Iowa Football Head Coach Kirk Ferentz and the Iowa Football program have never been shy about their player recruiting and development stance. They want to recruit high-character guys first, get them into the program, and develop them internally.
Ferentz is adamant that recruiting and developing the right guys within the program is more important than adding players from the transfer portal.
The Hawkeyes have a solid 2026 recruiting class joining the program next year. A talented trio of offensive linemen, four-star prospects Carson Nielsen, Hudson Parliament, and Gene Riordan, headline it.
Over the weekend, Iowa Football hosted a prospects camp. A 2026 defensive lineman prospect stood out and received an offer following his performance at the camp.
2026 prospect Sawyer Jezierski received an offer from the Hawkeyes after standing out at the weekend camp. Jezerski is a six-foot-four, 275-pound defensive line prospect from Edina High School in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
During his junior year for Edina, Jezierski had an impressive season at defensive tackle. In nine games, he racked up 21 tackles for loss.
Jezierski mentioned Iowa defensive line coach Kelvin Bell when he announced his offer. Bell is entering his seventh season as coach and is tremendous in player development.
During the 2024-2025 season, all four starting defensive linemen, including Yahya Black, Deontae Craig, Aaron Graves, and Ethan Hurkett, received All-Big Ten Honorable Mentions. Graves and Hurkett are returning next season.
Assistant defensive line coach Jay Niemann is also tremendous in player development, including his two sons, Ben and Nick Niemann. The Niemann brothers were a part of Iowa Football and made it to the NFL.
If he accepts Iowa's offer, Jezierski has the chance to join a defensive program rich with history.
On3 Sports ranked Jezierski as a three-star prospect and Minnesota's No. 6 (No. 61 defensive line) prospect in the 2026 recruiting class.