A complete preview and prediction for the Iowa Hawkeyes in the 2025 college football season.
Iowa Football: 2025 Hawkeyes Season Preview and Prediction originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Iowa seems to be a lock to win at least eight or nine games every season under coach Kirk Ferentz. The Hawkeyes have won at least eight games in nine of the past 10 seasons, the lone exception being the 2020-shortened COVID season when they finished 6-2. If the rebuilt defense plays up to Iowa’s high standard, and if transfer quarterback Mark Gronowski lives up to the hype at quarterback, eight or nine wins could be a reasonable expectation.
[Editor's note: This article is from Athlon Sports' 2025 College Football Preview print magazine. Order your copy today online, or pick one up at retail racks and newsstands nationwide.]
More Big Ten team previews:
Illinois | Indiana | Maryland | Michigan | Michigan State
Minnesota | Nebraska | Northwestern | Ohio State | Oregon | Penn State
Purdue | Rutgers | UCLA | USC | Washington | Wisconsin
Previewing Iowa’s Offense for 2025
With the Cade McNamara experiment at quarterback now over, Iowa has moved on to former FCS star Mark Gronowski, who led South Dakota State to two FCS national titles and was a four-year starter for the Jackrabbits. He had shoulder surgery this past winter that caused him to miss spring practice, but he is expected to be ready for the start of preseason practice. Gronowski is a threat as both a runner and passer, compiling 12,075 total yards for South Dakota State.
Kaleb Johnson leaves a huge void to fill at running back after leading the Big Ten in rushing in 2024. But Iowa has a promising 1-2 punch in Florida natives Kamari Moulton and Jaziun Patterson to help fill it. Neither has the size of Johnson, but they both might have a little more wiggle in their running style.
They will also run behind an offensive line that returns three starters, including All-Big Ten center Logan Jones.
Iowa needs more productivity from its receivers and will rely on Jacob Gill to build on the season he had a year ago. Gill transferred from Northwestern and led Iowa with 411 receiving yards last season.
Related: Big Ten Predictions for 2025
Previewing Iowa’s Defense for 2025
Considered by many the best in the business, defensive coordinator Phil Parker will get to prove it as Iowa replaces several key starters.
The defensive line should be rock solid, with three of the top four defensive ends from last season all returning, along with senior tackle Aaron Graves. Senior Xavier Nwankpa, a former 5-star recruit, also returns at strong safety, where he has started multiple games.
How quickly the linebackers develop will be crucial to Iowa’s success. Senior Karson Sharar leads the returning linebackers with just 21 career tackles, most of them coming on special teams.
Previewing Iowa’s Specialists for 2025
A strong case could be made that Iowa has the best kicker-punter-return specialist trio in the country in kicker Drew Stevens, punter Rhys Dakin and returner Kaden Wetjen. Stevens made 20-of-23 field-goal attempts last season, while Dakin averaged 44.1 yards as a freshman punter. Wetjen averaged 28.0 yards on 26 kickoff returns and 12.6 yards on 26 punt returns.
National Ranking: 27
More Big Ten team previews:
Illinois | Indiana | Maryland | Michigan | Michigan State
Minnesota | Nebraska | Northwestern | Ohio State | Oregon | Penn State
Purdue | Rutgers | UCLA | USC | Washington | Wisconsin
Related: Big Ten Football 2025 Predictions
Related: College Football Rankings: Projecting the Top 25 Teams for 2025
Related: Athlon Sports 2025 College Football Preview Magazine Available Now
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 7, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: General Sports
