Official ***** 2026 "we have the horses to make the playoffs" ***** Official

3-D_chess

Senior
Jul 18, 2025
867
957
93
2026 ... it's the year we've all been waiting for.
With Kirk retiring in February and Seth Wallace taking his place next season our time has finally arrived.

Let's look at the Dept. of Warhawk treasure chest.

QB) Yep, I see it as a strength. Brown/Hecklinski are gonna empty the magazine against our opponents. And we got depth. I'm also betting we bring in a surprise stud at the position to push the starters. MAYBE EVEN OVER-TAKE them.

RB) Whoa nelly!!! X & McNeil are the REAL DEAL. On rare occasions you'll even see them in the backfield at the same time with X at the FB position. Do I have to mention that Jaz and Moulton have proven themselves also? And at least one fruitloop on here thinks Doll is a Heisman candidate. Embarrassment of riches!!

WR) FINALLY, I mean finally! Starters next year are Daytona; Zee and Parker. J/K Parker will be playing defense. At the 3rd WR position Iowa will be bringing the Payne, specifically Terrence Smith/Apollo "the" Payne will be splitting touches when the opponent's defense takes the field. 6-5; 6-4; 6-3. Gone are the days of a line-up of 5'7" WRs.

TE) Tight-end U is back baby!!! Ostrenga and Large will be gone but look who we got returning. Ortwerth and Meyer were both highly recruited and will be sharing touches at the position. Woods; Vonnahme and Burt are also gonna make a name for themselves.

OL) While other teams will be bringing a full metal jacket to the fight, Hawkeyes will be bringing a CANNON! C. Leonard will be one of several guys replacing the studs from this year. Don't worry, Iowa has been stockpiling talent along the line for years now. And the true freshmen will provide excellent depth at the position.

K) Are you gonna miss Stevens? Of course you are, he is a record-setter. But not to worry, coaches have their eye on the next Kaeding Quality Kicker (whew, I almost spelled the middle word incorrectly) who will be competing with Buhr. No matter how it shakes out, Hawkeyes are gonna shock the world with their 66 yd Field Goals!!

P) Someone on here made the mistake of disrespecting Rhys Dakin, the thunder(leg) from down under. As we speak, Chuck Norris is building a website called Rhysdakinfacts.com. Chuck ain't stupid, he knows a future All-American when he sees one.

DL) ARE YOU READY FOR THE IMPOSSIBLE?!? Cuz Hawthorne/Merriweather/Allen/Hubert are gonna surpass the golden gods that are dominating the line this year. Get ready to spend serious money on Hawkeye Jerseys with names on them like Anderson; Campbell and of course EPENESA!

LB) Have you been paying attention to recruiting? Cuz Iowa has brought in a ton of 4-star LBers. Almost all of them local boyz! Are these younglings good enough to start for Bama? Hell, they're good enough to start for the 72 DOLPHINS! Bullies of the Big Ten???? More like Inglorious Bastards!! These guys will be carving their initials into the foreheads of defensive coordinators.

DB) Wut was that? You're worried about the backfield? Well let me introduce you to an ugly mug named Phil "007" Parker. He has a license to kill and he uses it every Saturday in the fall. Entringer is almost as mean as Phil. Deshaun Lee is finally gonna shine like a newly polished ZR-1 Corvette ... and be twice as fast. Book it !!!

It's gonna be 2020 DejaVu as I expect several of our rivals to forfeit games rather than expose themselves to the SONS OF HERACLES starting for the Hawkeyes next year.

You got an opinion? Drop it. I CAN TANGLE BETTER THAN LT. DANGLE!


 
Last edited:
  • Haha
Reactions: MeetTheFerentzes

Outbackbowl2017

All-Conference
Dec 4, 2016
1,592
2,585
113
2026 ... it's the year we've all been waiting for.
With Kirk retiring in February and Seth Wallace taking his place next season our time has finally arrived.

Let's look at the Dept. of Warhawk treasure chest.

