Iowa Football's Biggest Concern in 2026 Has Questions to Answer

It has been a little bit forgotten about, but one thing the Iowa Hawkeyes have had great success in over the last few years is depth across the board.

It has lent Iowa the ability to handle injuries and keep guys fresh, but what if that part of Iowa's recipe for success gets tested at one specific position?

A position known for its depth the last few seasons could be hiding in plain sight entering 2026 as a thorn waiting to poke the Hawkeyes in the side, unless key contributors step up.

Iowa Football's Defense

The defense is ushering in enough players that it would be fair to call it a new era under Phil Parker. Depending on the personnel grouping, Iowa could have upwards of six or seven new starters on the field.

Iowa's depth chart is littered with veterans of the program, but a lack of game experience. That experience is a different level than practice, which could lead to one position group, the defensive line, facing depth issues.

The Hawkeyes were extremely lucky to have a 2025 group of veterans, including Ethan Hurkett, Max Llewellyn, and Aaron Graves, manning the defensive front. All three have since departed, creating some depth question marks.

Iowa's defensive line needs depth

Iowa has a strong group at the top of the defensive line. The interior will be manned by Brice Stevenson and Bryce Hawthorne.

On the edge, Iowa figures to use a three-man rotation of veteran Kenneth Merrieweather, transfer addition Kahmari Brown, and five-star Iose Epenesa.

Iowa has five starters, but after that, the question marks begin for this unit and defensive line coach Kelvin Bell.

Where does the depth come from?

This is where things could get a bit worrisome. If Iowa experiences one or two injuries from the previously mentioned group of five, things could get dicey in a hurry.

Not only that, to successfully rotate across the defensive line to stay fresh, five players are the bare minimum you need, if not at least six or seven players.

The pressure to step up here is going to fall on the shoulders of a few players who are unproven or new to the program.

On the interior, Will Hubert and Luke Gaffney have seen action, albeit limited, and could be called upon to step up.

Hubert has 17 games under his belt with six total tackles to his name. Gaffney, who has been with Iowa for four seasons, has appeared in 26 games, but has just two tackles. Can one of those veterans step up?

Looking elsewhere, transfers could be called upon to have an impact early. Emmanuel Olagbaju comes over from North Dakota, while Lance Ingold joins Iowa from Northern Illinois.

Olagbaju has the size at 6-foot-2 and 314 pounds to man the interior, which could provide some depth there. Ingold, a bit of a raw talent, has the tools at 6-foot-5, but may take some time to adapt to the Big Ten.

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