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USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
USA TODAY Sports shares Big Ten, Iowa football preseason poll
USA TODAY Sports released its preseason Big Ten poll, and it's not what Hawkeye fans were hoping to see. Teams were ranked first through 18th with a total points system used to rank teams: a first-place prediction equaled one point and last was 18. The team with the fewest points was ranked first. Unfortunately for Iowa, it doesn't seem like the voters are as high on the Hawkeyes as some fans are. Let's take a closer look at Iowa's place on the list compared to the rest of the conference. Where does Iowa rank in USA TODAY's Big Ten preseason poll? Iowa was picked to finish 10th in USA TODAY's preseason Big Ten poll with 86 total points. They were just behind a tie for eighth place and comfortably ahead of 11th. Nebraska and Washington tied for eighth place with 85 points, putting the Hawkeyes one point away from being higher on this poll. Minnesota finished 11th in the poll, with 112 points. Penn State is at the top of the poll and received the most votes to win the conference. Here's a look at the entire preseason poll and the points for each team. Iowa will look to outperform its preseason projection from USA TODAY in 2025. To do so, they'll need a great year from quarterback Mark Gronowski, the offensive skill position players to step up and some new contributors to rise on defense. With a veteran coach in Kirk Ferentz and a pair of exciting coordinators, I wouldn't put it past the Hawkeyes to finish better than 10th in the Big Ten this season. Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Zach on X: @zach_hiney
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Iowa football among elite 2027 TE recruit's top 12 schools
As college football recruiting continues to run its course throughout the summer, Iowa football finds itself among the top 12 schools for elite 2027 tight end prospect Luke Brewer. The 6-foot-5, 228-pound native of Norwalk, Iowa, where he attends Norwalk High School as four-star rated recruit. Brewer ranks as the No. 4 recruit in the state, the No. 17 tight end, and No. 263 overall prospect according to 247Sports' Composite Rankings. Advertisement In addition to Iowa, Brewer has received 25 other offers from premier national programs, including Georgia, Iowa State, Michigan, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Penn State. While the highly-touted tight end prospect has not taken any official campus visits just yet, he has taken numerous unofficial visits, including eight stops in Iowa City, with the most recent visit occurring on March 8. On Thursday, Brewer announced his tentative top 12 list of destinations on his social media platforms that included Missouri, Iowa State, Georgia, Tennessee, Michigan, Oregon, Penn State, Miami, Notre Dame, Iowa, Texas A&M, and Florida. Considering the Hawkeyes have a strong and proven track record for developing premier NFL-ready tight ends, Iowa should have the upper-hand in that area of desire. Advertisement While head coach Kirk Ferentz and the Hawkeyes have plenty of time to sway the talented in-state target to Iowa City, Brewer will be another excellent future addition to the program as it looks to accend to the top of the Big Ten and national landscape. As Brewer trims his list of desired destinations in the coming months of his recruitment, he will be a recruit Iowa fans will want to keep an eye on. Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions. Follow Scout on X: @SpringgateNews This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa football among elite 2027 TE recruit's top 12 schools
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Iowa football adds JUCO WR Jackson Naeve via transfer portal
Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz gets his players ready prior to kickoff against South Dakota State during a NCAA football game on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022, at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City. As the summer months move along, Iowa football added another promising offensive weapon to its arsenal. Jackson Naeve, a wide receiver and kick returner from Iowa Western Community College, announced his commitment to the Hawkeyes via the transfer portal. The Iowa City native spent one season at Iowa Western, where he logged six receptions for 86 yards with one touchdown. Naeve registered the bulk of that production against Ellsworth Community College when he secured five catches for 79 yards and a 26-yard touchdown grab. Advertisement The 6-foot-1 athlete also returned four kickoffs for 28 yards and four punts for 22 yards for the Reivers last season. According to his social media, the JUCO transfer also runs a 4.46 40-yard dash. Prior to his lone season at Iowa Western, Naeve stood out at Regina Catholic High School, where he earned first-team all-state as a senior. During that 2023 season, Naeve was the Regals' leading receiver with 848 yards and 11 touchdowns. Naeve also rushed for 344 yards and eight touchdowns, while recording two kickoff return touchdowns and one punt return touchdown. Iowa Western is the same program that produced Kaden Wetjen, who has become an explosive playmaker for the Hawkeyes. Wetjen won the 2024 Jet Award, which honors the top return specialist in college football. Advertisement With Wetjen entering his senior season with the Hawkeyes, the program hopes that Naeve can deliver similar results for the upcoming season and beyond. Below are some of Naeve's highlights from his freshman season at Iowa Western: Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Scout on X: @SpringgateNews This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa football adds JUCO WR Jackson Naeve via transfer portal