QB) Yep, I see it as a strength. Brown/Hecklinski are gonna empty the magazine against our opponents. And we got depth. I'm also betting we bring in a surprise stud at the position to push the starters. MAYBE EVEN OVER-TAKE them.

RB) Whoa nelly!!! X & McNeil are the REAL DEAL. On rare occasions you'll even see them in the backfield at the same time with X at the FB position. Do I have to mention that Jaz and Moulton have proven themself also? And at least one fruitloop on here thinks Doll is a Heisman candidate. Embarrassment of riches!!

WR) FINALLY, I mean finally! Starters next year are Daytona; Zee and Parker. J/K Parker will be playing defense. At the 3rd WR position Iowa will be bringing the Payne, specifically Terrence Smith/Apollo "the" Payne will be splitting touches when the opponent's defense takes the field. 6-5; 6-4; 6-3. Gone are the days of a line-up of 5'7" WRs.

TE) Tight-end U is back baby!!! Ostrenga and Large will be gone but look who we got returning. Ortwerth and Meyer were both highly recruited and will be sharing touches at the position. Woods; Vonnahme and Burt are also gonna make a name for themselves.

OL) While other teams will be bringing a full metal jacket to the fight, Hawkeyes will be bringing a CANNON! C. Leonard will be one of several guys replacing the studs from this year. Don't worry, Iowa has been stockpiling talent along the line for years now. And the true freshmen will provide excellent depth at the position.

K) Are you gonna miss Stevens? Of course you are, he is a record-setter. But not to worry, coaches have their eye on the next Kaeding Quality Kicker (whew, I almost spelled the middle word incorrectly) who will be competing with Buhr. No matter how it shakes out, Hawkeyes are gonna shock the world with their 66 yd Field Goals!!

P) Someone on here made the mistake of disrespecting Rhys Dakin, the thunder(leg) from down under. As we speak, Chuck Norris is building a website called Rhysdakinfacts.com. Chuck ain't stupid, he knows a future All-American when he sees one.

DL) ARE YOU READY FOR THE IMPOSSIBLE?!? Cuz Hawthorne/Merriweather/Allen/Hubert are gonna surpass the golden gods that are dominating the line this year. Get ready to spend serious money on Hawkeye Jerseys with names on them like Anderson; Campbell and of course EPENESA!

LB) Have you been paying attention to recruiting? Cuz Iowa has brought in a ton of 4-star LBers. Almost all of them local boyz! Are these younglings good enough to start for Bama? Hell, they're good enough to start for the 72 DOLPHINS! Bullies of the Big Ten???? More like Inglorious Bastards!! These guys will be carving their initials into the foreheads of defensive coordinators.

DB) Wut was that? You're worried about the backfield? Well let me introduce you to an ugly mug named Phil "007" Parker. He has a license to kill and he uses it every Saturday in the fall. Entringer is almost as mean as Phil. Deshaun Lee is finally gonna shine like a newly polished ZR-1 Corvette ... and be twice as fast. Book it !!!

It's gonna be 2020 DejaVu as I expect several of our rivals to forfeit games rather than expose themselves to the SONS OF HERACLES starting for the Hawkeyes next year.

You got an opinion? Drop it. I CAN TANGLE BETTER THAN LT. DANGLE!





 

DuddyB

All-Conference
Jul 14, 2022
1,586
2,762
113
Season 6 Nbc GIF by The Office
2026 ... it's the year we've all been waiting for.

With Kirk retiring in February and Seth Wallace taking his place next season our time has finally arrived.

Let's look at the Dept. of Warhawk treasure chest.

QB) Yep, I see it as a strength. Brown/Hecklinski are gonna empty the magazine against our opponents. And we got depth. I'm also betting we bring in a surprise stud at the position to push the starters. MAYBE EVEN OVER-TAKE them.

RB) Whoa nelly!!! X & McNeil are the REAL DEAL. On rare occasions you'll even see them in the backfield at the same time with X at the FB position. Do I have to mention that Jaz and Moulton have proven themself also? And at least one fruitloop on here thinks Doll is a Heisman candidate. Embarrassment of riches!!

