Iowa has a familiar name on the Big Ten’s preseason honors list, and this time it’s Kade Pieper standing alone for the Hawkeyes.
Pieper is the only offensive lineman on the 12-man preseason roll unveiled around Big Ten Media Days ahead of the 2026-27 season. The fourth-year guard is already carrying some serious national recognition into the fall, too, after being named a 2026 Walter Camp Preseason first-team All-American.
His 2025 season is the reason he’s in this spot. Pieper started all 13 games at guard and put together a breakout year that earned him Pro Football Focus first-team All-America honors and third-team All-Big Ten recognition. The 6-foot-3, 298-pound native of Norfolk, Neb., was also a key part of an Iowa front that brought home the Joe Moore Award in 2025.
That line did real work. With Pieper helping anchor the group, Iowa outrushed its opponents in nine of 13 games last season and the Hawkeyes allowed an average time-to-pressure of just 2.8 seconds, the fifth-best mark in the country.
Pieper’s selection also keeps Iowa’s recent presence on this list going. The Hawkeyes have had 14 players named to the Big Ten Preseason Honors List over the last 13 seasons, with Pieper joining a group that includes Gennings Dunker and Logan Jones in 2025, Jay Higgins in 2024, Cooper DeJean in 2023, Jack Campbell in 2022, Tyler Linderbaum in 2021, A.J.
Epenesa in 2019, Noah Fant in 2018, Josey Jewell in 2017, C.J. Beathard and Desmond King in 2016, Drew Ott in 2015 and Brandon Scherff in 2014.
And there’s another trend worth noting: 11 of Iowa’s 13 previous preseason honorees went on to be selected in the NFL Draft.
The full 2026 Big Ten Preseason Honors list includes WR Charlie Becker, Indiana; LB Rolijah Hardy, Indiana; DL Tyrique Tucker, Indiana; OL Kade Pieper, Iowa; DL Anthony Smith, Minnesota; QB Julian Sayin, Ohio State; WR Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State; QB Dante Moore, Oregon; DB Koi Perich, Oregon; QB Jayden Maiava, USC; WR KJ Duff, Rutgers; and RB Antwan Raymond, Rutgers.
Iowa opens the 2026 season against Northern Illinois on Sept. 5 at Kinnick Stadium. Kickoff is set for 3:15 p.m. CT on the Big Ten Network.
In Other News...
Iowa Is Weighing A Uniform Change Fans Will Definitely Notice
College sports march toward more visible corporate branding may be landing on Iowas doorstep next. Ohio State recently rolled out a partnership with JPMorgan Chase that made Chase the official bank sponsor and jersey patch partner for the Buckeyes varsity programs, and Iowa Athletics is now openly exploring whether similar advertising opportunities make sense in Iowa City. That puts a familiar program in a very modern spot, balancing new revenue possibilities against the look and feel fans have long associated with Hawkeye uniforms and game days.
Iowa Director of Athletics Beth Goetz has confirmed the department is at least considering jersey patch partnerships, while making clear any move would have to fit the universitys brand values. The Hawkeyes already have an established sponsorship tie with John Deere, including branding on Duke Slater Field at Kinnick Stadium through the 2026 season, so the conversation is not about whether corporate partnerships exist around the program, but how far Iowa wants to go and what that would mean for a fan base that notices every change. [Read more 🡒]
Phil Parker Keeps Proving Why Iowas Secondary Sets The Tone
Phil Parker has been shaping Iowas defense since 1999, and the results have long since become part of the programs identity. Year after year, the Hawkeyes secondary has set the tone for a unit that has built a reputation for takeaways and for sending defensive backs to the next level, a reflection of how consistently Parker develops talent and keeps the back end of the defense operating at a high level.
This season brings a slightly different wrinkle, with Parker blending transfer portal additions into a group that still leans on the programs homegrown foundation. Its another reminder that Iowas defensive edge has never been about one type of player so much as the way Parker keeps the secondary organized, competitive and ready to carry a lot of the load for the entire defense. [Read more 🡒]