Iowa Football Counting on Defensive Line Standouts to Step Up in Fall Camp

Defensive line is a concern for Iowa, but one offensive veteran is expecting a few names to pop during fall camp.

Aug 9, 2025; Iowa defensive line coach Kelvin Bell gestures during the Hawkeyes Kids Day NCAA football open practice at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Cress for the Des Moines Register | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

It's not often the Iowa Hawkeyes enter a season with defensive question marks, but there is a first for everything.

The 2026 roster is oozing with talent, but a lot of it is unproven or simply hasn't had the game experience to prove it on the field. The defensive line is one of those units where concern lingers as fall camp and the season approach.

Names to watch for on Iowa's defensive line in fall camp

On the surface, Iowa has its likely starters across the defensive line to replace Ethan Hurkett, Max Llewellyn, and others, but doing so is a lot harder than just saying it.

At Big Ten Media Days, tight end Addison Ostrenga offered a first-hand look at some names to keep an eye on as defensive linemen who have impressed him when he has gone against them in the trenches.

"Kenneth Merrieweather has stepped up this offseason as a leader. Iose Epenesa does a great job. Joe Anderson, all those guys compete hard, and it's fun to go against them every week.

What can we expect from Iowa's defensive line?

If we are going to speak completely freely, I have two trains of thought for this unit and what 2026 could look like. There's good, and there's bad.

Let's start with the bad. This unit is rather unproven as pass rushers. It's not that they aren't talented, but this group hasn't had the reps against Big Ten offensive tackles to prove they are ready to get after quarterbacks.

Now, the saving grace there could be that Iowa may have two of the best offensive linemen in the Big Ten in Kade Pieper and Trevor Lauck, which could mold these defensive linemen into pass-rushing stars by having to compete against the best there is.

The good news for this unit is in the run game. The run game defense under Phil Parker is based on gap integrity and owning your responsibilities. This is somewhere Iowa can thrive and force obvious passing downs to set up blitzes or coverage sacks.

Iowa's interior defensive linemen, Brice Stevenson and Bryce Hawthorne, should be able to stay fresh, eating up blocks to allow the linebackers to clean up the mess.

So, while the pass rush is a worry, there is a path that Iowa sets up the sacks with its stout run defense and can't help but get home to the quarterback in third-and-long situations or obvious passing downs.