WR) FINALLY, I mean finally! Starters next year are Daytona; Zee and Parker. J/K Parker will be playing defense. At the 3rd WR position Iowa will be bringing the Payne, specifically Terrence Smith/Apollo "the" Payne will be splitting touches when the opponent's defense takes the field. 6-5; 6-4; 6-3. Gone are the days of a line-up of 5'7" WRs.

TE) Tight-end U is back baby!!! Ostrenga and Large will be gone but look who we got returning. Ortwerth and Meyer were both highly recruited and will be sharing touches at the position. Woods; Vonnahme and Burt are also gonna make a name for themselves.

OL) While other teams will be bringing a full metal jacket to the fight, Hawkeyes will be bringing a CANNON! C. Leonard will be one of several guys replacing the studs from this year. Don't worry, Iowa has been stockpiling talent along the line for years now. And the true freshmen will provide excellent depth at the position.

K) Are you gonna miss Stevens? Of course you are, he is a record-setter. But not to worry, coaches have their eye on the next Kaeding Quality Kicker (whew, I almost spelled the middle word incorrectly) who will be competing with Buhr. No matter how it shakes out, Hawkeyes are gonna shock the world with their 66 yd Field Goals!!

P) Someone on here made the mistake of disrespecting Rhys Dakin, the thunder(leg) from down under. As we speak, Chuck Norris is building a website called Rhysdakinfacts.com. Chuck ain't stupid, he knows a future All-American when he sees one.

DL) ARE YOU READY FOR THE IMPOSSIBLE?!? Cuz Hawthorne/Merriweather/Allen/Hubert are gonna surpass the golden gods that are dominating the line this year. Get ready to spend serious money on Hawkeye Jerseys with names on them like Anderson; Campbell and of course EPENESA!

LB) Have you been paying attention to recruiting? Cuz Iowa has brought in a ton of 4-star LBers. Almost all of them local boyz! Are these younglings good enough to start for Bama? Hell, they're good enough to start for the 72 DOLPHINS! Bullies of the Big Ten???? More like Inglorious Bastards!! These guys will be carving their initials into the foreheads of defensive coordinators.

DB) Wut was that? You're worried about the backfield? Well let me introduce you to an ugly mug named Phil "007" Parker. He has a license to kill and he uses it every Saturday in the fall. Entringer is almost as mean as Phil. Deshaun Lee is finally gonna shine like a newly polished ZR-1 Corvette ... and be twice as fast. Book it !!!

It's gonna be 2020 DejaVu as I expect several of our rivals to forfeit games rather than expose themselves to the SONS OF HERACLES starting for the Hawkeyes next year.

You got an opinion? Drop it. I CAN TANGLE BETTER THAN LT. DANGLE!


 

rchawk

All-American
Oct 27, 2001
74,441
9,006
113
2026 ... it's the year we've all been waiting for.
With Kirk retiring in February and Seth Wallace taking his place next season our time has finally arrived.

Let's look at the Dept. of Warhawk treasure chest.

QB) Yep, I see it as a strength. Brown/Hecklinski are gonna empty the magazine against our opponents. And we got depth. I'm also betting we bring in a surprise stud at the position to push the starters. MAYBE EVEN OVER-TAKE them.

RB) Whoa nelly!!! X & McNeil are the REAL DEAL. On rare occasions you'll even see them in the backfield at the same time with X at the FB position. Do I have to mention that Jaz and Moulton have proven themselves also? And at least one fruitloop on here thinks Doll is a Heisman candidate. Embarrassment of riches!!

WR) FINALLY, I mean finally! Starters next year are Daytona; Zee and Parker. J/K Parker will be playing defense. At the 3rd WR position Iowa will be bringing the Payne, specifically Terrence Smith/Apollo "the" Payne will be splitting touches when the opponent's defense takes the field. 6-5; 6-4; 6-3. Gone are the days of a line-up of 5'7" WRs.

