Iowa Football Recruiting Lands First 2028 Commitment

Dwayle Smith, a cornerback, has started things off for Iowa's 2028 recruiting class with his commitment to the Hawkeyes.

Oct 14, 2023; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; General view of Iowa Hawkeyes helmets prior to the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

College football can be a one-year deal for many teams in the new era of NIL and the transfer portal. Is it sustainable? Probably not. You're bound to have a bad year and miss on guys at some point.

Enter traditional high school recruiting. For some programs, especially the Iowa Hawkeyes, this is the lifeblood of the roster and talent.

Iowa's 2028 recruiting class lands Dwayle Smith

While some teams splurge on NIL replacements to fill gaps, Iowa relies on its recruiting approach to build from the ground up through development inside its own walls.

The latest commitment from a 2028 defensive back is further proof that Iowa is continuing to put an emphasis on its recruitment with a very forward-thinking approach.

The Iowa Hawkeyes are still working on their 2027 recruiting class, which is coming together piece by piece as more commitments continue to flow in.

While that class is being constructed, work is already underway for the 2028 recruiting class, and Iowa has landed its first commitment.

Dwayle Smith, a cornerback, took to X to announce his commitment to the Iowa Hawkeyes.

IT’S OFFICIAL🐤🐤🐤 pic.twitter.com/wEbgGef91e

— DWAYLE SMITH (@dwayle823) June 20, 2026

“The fit just felt right. The coaches like me in their secondary, and I can see myself playing there. What I liked most was the people and the culture. The coaches treated me and my mom really well, and they made me feel like I belonged. It felt like home and I can see myself being a Hawkeye," Smith said about his commitment.

Dwayle Smith is a 5-foot-11, 175-pound defensive back coming out of Baltimore, Maryland. He attends St. Frances Academy.

Iowa beat some other Power Four programs to the punch on Smith, as he held offers from Auburn, Florida State, Boston College, Maryland, Stanford, Texas A&M, Virginia Tech, and Wisconsin, among others.

How Dwayle Smith fits in with the Iowa Hawkeyes

The first thing jumping off the page for Dwayle Smith in his film is a natural comfort level in man coverage with an aggressive instinct to make a play on the ball. Phil Parker's type, anyone?

He doesn't show any hesitation to make a tackle, which can sometimes be a point of weakness for some corners. To play in Iowa's defense, corners have to tackle well, making this a nice match.

I think Smith projects a lot like T.J. Hall or Deshaun Lee with true cornerback skills on the outside, potentially coming into the slot to guard some twitchy wide receivers due to his athleticism and comfort level in space.