Quinn Schulte Joins Group Returning to Iowa

Safety Staying with Hawkeyes for 6th Season in 2024

Iowa Football set a goal to retain as much talent as it could from its 2023 team. Mission accomplished. The Hawkeyes are expecting to bring back six starters that put off their NFL dreams for at least another year. 

Quinn Schulte became the latest member of the 2023 team to announce his decision when he did so on Monday night via social media. Iowa also acknowledged the announcement. 

Fellow defensive starters Jay Higgins, Nick Jackson, Sebastian Castro and Jermari Harris previously declared they'd be back. So, too, did No. 1 tight end Luke Lachey. Linebacker Kyler Fisher hasn't let his intentions be known publicly, but someone connected to the program indicated it could be happening. 

Schulte (6-1, 209) has started all of the Hawkeyes' 27 games during the last two seasons. The Cedar Rapids Xavier graduate has piled up 136 total tackles (83 solo, 3.0 for loss) in that time. The former walk-on picked off two passes and was credited with 12 passes defended as well. 

In '23, Schulte earned honorable mention All-Big Ten recognition from conference coaches and media. He's been named to the all-league academic team for four years running. 

The Hawkeyes will be bringing back nine defensive starters from the Jan. 1 Citrus Bowl if Fisher is, indeed, returning. Defensive linemen Joe Evans and Logan Lee would be the only guys lost from a unit that ranked fourth nationally in scoring defense (14.79 PPG) this fall.