On SI Exclusive: Coach Budmayr Gives Inside Look at Iowa's WR Room

With fall camp for the Iowa Hawkeyes continuing forward and media day in the books, all eyes are on the future of the 2026 football season.

All eyes also point towards the offensive side of the ball gaining traction; the ball has both moved down the field and flown through the air plenty throughout open practices and fall camp alike. For the wide receiver room, a tough task is in order in that it graduated its three leading wideouts in terms of catches — Kaden Wetjen, Jacob Gill and Sam Phillips.

However, wide receivers coach Jon Budmayr detailed in an exclusive that there's still plenty of budding talent for Iowa fans to see on the field.

"It's interesting," Budmayr said to Iowa Hawkeyes On SI. "We have a fairly young receiver room, so we're figuring out our type — the guys and what their strengths are. We're striving for consistency. I think we have a lot of talent in the room."

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WR Evan James is part of that young talent.

Currently listed as a second-year player, James transferred to Iowa in mid-January, coming over from Furman. According to Budmayr, he's made an instant impression for both his receiving and potential action on returns.

"I think of a guy like Evan James who transferred in from Futman," Budmayr said. "He has the ability to make guys miss. He's got punt-returning ability, kick-returning ability. He has that."

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James's transfer also came after he hauled in 65 balls for 796 yards and seven touchdowns — all of which were Paladin freshman records.

He also earned a spot on the CS Central Freshman All-American teams list.

James joins Jarriett Buie, KJ Parker, Reece Vander Zee, Dayton Howard, Alex Eichmann, Jackson Naeve, Apollo Payne, Lance Beeghley, Tony Diaz, Evan James, Xavier Stinson, Diondre Smith, Isaiah Oliver, and Brody Schaeffer on the current roster of WRs.

Other reports have noted that Vander Zee, Diaz, and James are projected to be among the top three utilized receivers.

The Hawkeyes are also known for utilizing two-tight-end sets and a fullback, with the wide receiver position expected to really showcase Iowa coming out of its shell.

To that end — Budmayr agrees. He said between the veterans in the room in addition to the young talent, the wide receiver position will be a weapon for Iowa to utilize throughout the approaching season.

"We have a couple new pieces. We have some couple older veteran guys. I think in between the veteran leadership that we have, and then getting those new guys up to speed and understanding how we'll fit them within the system — they've certainly got a lot of talent. We've got our group," Budmayr said.

The Hawkeyes and their WR room will be building off their 2025-26 season which featured a 9-4 overall record. Iowa would also go 6-3 in conference and win the ReliaQuest Bowl in a 34-27 fashion over then-No. 14 Vanderbilt.

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