Iowa is heading into fall with a familiar problem: too many departures, not enough proven answers. When the roster thins out after graduation and the NFL Draft, somebody has to grab a role and run with it. For the Hawkeyes, that search points straight to a group of fifth-year players who have spent years waiting, learning and grinding for this moment.
Jack Dotzler is at the front of that line. The 6-foot-6, 309-pound tackle spent last season backing up Trevor Lauck and Gennings Dunker at right tackle, and he also played all 13 games in 2025 on special teams and offense.
Injuries slowed him over the last two years, but he has been a steady presence in the room since George Barnett made him his first recruit after taking over the coaching job at Iowa. Dotzler was part of a tight battle with Lauck for the starting left tackle job last season, and there’s a real case that he could have started if Lauck hadn’t been as good as he was and is.
He was one of Iowa’s top eight playable offensive linemen a year ago, and if he lands the right tackle spot and performs at a level similar to Dunker, the Hawkeye line should again be one of the Big Ten’s best. He’s also on the Leadership Council, which only adds to the sense that he’s ready for a big final season.
The defensive line has its own pair of long-time waiters in Luke Gaffney and Will Hubert. Both are walk-ons who have earned playing time over the last few seasons, and both are now in their final year of eligibility.
With so many new faces in the defensive tackle room this fall, they’ve already spent plenty of time under Kelvin Bell learning what Iowa wants from the position. Gaffney, from Linn-Mar High School in Marion, has played in 24 games and made two tackles.
Hubert, from the Omaha area, has appeared in 17 games, with six tackles and a fumble recovery. Neither has logged a huge workload, and both are a little limited physically - Gaffney is 6-foot-2 and 288 pounds, Hubert 6-foot-3 and 291 - but they know the job and they know the defense.
If one of them can edge out the scholarship competition, whether that’s transfers or the second- and third-year tackles in the mix, a sack or two could be in play.
Michael Myslinski is technically a sixth-year possibility, but he belongs in this conversation too. Injuries have made his Iowa career a stop-and-start ride, and he’s finally in position to have a real shot at the field this season.
He backed up Logan Jones at center last year and now is expected to start at either center or right guard, depending on how Kade Pieper develops at center. Myslinski also only recently learned he had been granted a waiver for a medical redshirt, making him eligible for one final season with the Hawkeyes.
“There was definitely really hard times here, alone at times,” Myslinksi said this summer. “But it’s helped me grow a lot as a man.
And I think at the end of the day, that’s what is going to help me in my future.” After everything he’s been through, he’s a tough player to count out.
Landyn Van Kekerix gives Iowa another fifth-year name to watch at linebacker. He has spent four years waiting behind players ahead of him, and now he could wind up in the same kind of company as Jay Higgins, Karson Sharar and Jaxon Rexroth - veterans who stayed patient and kept developing.
Van Kekerix has been a regular on special teams the last two seasons, and this fall he’s battling third-year linebackers Derek Weisskopf and Preston Ries for the LEO linebacker job. That spot is used in specific situations and helps Iowa show a more traditional 4-3 look with a third linebacker instead of a 4-2-5 with an extra defensive back.
If Van Kekerix wins that fight, he could line up with Cam Buffington and fifth-year linebacker Jayden Montgomery in the second level of the defense.
In Other News...
Another Iowa Receiver Development Has Fans Worried About This Room
Iowas receiver room took another hit this week with news that Terrence Smith will not be available for the upcoming fall season, according to multiple sources and an Iowa spokesperson. A member of the 2025 recruiting class, Smith arrived as one of the early commitments Jon Budmayr landed after taking over as the Hawkeyes wide receivers coach, and the expectation was that he would be part of the long-term rebuild at the position.
Instead, Smiths Iowa career has yet to get off the ground in game action after a redshirt freshman year, and the uncertainty now extends beyond this season. For a program already trying to stabilize and add depth at receiver, losing another young prospect from the mix only adds to the concern about how quickly that room can develop. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa May Finally Have The Interior Answer Fans Have Wanted
Iowa went into the portal looking for a bigger body, and it found one in Saint Marys center Andrew McKeever, a move aimed squarely at the rebounding and size issues that showed up last season. The Hawkeyes needed help on the interior, especially after the way the year ended against Illinois, and McKeever gives them a player who expects to make his mark as a defensive anchor and a presence on the glass.
McKeever also brings a little more than just bulk. He said he is adjusting to Iowas more active offensive style, which should ask more of him than simply camping near the rim, and he pointed to the Hawkeyes recent success and Ben McCollums winning reputation as major reasons he chose to transfer. For a program trying to reshape its frontcourt, that kind of fit matters almost as much as the size itself. [Read more 🡒]
Ben McCollum Just Sparked New Buzz About Iowas Next Breakout Returnee
Ben McCollums latest comments on Iowa mens basketball offered a little more context around why the program feels better positioned than its regular-season record might have suggested. He pointed back to the Hawkeyes Elite Eight run as proof that the foundation was there, and he made clear that the teams struggles had more to do with finishing games than with a lack of belief in what it could become.
He also touched on the practical side of building momentum, noting that Iowa has tried to bring nonconference games closer to home to give more fans a chance to show up and feel invested early. And while McCollum praised offseason growth across the roster, one returning player in particular has started to generate the kind of buzz that can change expectations quickly once the season opens. [Read more 🡒]