TE) Tight-end U is back baby!!! Ostrenga and Large will be gone but look who we got returning. Ortwerth and Meyer were both highly recruited and will be sharing touches at the position. Woods; Vonnahme and Burt are also gonna make a name for themselves.

OL) While other teams will be bringing a full metal jacket to the fight, Hawkeyes will be bringing a CANNON! C. Leonard will be one of several guys replacing the studs from this year. Don't worry, Iowa has been stockpiling talent along the line for years now. And the true freshmen will provide excellent depth at the position.

K) Are you gonna miss Stevens? Of course you are, he is a record-setter. But not to worry, coaches have their eye on the next Kaeding Quality Kicker (whew, I almost spelled the middle word incorrectly) who will be competing with Buhr. No matter how it shakes out, Hawkeyes are gonna shock the world with their 66 yd Field Goals!!

P) Someone on here made the mistake of disrespecting Rhys Dakin, the thunder(leg) from down under. As we speak, Chuck Norris is building a website called Rhysdakinfacts.com. Chuck ain't stupid, he knows a future All-American when he sees one.

DL) ARE YOU READY FOR THE IMPOSSIBLE?!? Cuz Hawthorne/Merriweather/Allen/Hubert are gonna surpass the golden gods that are dominating the line this year. Get ready to spend serious money on Hawkeye Jerseys with names on them like Anderson; Campbell and of course EPENESA!

LB) Have you been paying attention to recruiting? Cuz Iowa has brought in a ton of 4-star LBers. Almost all of them local boyz! Are these younglings good enough to start for Bama? Hell, they're good enough to start for the 72 DOLPHINS! Bullies of the Big Ten???? More like Inglorious Bastards!! These guys will be carving their initials into the foreheads of defensive coordinators.

DB) Wut was that? You're worried about the backfield? Well let me introduce you to an ugly mug named Phil "007" Parker. He has a license to kill and he uses it every Saturday in the fall. Entringer is almost as mean as Phil. Deshaun Lee is finally gonna shine like a newly polished ZR-1 Corvette ... and be twice as fast. Book it !!!

It's gonna be 2020 DejaVu as I expect several of our rivals to forfeit games rather than expose themselves to the SONS OF HERACLES starting for the Hawkeyes next year.

You got an opinion? Drop it. I CAN TANGLE BETTER THAN LT. DANGLE!



Boy are you going to be disappointed on March 1, 2026.
 

Ripcord

Junior
Aug 30, 2016
233
307
63
respectfully, I beg to differ with you. most of the offenseive line will be gone, and we tend to struggle with green offensive lines historically. also, as was astutely pointed out by other posters in a thread I started, we have six running backs next year (in theory) but we have to believe at least two hit the portal. I would love to see Jaz Patterson in all his glory being Number 1, but I think it is just a fantasy. just hoping we have enough RBs back, because as you said, they are good.
 

WeBeHerkin

All-American
Aug 5, 2016
4,438
5,100
113
respectfully, I beg to differ with you. most of the offenseive line will be gone, and we tend to struggle with green offensive lines historically. also, as was astutely pointed out by other posters in a thread I started, we have six running backs next year (in theory) but we have to believe at least two hit the portal. I would love to see Jaz Patterson in all his glory being Number 1, but I think it is just a fantasy. just hoping we have enough RBs back, because as you said, they are good.
Hmmmm. Pieper and Lauck (new guys), how they doing this season? And OL recruiting has been stellar recently
 

Hawkfan_08*

All-American
Jul 2, 2025
3,144
8,500
113
Seth Wallace? C’mon. If you stay in-house, Lester is the right guy. I’d prefer Lavar over Wallace.

Just my 2 cents but if Lester is hired over Wallace or Woods I think you would see a mad exodus of coaches. These guys have been here a long time and waited their turn.

If we hired within I think you would see:
HC- Woods
OC- Lester
DC- Wallace (Parker retires when KF does)
 
  • Like
Reactions: Hawx224

3-D_chess

Senior
Jul 18, 2025
867
957
93
This is as bad as AI
Why is everyone bagging on AI? Oh that's right, it's completing the project started by public education to dumb down the population to the point that people will vote for Mummified career politicians.
Carry on.
 

