Iowa Football has had a busy offseason. The Hawkeyes added 10 transfers from the portal, including projected starting quarterback Mark Gronowski (South Dakota State).
After spring practices ended and the spring transfer portal window closed, the Hawkeyes learned the times and networks of five of their scheduled games.
Two notable times include the Cy-Hawk rivalry game on September 6 at 11:00 a.m. Central Time, which is part of the "Big Noon Kickoff" on Fox, and the Heroes rivalry game against Nebraska, which takes place on Black Friday (November 28) at 11:00 a.m. Central Time on CBS.
The Hawkeyes were also effected by the House v. NCAA settlement approval. The settlement allows schools the ability to pay athletes directly from a revenue-sharing pool of $20.5 million with a majority of the funds going to the football program.
In preparation for the start of revenue-sharing on July 1, the Hawkeyes created the "Flight Funds" program to boost their revenue stream.
With all the chaos surrounding the world of college athletics, we profile two returning Hawkeyes: No. 65 Logan Jones and No. 15 Reece Vander Zee.
No. 65 Logan Jones, offensive lineman (Graduate)
There was speculation that senior Logan Jones would depart Iowa City for the NFL Draft, but he returned for his fifth season in the black and gold. After redshirting for his first season (2020) and missing all of his second season with an injury (2021), Jones became a staple of the offensive line.
When Jones arrived on campus, he was a defensive lineman. The program decided to shift him to the offensive line and Jones and the program benefitted from the move.
In 2022, Jones started all 13 games at center and played every down in 10 of those games.
In 2023, Jones started 13 games at center, but missed the Nebrasksa game due to an injury. After the season, he was named an All-Big Ten Third Team selection.
Last season, Jones started 12 games and notched his 38th career start for the Hawkeyes. He earned First Team All-Big Ten and Honorable Mention All-American honors.
No. 15 Reece Vander Zee, receiver (Sophomore)
Before committing to the Hawkeyes, Reece Vander Zee was a highly-touted prospect from Rock Rapids, Iowa, and was a multi-sport athlete. He excelled in baseball, basketball, and football, but chose to play football for the Hawkeyes.
Vander Zee showed flashes of his ability last season. In nine games (eight starts), he had 176 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 14 catches.
The numbers do not jump off the page due to the Hawkeyes' ineffective quarterback play and inconsistency on offense. The six-foot-four receiver is projected to have a bigger impact for the Iowa offense this season.