3 Major Takeaways for Iowa After National Early Signing Day

The Iowa Hawkeyes have added a bunch of new players to their arsenal heading into 2025, as they are hoping to bounce back from what has been an overall disappointing 2024 campaign.

So, how did Iowa do on national early signing day? Did the Hawkeyes fill a bunch of needs? Did they miss out on anything?

Here are a few major takeaways for Iowa.

Wide receiver is still an issue

The Hawkeyes landed one wide receiver on signing day: three-star prospect Terrence Smith. That's it. Fellow signee Mason Woods has played receiver before, but his position is currently undetermined.

Don't get me wrong: the 6-foot-4 Smith is certainly intriguing, but based on how shoddy Iowa's receiving corps was in 2024, it certainly needed more help in that department.

Put it this way: Jacob Gill led the Hawkeyes with 32 receptions for 382 yards and a couple of touchdowns this year.

Sure, Iowa's poor quarterback situation certainly had something to do with the lack of receiver production, but it was also clear that the Hawkeyes did not have a whole lot of talent at the position.

Iowa better hope to land a pass-catcher in the transfer portal.

The linebacker position is in good hands

The Hawkeyes may be losing Jay Higgins to the NFL, but they did manage to land a couple of four-star linebackers on signing day.

Iowa inked both Burke Gautcher and Carson Cooney, both of whom project to be explosive defensive talents on the collegiate level.

Both players are freakish athletes with terrific versatility, so they should be able to slot very well into the Hawkeyes' defensive scheme.

Outside of Higgins, Iowa lacked elite-level talent at the linebacker position in 2024, which is why the defense didn't look quite the same than previous years at times throughout the season.

Gautcher and Cooney should go a long way in solving that issue.

"Tight End U" lives

While Iowa is clearly lacking in the wide receiver department, it is continuing to prove that it is a prime destination for top-level tight ends.

The Hawkeyes brought in a pair of tight ends on Wednesday, signing four-star talent Thomas Meyer and three-star prospect Eli Johnson.

Iowa wasn't its usual self at the tight end position in 2024, as Luke Lachey led the way with 27 catches for 222 yards. He never reached the end zone once.

As a result, the Hawkeyes could use some fresh blood, and Meyer could immediately step in and help re-energize the aerial attack.

Dallas Clark. Noah Fant. George Kittle. T.J. Hockenson. Sam LaPorta.

Thomas Meyer? Eli Johnson? We'll see.