Hawx224

All-Conference
Jun 30, 2025
396
1,633
93
Just my 2 cents but if Lester is hired over Wallace or Woods I think you would see a mad exodus of coaches. These guys have been here a long time and waited their turn.

If we hired within I think you would see:
HC- Woods
OC- Lester
DC- Wallace (Parker retires when KF does)
I like it, I’d rather have a defensive-minded HC and an offensive coordinator with free reign to run wild
 

52317Hawk

All-Conference
Jul 3, 2025
1,124
1,289
113
Just my 2 cents but if Lester is hired over Wallace or Woods I think you would see a mad exodus of coaches. These guys have been here a long time and waited their turn.

If we hired within I think you would see:
HC- Woods
OC- Lester
DC- Wallace (Parker retires when KF does)
You don't think any Iowa coach could have or did have the opportunity to leave for another program?
 

Strength1

Junior
Mar 23, 2023
118
215
43
Lester takes over for Kirk. Never take away from your strengths and trust. I think Phil will stay on with someone like Lester as head coach. Keep paying Wallace knowing he will be the next d coordinator. Keep Woods well payed and the defensive side of the ball is safe. Have to keep Bell in the fold as he is extremely well thought of inside and out of the program.
Lester has head coaching experience and can hire an offensive coordinator to keep pushing the program forward. He would have full control over bringing in guys from his NFL experience although if fans took a longer harder look at the current staff, there are only a couple of tweaks needed. Lester could work harder on the recruiting front while maintaining things important to the University.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Rod_Ironwood

Hawkfan_08*

All-American
Jul 2, 2025
3,144
8,500
113
You don't think any Iowa coach could have or did have the opportunity to leave for another program?

No they totally could. My point is maybe some are hanging on for bigger positions in the program and are biding their time. If those dreams are dashed and they truly want to move up, there is no incentive.
 

3-D_chess

Senior
Jul 18, 2025
867
957
93
A quick look at new and returning talent.

Defense:
Lutmer: 2nd team All B1G
Deshaun Lee: Hon mention
Hawthorne and Buffington have a lot to offer.
Offense:
kade pieper - 3rd tem
trevor lauck - 3rd team
kamari moulton - Hon. mention
The WR & TE & RB rooms will be bigger assets next year.
SPECIAL TEAMS:
RHYS DAKIN - Hon. Mention

The following true freshmen earned 4 stars from at least one service and are bonerrific. Next year we are loaded with talent!

QB tradon bessinger
DB Darion jones
DB marcello vitti
LB julian manson - ia
LB Kasen Thomas - ia
OT carson Nielsen - ia
OL gene Riordan
OL Hudson parliament
WR xavier stinson
 

3-D_chess

Senior
Jul 18, 2025
867
957
93
Iowa is returning... 3 starters on defense? And less than half the offense? And literally none of the special teams (K/P/long-snapper/returners)? That's 70+% of starters.













Ignore this stuff from our rivals (and our own fanbase), we have the talent to make the playoffs this year.
FACT!!!
 

Hawk4Ever!

Senior
Sep 9, 2025
344
489
62
2026 ... it's the year we've all been waiting for.
With Kirk retiring in February and Seth Wallace taking his place next season our time has finally arrived.

Let's look at the Dept. of Warhawk treasure chest.

QB) Yep, I see it as a strength. Brown/Hecklinski are gonna empty the magazine against our opponents. And we got depth. I'm also betting we bring in a surprise stud at the position to push the starters. MAYBE EVEN OVER-TAKE them.

RB) Whoa nelly!!! X & McNeil are the REAL DEAL. On rare occasions you'll even see them in the backfield at the same time with X at the FB position. Do I have to mention that Jaz and Moulton have proven themselves also? And at least one fruitloop on here thinks Doll is a Heisman candidate. Embarrassment of riches!!

