As the end of spring ball nears for the Iowa Hawkeyes, the page is going to turn to the rapidly approaching 2026 season and fall camp. Iowa is ushering in a lot of new faces and will feature a new signal-caller at quarterback when all is said and done.
The transfer portal brought in new players at skill positions and has seemed to provide a breath of fresh air in Tim Lester's offense through spring practices. That infusion of talent is showing its head for the Hawkeyes on both ends of ESPN's biggest strengths and weaknesses for each top-25 team, which places Iowa at No. 19.
Strength: Running back. Iowa could end up having one of the nation's best running back tandems in 2026. The Hawkeyes return Kamari Moulton, who led the team with 878 rushing yards in 2025, and add South Dakota transfer Lendon Phillips Jr., an FCS All-America selection who led the nation with 1,921 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns last season.
Weakness: Wide receiver. The group has been down for some time and needs a returner such as Reece Vander Zee (14.6 yards per catch in 2025) or a transfer to break through. Evan James led Furman with 65 receptions and 796 receiving yards last fall. As good as tight end DJ Vonnahme is, Iowa needs its wideouts to emerge for a new quarterback. -- Adam Rittenberg
At running back, Iowa is one of the most loaded teams in the Big Ten with the talent present. Returning are Kamari Moulton, Xavier Williams, and Nathan McNeil, all of whom flashed brilliance in 2025. The addition of FCS All-American L.J. Phillips only gives Iowa more firepower in the backfield, which can also alleviate pressure off the new quarterback, Jeremy Hecklinski or Hank Brown.
At wideout, Reece Vander Zee has flashed. He had some injury issues during the 2025 season, but has shown an ability to be a force when given the chance on deep balls. Joining Iowa is UT Rio Grande Valley transfer, Tony Diaz, who has earned rave reviews this spring and could prove to be one of Iowa's top pass catchers, providing a true target out wide that opens up the middle third for the tight ends and opens up the box for the ground game.
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire : ESPN analyzes Iowa football's biggest strength, weakness for 2026