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Iowa Football: 2025 Hawkeyes Season Preview and Prediction
Iowa Football: 2025 Hawkeyes Season Preview and Prediction originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Iowa seems to be a lock to win at least eight or nine games every season under coach Kirk Ferentz. The Hawkeyes have won at least eight games in nine of the past 10 seasons, the lone exception being the 2020-shortened COVID season when they finished 6-2. If the rebuilt defense plays up to Iowa's high standard, and if transfer quarterback Mark Gronowski lives up to the hype at quarterback, eight or nine wins could be a reasonable expectation. [Editor's note: This article is from Athlon Sports' 2025 College Football Preview print magazine. Order your copy today online, or pick one up at retail racks and newsstands nationwide.] More Big Ten team previews:Illinois | Indiana | Maryland | Michigan | Michigan StateMinnesota | Nebraska | Northwestern | Ohio State | Oregon | Penn StatePurdue | Rutgers | UCLA | USC | Washington | Wisconsin Previewing Iowa's Offense for 2025 With the Cade McNamara experiment at quarterback now over, Iowa has moved on to former FCS star Mark Gronowski, who led South Dakota State to two FCS national titles and was a four-year starter for the Jackrabbits. He had shoulder surgery this past winter that caused him to miss spring practice, but he is expected to be ready for the start of preseason practice. Gronowski is a threat as both a runner and passer, compiling 12,075 total yards for South Dakota State. Kaleb Johnson leaves a huge void to fill at running back after leading the Big Ten in rushing in 2024. But Iowa has a promising 1-2 punch in Florida natives Kamari Moulton and Jaziun Patterson to help fill it. Neither has the size of Johnson, but they both might have a little more wiggle in their running style. They will also run behind an offensive line that returns three starters, including All-Big Ten center Logan Jones. Iowa needs more productivity from its receivers and will rely on Jacob Gill to build on the season he had a year ago. Gill transferred from Northwestern and led Iowa with 411 receiving yards last season. Related: Previewing Iowa's Defense for 2025 Considered by many the best in the business, defensive coordinator Phil Parker will get to prove it as Iowa replaces several key starters. The defensive line should be rock solid, with three of the top four defensive ends from last season all returning, along with senior tackle Aaron Graves. Senior Xavier Nwankpa, a former 5-star recruit, also returns at strong safety, where he has started multiple games. How quickly the linebackers develop will be crucial to Iowa's success. Senior Karson Sharar leads the returning linebackers with just 21 career tackles, most of them coming on special teams. Previewing Iowa's Specialists for 2025 A strong case could be made that Iowa has the best kicker-punter-return specialist trio in the country in kicker Drew Stevens, punter Rhys Dakin and returner Kaden Wetjen. Stevens made 20-of-23 field-goal attempts last season, while Dakin averaged 44.1 yards as a freshman punter. Wetjen averaged 28.0 yards on 26 kickoff returns and 12.6 yards on 26 punt returns. National Ranking: 27 More Big Ten team previews:Illinois | Indiana | Maryland | Michigan | Michigan StateMinnesota | Nebraska | Northwestern | Ohio State | Oregon | Penn StatePurdue | Rutgers | UCLA | USC | Washington | WisconsinThis story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 7, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Big Ten media days schedule: When does Iowa football take the stage?
The ramp-up to the Hawkeyes' 2025 college football season continues this week with the annual Big Ten media days. Like the rest of its Big Ten counterparts, Iowa descends upon Las Vegas and to the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino to preview its upcoming 2025 campaign. Alongside Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz, the Hawkeyes are bringing center Logan Jones, defensive end Ethan Hurkett and safety Koen Entringer. In that trio of players, Iowa is represented by two sixth-year Hawkeyes in Jones and Hurkett that have combined for 51 career starts. Meanwhile, Entringer was listed opposite Xavier Nwankpa as one of Iowa's two starting safeties to begin the spring season for the Hawkeyes. As Big Ten media days begins, here's a look at the week's full schedule of events with all times listed in CT: Day 1: Tuesday, July 22 Big Ten Commissioner Tony Pettiti: 1 p.m. Illinois: 1:30 p.m. Rutgers: 1:45 p.m. Indiana: 2 p.m. Maryland: 2:15 p.m. Nebraska: 2:30 p.m. Ohio State: 2:45 p.m. Day 2: Wednesday, July 23 Minnesota: 1:30 p.m. Northwestern: 1:45 p.m. Wisconsin: 2 p.m. Oregon: 2:15 p.m. Washington: 2:30 p.m. Penn State: 2:45 p.m. Day 3: Thursday, July 24 Iowa: 1:30 p.m. Purdue: 1:45 p.m. UCLA: 2 p.m. Michigan State: 2:15 p.m. USC: 2:30 p.m. Michigan: 2:45 p.m. Where to watch, stream Big Ten media days Fans can watch Big Ten media days live on the Big Ten Network or stream via the Fox Sports App. Watch Big Ten Media Days Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Josh on X: @JoshOnREF