WR) FINALLY, I mean finally! Starters next year are Daytona; Zee and Parker. J/K Parker will be playing defense. At the 3rd WR position Iowa will be bringing the Payne, specifically Terrence Smith/Apollo "the" Payne will be splitting touches when the opponent's defense takes the field. 6-5; 6-4; 6-3. Gone are the days of a line-up of 5'7" WRs.

TE) Tight-end U is back baby!!! Ostrenga and Large will be gone but look who we got returning. Ortwerth and Meyer were both highly recruited and will be sharing touches at the position. Woods; Vonnahme and Burt are also gonna make a name for themselves.

OL) While other teams will be bringing a full metal jacket to the fight, Hawkeyes will be bringing a CANNON! C. Leonard will be one of several guys replacing the studs from this year. Don't worry, Iowa has been stockpiling talent along the line for years now. And the true freshmen will provide excellent depth at the position.

K) Are you gonna miss Stevens? Of course you are, he is a record-setter. But not to worry, coaches have their eye on the next Kaeding Quality Kicker (whew, I almost spelled the middle word incorrectly) who will be competing with Buhr. No matter how it shakes out, Hawkeyes are gonna shock the world with their 66 yd Field Goals!!

P) Someone on here made the mistake of disrespecting Rhys Dakin, the thunder(leg) from down under. As we speak, Chuck Norris is building a website called Rhysdakinfacts.com. Chuck ain't stupid, he knows a future All-American when he sees one.

DL) ARE YOU READY FOR THE IMPOSSIBLE?!? Cuz Hawthorne/Merriweather/Allen/Hubert are gonna surpass the golden gods that are dominating the line this year. Get ready to spend serious money on Hawkeye Jerseys with names on them like Anderson; Campbell and of course EPENESA!

LB) Have you been paying attention to recruiting? Cuz Iowa has brought in a ton of 4-star LBers. Almost all of them local boyz! Are these younglings good enough to start for Bama? Hell, they're good enough to start for the 72 DOLPHINS! Bullies of the Big Ten???? More like Inglorious Bastards!! These guys will be carving their initials into the foreheads of defensive coordinators.

DB) Wut was that? You're worried about the backfield? Well let me introduce you to an ugly mug named Phil "007" Parker. He has a license to kill and he uses it every Saturday in the fall. Entringer is almost as mean as Phil. Deshaun Lee is finally gonna shine like a newly polished ZR-1 Corvette ... and be twice as fast. Book it !!!

It's gonna be 2020 DejaVu as I expect several of our rivals to forfeit games rather than expose themselves to the SONS OF HERACLES starting for the Hawkeyes next year.

You got an opinion? Drop it. I CAN TANGLE BETTER THAN LT. DANGLE!



With another 4 losses ... ya sure
 
  • Haha
Reactions: HawkOn15

3-D_chess

Senior
Jul 18, 2025
867
957
93

85Bears

All-American
Aug 31, 2019
5,119
5,161
108
Seth Wallace? C’mon. If you stay in-house, Lester is the right guy. I’d prefer Lavar over Wallace.
Yes we know you want an unqualified special teams coach with no coordinator or HC experience to replace HOF KF for political “reasons”, you’ve whined about it for years. What a crockpot.
 
  • Haha
Reactions: nu2u

nu2u

All-Conference
Aug 10, 2006
10,352
2,563
113
Yes we know you want an unqualified special teams coach with no coordinator or HC experience to replace HOF KF for political “reasons”, you’ve whined about it for years. What a crockpot.
My post clearly stated a preference for Lester as successor who, by the way, has HC experience. You somehow invented “political reasons” out of thin air - which makes sense because it’s an accurate description of the space above your shoulders.
 

85Bears

All-American
Aug 31, 2019
5,119
5,161
108
My post clearly stated a preference for Lester as successor who, by the way, has HC experience. You somehow invented “political reasons” out of thin air - which makes sense because it’s an accurate description of the space above your shoulders.
Cry some more
 
  • Haha
Reactions: nu2u