Iowa is heading into Big Ten Media Days with a preseason number that says plenty about how the league sees the Hawkeyes right now: respectable, but hardly a threat to crash the top tier.
Cleveland.com’s annual Big Ten Preseason Poll, released Monday, slots Iowa eighth in the conference. The Hawkeyes checked in with an average ranking of 7.19 from 31 voters, a group made up of beat writers covering all 18 Big Ten teams.
At the top of the poll, Ohio State led the way with 15 first-place votes, followed by Oregon with 11 and Indiana with five. USC, Michigan, Penn State, and Washington came next before Iowa landed in the eighth spot. Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, Wisconsin, UCLA, Northwestern, Maryland, Michigan State, Rutgers, and Purdue rounded out the list.
The poll also painted a clear picture of how the league’s postseason race is being viewed. The voters committee projected that three Big Ten teams would reach the College Football Playoff, with one voter picking five teams and 11 selecting four.
The most common prediction, by far, was three CFP teams from the conference, a choice made by 18 voters. One voter even had Iowa in the playoff mix.
That’s the backdrop for a Hawkeyes team entering one of the more intriguing seasons of the Kirk Ferentz era. There’s real buzz around the roster returning, but there are also obvious questions - especially at quarterback, where Iowa is still sorting out whether Hank Brown or Jeremy Hecklinski will take the first snap.
It’s the first genuine offseason quarterback battle in Iowa City in nearly 10 years, and it comes at a time when the Hawkeyes may have their strongest collection of skill talent in a while. The running back room is loaded, the receiver group has depth, and tight end DJ Vonnahme gives the offense another piece to work with.
The other side of the ball brings its own unknowns. Iowa has to replace a lot defensively, but Phil Parker’s track record keeps the bar high. Year after year, his units have been among the best in college football, and there’s still enough talent in place for this group to have real upside.
The schedule will give Iowa a quick read on where it stands. The Hawkeyes face three teams ranked ahead of them in the preseason poll: road trips to Michigan and Washington, plus a home date with Ohio State. Those three games are the first three Big Ten matchups on the slate.
After that, Iowa will see the teams ranked ninth through 12th, along with Northwestern and Purdue, in conference play.
Iowa will also be one of six Big Ten teams opening Media Days on Tuesday, July 28 in Chicago. Kirk Ferentz will be joined by linebacker Jayden Montgomery, defensive back Zach Lutmer, and tight end Addison Ostrenga as the Hawkeyes take their turn in the spotlight.
In Other News...
Iowa Just Lost Another Key Piece Of Its 2027 Backcourt Board
Iowas 2027 backcourt board took another hit with the latest movement on TJ Jamison, a 6-foot-2 point guard from Calvary Baptist Academy in Shreveport, Louisiana. Jamison had been one of the Hawkeyes more important early guard targets in the class, and Iowa had done enough to get him onto campus for an official visit, keeping him squarely in the mix as the staff kept building out its point guard priorities.
The Hawkeyes still have work to do in that part of the board, though, and the next stretch of visits will matter. Iowa remains involved with Cayden Daughtry and Jaxson Davis, two other top point guard prospects who are both scheduled to be in Iowa City in September, giving the staff at least a couple more chances to make a move in a recruitment that is starting to thin out. [Read more 🡒]
Ben McCollum Just Made Another Aggressive Recruiting Move Iowa Fans Will Notice
Ben McCollums staff is already looking well ahead, and the latest move shows how early Iowa wants to get in on the 2028 class. The Hawkeyes recently extended a scholarship offer to combo guard Parker McDaniel, a four-star prospect who has been on the programs radar for a while and has stayed in regular contact with the staff since making an unofficial visit to campus last season.
For Iowa, the timing makes sense. With Bennett Stirtz gone, the backcourt has a clear need for another perimeter threat, and McDaniel fits the kind of guard the Hawkeyes are trying to stockpile: a player with range, some ball-handling ability and the competitiveness to hold up defensively. McCollum has not been shy about being aggressive on the recruiting trail, and this is another sign that Iowa plans to be early, and persistent, with the prospects it believes can matter down the road. [Read more 🡒]
Jaidyn Coon Might Be The Wing Iowa Fans Have Waited For
Iowas wing room already looks deeper and more athletic than it has in a while, and Jaidyn Coon is a big reason why the buzz keeps building. The 2026 commit has the kind of length and explosiveness that jumps off the page in summer workouts, where his ability to get above the rim and make plays on the defensive end has stood out alongside a group of returning and incoming wings who give the roster real flexibility.
The next step for Coon is less about what he can do in traffic and more about rounding out the rest of his game. His shooting was inconsistent in high school, but the Hawkeyes are betting that his slashing, defense and natural athleticism can already earn him a place in the rotation, with early minutes as a freshman not sounding far-fetched if the progress keeps coming. [Read more 🡒]