Phil Parker has built a reputation at Iowa for finding defensive pieces and turning them into something bigger. The Hawkeyes have lived off that formula for years, and the latest transfer portal haul gives Parker two more safeties who fit right into that mold.
The bigger portal headlines for Iowa are on offense, with wide receiver Tony Diaz and running back L.J. Phillips Jr. drawing the most attention. But the additions that may matter most for the defense are Anthony Hawkins and Tyler Brown, a pair of safeties who could step into starting roles in 2026.
Hawkins looks the part immediately. At 6-foot-3 and 202 pounds, he brings the kind of length and range Iowa has long valued on the back end. The former Villanova safety can function as a center-field type in Parker’s defense, with the freedom to patrol deep space and make plays on balls in the air.
He also arrives with production. Hawkins finished last season with 57 total tackles and two interceptions for the Wildcats, and he played in 15 games. The FCS Freshman All-American has the kind of athletic profile that fits the Hawkeyes’ secondary, with a build that brings to mind former Iowa safety Xavier Nwankpa, who has since departed Iowa.
Brown offers a different kind of fit. At 5-foot-10 and 201 pounds, he’s compact, sturdy and built to handle the physical side of the position. He showed that last season at James Madison, where he recorded 80 tackles in 2025.
That matters because Iowa also lost Koen Entringer to the portal in a surprising move. Brown looks like the natural candidate to fill that kind of role, working closer to the line of scrimmage, playing in the box and helping clean up the run game. With Hawkins handling more of the deep responsibilities, Brown could be the safety who does the dirty work underneath.
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The bigger question is how much of that promise turns into actual playing time once the season starts. Some of Iowas first-year talent has already flashed enough in practice to stir interest, but the path from spring buzz to meaningful snaps is rarely simple in Iowa City, especially with competition for key roles still taking shape and the 2026 recruiting class adding another layer to the long-term picture. [Read more 🡒]
Caitlin Clark Just Reached Another Level Of Sports Stardom
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For Iowa fans, it is another marker of how far her stardom now travels, with her image front and center on a game that will be released globally Sept. 4 and available in early access for Deluxe Edition buyers Aug. 28. The bigger significance is still unfolding, because this kind of crossover visibility tends to say as much about where Clark is headed as where she already is. [Read more 🡒]