Iowa will open the 2026 college football season in familiar territory: the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll.
The Hawkeyes landed at No. 22 in the first rankings of the year, collecting 291 points from voters. It gives Iowa a spot in the preseason top 25 after finishing the 2025 campaign ranked 17th.
The Big Ten once again shows up early and often near the top. Ohio State checks in at No. 1, with Oregon right behind at No.
- Indiana, the defending national champion, comes in at No. 6, while USC sits at No.
14, Michigan at No. 16, Penn State at No. 17 and Washington at No.
- Illinois and Nebraska also picked up votes.
Iowa arrives in the poll after a 9-4 season that included a 6-3 mark in Big Ten play and ended with a 34-27 bowl win over then-No. 12 Vanderbilt. The Hawkeyes now turn to a roster that brings back some key production on both sides of the ball.
Offensively, Iowa has its leading rusher back in Kamari Moulton, who ran for 878 yards and five touchdowns last season. The Hawkeyes also return their top receiver, tight end DJ Vonnahme, who caught 29 passes for 434 yards and three touchdowns.
On defense, Iowa gets back defensive back Zach Lutmer and linebacker Jayden Montgomery. Lutmer finished with 71 tackles, seven passes defended and three interceptions, including a pick six against Minnesota. Montgomery added 44 tackles.
The full preseason top 25 has Ohio State, Oregon, Georgia, Texas and Notre Dame in the top five, followed by Indiana, Miami, Texas A&M, Oklahoma and Ole Miss. Alabama, Texas Tech, LSU, USC, BYU, Michigan, Penn State, Tennessee, Washington, SMU and Utah round out the rest of the rankings ahead of Iowa at No.
- Clemson, Houston and Missouri complete the list.
In Other News...
Iowa Opens Camp With A Top 25 Hype And Big Questions
Iowa football opens preseason camp on Aug. 5 with a little more national buzz than usual, arriving at No. 22 in the USA Today Coaches Poll and carrying the kind of early August optimism that comes with a Top 25 number next to its name. Kirk Ferentz said he expects the Hawkeyes to be healthy when camp begins, including tight end Addison Ostrenga as he comes back from an Achilles injury, giving Iowa at least a cleaner starting point than many teams get this time of year.
Even so, the real work is just beginning. With the season opener against Northern Illinois set for Sept. 5, Iowa still has position battles to sort through and development to squeeze out of a roster that will be judged less by preseason rankings than by how quickly it settles in over the next month. The Hawkeyes have earned the right to feel good about where they start, but camp will show how much of that optimism survives once the pads come on. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa May Have Its Next Tight End Fans Need To Watch
Iowas tight end pipeline has kept humming for years, and the next name to know may already be in the building. DJ Vonnahme led the Hawkeyes in receiving last season and earned a 68.0 grade from Pro Football Focus, a strong sign that his role was more than just a product of the system.
With a new quarterback stepping in, Vonnahme is expected to be a key playmaker again, which only adds to the intrigue around his next step. For a program that has turned tight ends into NFL fixtures, from George Kittle to T.J. Hockenson, the question now is how quickly Vonnahme can turn promise into the kind of production that makes Hawkeye fans start paying close attention. [Read more 🡒]
Iowas Transfer Haul Is Reshaping The Hawkeyes Two-Deep Fast
Iowas offseason transfer work has been wide-ranging, and it has already started to change the shape of the depth chart. The Hawkeyes brought in seven defensive transfers, four on offense and two special teamers as they tried to patch roster holes and give themselves more options across the board. With so many newcomers arriving at once, this is not just about adding bodies. It is about reworking the two-deep and setting the tone for what could be a very different look on both sides of the ball.
The real question now is how many of those additions become immediate parts of the rotation and how many end up competing for backup snaps. The way the roster is being sorted makes clear that expected playing time matters just as much as a formal starting label, which is why some transfers are already being viewed as two-deep contenders before the first meaningful games arrive. For Iowa, the bigger story may be less about who transferred in and more about how quickly the Hawkeyes can turn that influx into a new statistical identity. [Read more 🡒]