondering if the offense can do anything. It has been a struggle to get the Iowa offense to click at times. Iowa finished the 2025 season ranked second in the Big Ten in rushing offense but 17th in passing offense. Iowa had 10 touchdown passes and averaged just 20.0 passes per game, the lowest average among Big Ten programs. Kaleb Johnson led the Big Ten in rushing average with 128.08 yards per game and had a Big Ten-leading 21 games. He is now a Pittsburgh Steeler, so Iowa will look to replace his rushing production with Kamari Moulton and Jaziun Patterson.
Iowa went 8-5 last season with a 27-24 loss in the Music City Bowl to the Missouri Tigers to close out the season. Iowa had a one-point loss to Iowa State and lost by a field goal to UCLA, but suffered double-digit setbacks against Ohio State and Michigan State. Some would say Iowa was just a few plays away from a 10 or 11-win season, but the Hawkeyes know what needs to improve to flip some of those close games in their favor.
Head coach profile
Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz during a timeout against Penn State in Beaver Stadium Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023, in State College, Pa.
Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz returns for his 27th season as head coach of the Hawkeyes, remaining college football's longest tenured head coach. Ferentz will soon become the all-time leader in Big Ten coaching victories as he enters the 2025 season jus one conference win shy of the current record of 205 wins held by Woody Hayes of Ohio State (Penn State's Joe Paterno accumulated 162 wins in Big Ten play during his career, good for fifth on the Big Ten's all-time list).
Advertisement
Top offensive player
Nov 8, 2024; Pasadena, California, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz shakes hands with Iowa Hawkeyes offensive lineman Gennings Dunker (67) after a score in the second half against the UCLA Bruins at the Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Iowa is home to one of the top offensive linemen in college football this season with offensive tackle Gennings Dunker. Dunker is being scouted as one of the best offensive tackles in the 2026 NFL draft pool and could be a potential first-round draft pick. Dunker was a second-team All-Big Ten player last season and will be a tough challenge for opposing defensive linemen to get around this fall.
Top defensive player
Aaron Graves stands for a photo during Hawkeye football media day in Iowa City, Friday, Aug. 12, 2022. H1a5033 Cr2
Defensive tackle Aaron Graves is back in 2025 after recording six sacks for the Hawkeyes last season. Graves was an honorable mention for All-Big Ten last fall and should be in the mix for more All-Big Ten honors this season. Graves would have been a decent draft pick in the NFL draft had he turned pro in 2025, so his return is a nice boost for the Iowa defensive line, which should be very good this season.
Advertisement
2025 schedule
Aug. 30 vs. Albany
Sept. 6 at Iowa State
Sept. 13 vs. UMass
Sept. 19 (Fri) at Rutgers
Sept. 27 vs. Indiana
Oct. 11 at Wisconsin
Oct. 18 vs. Penn State
Oct. 25 vs. Minnesota
Nov. 8 vs. Oregon
Nov. 15 at USC
Nov. 22 vs. Michigan State
Nov. 28 (Fri) at Nebraska
Iowa faces some challenges in the Big Ten schedule with three games against teams that were in the College Football Playoff last season, but they also get to play those games at home (against Indiana, Penn State, and Oregon). Penn State has had some tough matchups in Iowa over the years, but the Nittany Lions have owned the upper hand in the series in recent years. This road trip for Penn State is well worth monitoring for a potential upset alert.
The Hawkeyes skip games against Ohio State and Michigan this season but will play on the road twice in November against USC and Nebraska. Iowa also plays its in-state rival from the Big 12 Iowa State on the road in Ames, Iowa this season. With a win total floating around 7.5, predicting which way Iowa's season may go seems risky without knowing if the offense will be rejuvenated at all. However, Iowa winning eight games feels very on-brand for Iowa.
Follow Nittany Lions Wire on X, Facebook, and Threads
Advertisement
This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: What to know about the Iowa Hawkeyes in 2025 from a Penn State view
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Washington Post
20 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Sports betting roundup: Betting favorite Mexico beats US in Gold Cup soccer final
The betting favorites won the CONCACAF Gold Cup on a holiday weekend with plenty of baseball action. The Mexican national soccer team beat the United States 2-1 in the final on Sunday night in Houston. Mexico went into the match favored at +150 at the BetMGM online sportsbook , while the American team was +210. A tie was listed at +185.


Washington Post
20 minutes ago
- Washington Post
NASCAR's first in-season tournament adds some drama to the Cup Series finish in Chicago
CHICAGO — NASCAR's first in-season tournament hasn't made much of an impression on its drivers so far. Ty Gibbs said Sunday he didn't know who his second-round opponent was until after the Cup Series race. That might be about to change. Gibbs is one of eight drivers still in the mix for the $1 million prize that goes to the winner of the five-race, bracket-style competition. While Shane van Gisbergen was closing out his Cup victory in Chicago this weekend, some of the most compelling action on the downtown street course was at least connected to the inaugural In-Season Challenge .
Yahoo
23 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Dick Vitale gives encouraging health update, says his vocal chords are still cancer-free after latest exam
Legendary college-basketball announcer Dick Vitale is feeling great after his latest medical exam. Vitale announced Monday that the latest examination of his vocal chords came back cancer-free. Vitale, 86, made the announcement on X, saying he once again was deemed cancer-free by his doctor. That's a significant update from Vitale, who has dealt with multiple forms of cancer over the past couple years. In 2021, he announced he was cancer-free after being diagnosed with melanoma earlier that year. Advertisement That October, Vitale was diagnosed with lymphoma. A little under a year later, he announced he was cancer-free. In 2023, Vitale revealed he was diagnosed with vocal chord cancer, and in 2024, he announced he was dealing with lymph node cancer. After taking nearly two years away from broadcasting, Vitale announced he was once again cancer-free in January. A month later, he returned to broadcasting, and got emotional when talking about how much it meant for him to be back calling games. During his final broadcast in March, Vitale again got emotional, saying he hoped to return to calling games next season. A few months later, he signed an extension to keep him at ESPN through the 2027-28 season. Monday's news provides yet another positive update for Vitale, who will look to continue to be one of college basketball's biggest voices when he returns to the broadcast booth next year.