The Hawkeye Football program got a HAUL in the 2026 recruiting class.
On early signing day, Iowa signed 22 prospects, including nine prospects from local Iowa high schools.
Of the 22 prospects Iowa signed, seven are four-star prospects, which is not a norm for the program.
Iowa also flipped multiple talented prospects from other programs, including quarterback Tradon Bessinger (Boise State), Jack Janda (Wisconsin), and Ethan Headings (North Dakota).
According to Rivals, Iowa had the No. 33 overall recruiting class in 2025, and the No. 11 in the Big Ten.
After signing multiple talented prospects in the 2026 class, Rivals has given the Hawkeyes an even better ranking for next year.
Updated Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings after National Signing Day✍️
— Rivals (@Rivals) December 4, 2025
Superlatives: https://t.co/abgUgPBAXU pic.twitter.com/Oq2t7jGo29
Iowa snuck into the top 25 rankings for the 2026 recruiting class after a stellar recruiting cycle, landing at No. 24 overall.
With the No. 24 overall ranking, Iowa sits just behind West Virginia and just ahead of Virginia Tech and newly-hired coach James Franklin.
After finishing with an 8-4 (6-3 Big Ten) record, with all four losses coming to ranked teams (No. 14 Iowa State, No. 11 Indiana, No. 9 Oregon, No. 17 USC) and by only 15 points.
The Hawkeyes will have to replace multiple talented, veteran players at the conclusion of this season, and they took a significant step in the right direction with a talented incoming class.
According to Rivals, this is the second-highest ranked recruiting class Iowa has had in the past five years, the largest since Iowa's 2021 class ranked No. 20.