Iowa’s wide receiver room is moving on without Terrence Smith.
According to multiple sources and confirmed by an Iowa spokesperson, the second-year Hawkeyes receiver will not be on the 2026 fall roster. Smith, a West Aurora High School product from Aurora, Ill., was entering what would have been his second year in the program after redshirting as a freshman and not appearing in a game.
Smith came to Iowa as part of the 2025 recruiting class, where he arrived with a three-star rating and ranked as the No. 13 recruit in Illinois. He picked the Hawkeyes over Power 4 offers from Minnesota, Purdue and Iowa State, along with a long list of Group of 5 programs. He was also one of the first players Jon Budmayr landed after taking over as Iowa’s wide receivers coach in 2024.
When Iowa signed that class, general manager Tyler Barnes pointed to Smith’s size and ball skills.
"He's got big hands. 50-50 balls are not 50-50 balls for Terrence," Iowa general manager, Tyler Barnes said when the Hawkeyes signed the class of 2025. "He's still raw, too.
You're going to see a lot of growth out of him. ... How he didn't get more offers is crazy to me."
Smith’s high school background and ability to win contested catches made him look like a player who could push for early snaps, especially with the roster Iowa had at the time. Budmayr said before the 2025 season that Smith was working at the X-receiver spot and was showing traits that stood out once things started to slow down.
"He's playing the X-receiver spot right now," Budmayr said prior to the start of the 2025 season. "Once things start to slow down, you see some of the skillset come out.
Terrence has a great ability at the line of scrimmage. For a bigger guy, his ability to win versus press coverage, and his foot-speed is really impressive."
With Smith no longer on the 2026 fall roster, Iowa’s second-year wideouts include Furman transfer Evan James and walk-on Apollo Payne, who came out of Cedar Rapids Prairie.
Even with that opening, Smith was facing an uphill climb to crack the rotation. Budmayr’s receiver group has grown deeper and more talented each season, and the top of the room is expected to feature third-year receiver Reece Vander Zee, third-year wideout and UTRGV transfer Tony Diaz and, potentially, fourth-year receiver Dayton Howard.
Other names in the mix for playing time include James, Jarriett Buie and KJ Parker, along with first-year receivers Xavier Stinson and Brody Schaffer.
Smith’s long-term future at Iowa is still unclear.
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