Jake Butt didn’t just offer a quick compliment on Iowa football - he went all in.
After the Big Ten Network stopped in Iowa City to finish its training camp tour, the former Michigan tight end came away sounding genuinely fired up about what he saw from the Hawkeyes as fall camp wound down. Yes, the offense remains the obvious question mark. But around that issue, Butt painted a picture of a team that looked sharp and built to make noise this season.
The preseason AP poll has Iowa at No. 22, but Butt’s view of the program sounded like it belonged much higher.
“I love being around Iowa football. I love being around the staff and watching them practice.
It’s a professional program. I have no idea what to expect from the QBs this year, and wouldn’t draw major conclusions from one practice anyways.
Had anyone seen me on my worst day you…”
Butt’s praise didn’t stop there. He said he “loves” being around the program and described Iowa as run like a professional organization.
He also singled out the offensive line as mean, tough, and deep, while saying Iowa has two high draft picks at tight end. On defense, he said it should be “what we’ve come to expect” from Phil Parker.
That kind of endorsement carries weight, especially coming from someone who has seen the game at a high level. Butt also pointed to what he sees as one of Iowa’s biggest strengths: the program’s ability to understand exactly who it is. In his view, there may not be a team in the country better at identifying its own strengths and weaknesses relative to the opponent, then building a weekly game plan around winning.
He also said there are no egos in the program and warned that doubting Iowa comes “at your own peril.”
For a team that still has uncertainty at quarterback, that’s about as strong a preseason stamp of approval as you’ll hear. The offense may need to answer questions, but Butt’s assessment makes one thing clear: he thinks Iowa is positioned to surprise people again.
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