Iowa Football Left Hanging by Two OL Recruits in a Row - Now What?

Iowa's recruiting has seen two offensive linemen battles go the wrong way. What's next for the 2027 recruiting class?

Dec 5, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; A Iowa Hawkeyes helmet sits on the side line during the the Big Ten Conference football championship game between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Michigan State Spartans at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images | Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

It is not all sunshine and rainbows in Iowa City today for the Iowa Hawkeyes.

While the start of the college football season is still over two months away, the recruiting cycle for prospects in the class of 2027 is at a fever pitch.

Unfortunately for Kirk Ferentz and the Hawkeyes, things are going anything but swimmingly. After a trio of recruiting wins, the Hawkeyes took two gut punches today.

Iowa missed out on two talented offensive linemen in a row, which doesn't do much to help its current standing in college football for next year's crop of talent.

Iowa misses on offensive linemen Barrett Kitrell and Kyler Kuhn

The Hawkeyes were in the thick of the race for Barrett Kitrell until the Nebraska native ultimately committed to the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Right on the heels of that, Iowa missed out on another offensive line target.

Kyler Kuhn, a four-star talent out of Kansas City, Missouri, and St. Pius X High School, had Iowa, Nebraska, and Missouri in his final mix. Kuhn, the No. 5 recruit from Missouri and No. 10 offensive lineman, chose the Missouri Tigers.

Two misses for the Hawkeyes in the same day, the most recent winners of the Joe Moore Award as the best offensive line in the country, is a bit shocking.

BREAKING: Four-Star IOL Kyler Kuhn has Committed to Missouri, he tells me for @Rivals

The 6’3 290 IOL chose the Tigers over Nebraska and Iowa

“True Son. Thank you Jesus!”https://t.co/XLIAcR21F9 pic.twitter.com/jyvLDwk3Ge

— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) June 22, 2026

Now what for Iowa's 2027 recruiting class?

Well, to put it simply, it's not great when a program like Iowa, a literal pipeline of offensive linemen to the NFL, is losing out on offensive linemen recruits.

This is typically Iowa's bread and butter. Missing on one to Nebraska happens. Missing on two in a row raises an eyebrow.

Especially when the current class carries just two offensive linemen commits, Reilly Newman and Nate Brenneman, a duo of three-star recruits.

I find it extremely hard to believe these recruiting losses are due to a worry about development. That makes me turn to the currently rostered offensive linemen.

Kade Pieper and Trevor Lauck figure to head to the NFL after the 2026 season, opening up two spots up front. The problem behind Iowa's recruiting misses may also be a current roster strength.

Iowa is deep on the offensive line. Leighton Jones, Trent Wilson, Cael Winter, and Lucas Allgeyer could feasibly all return to the Hawkeyes next year, creating a logjam on the depth chart with no clear path to starting in the next two to three years.

Just as anything in college football, creating a surplus and benefit in one area is great, but only opens another door of issues elsewhere