College football delivers surprises every year. Those surprises can be good or bad.
It can come in the form of an upset that no one saw coming, or in the form of a team that either positively surprises or outright disappoints.
As the 2024 season approaches, the general consensus surrounding the Iowa Hawkeyes seems to be fringe top-25 team. Most aren’t expecting Iowa to challenge Ohio State or Oregon for the Big Ten championship, but analysts expect the Hawkeyes to be one of the Big Ten’s better teams.
One national pundit that appears higher on Iowa than some others is Phil Steele. In his annual college football preview magazine, Phil Steele tabbed Iowa as one of his top surprise teams. Iowa came in at No. 7 on Phil Steele’s surprise teams list.
Here’s what Phil Steele had to say about why Iowa was his No. 7 surprise team:
Kirk Ferentz always gets the most out of his teams. Last year with no passing threat after QB McNamara went down, he once again did it with special teams and a dominating defense. This year while the offense will not be overwhelming, QB McNamara is back and they have a capable backup in Brendan Sullivan who led Northwestern to an improbable season and bowl win over Utah.
The offensive line is the best in years. The special teams remains solid. Phil Parker almost always has a top 10 defense, but this year his top four players turned down the NFL and he has eight starters back with my No. 1 LBs and No. 5 Des in the country.
They do face Ohio State on the road but could be favored in their other 11 games. They say defense wins championships and that will make them dangerous if they make the playoffs, especially with a now capable offense. – Phil Steele.
Iowa does bring back plenty of talent defensively. Linebackers Jay Higgins and Nick Jackson combine to form what is Phil Steele’s top linebackers unit in America.
Behind those two, Iowa features a secondary that includes Sebastian Castro, Quinn Schulte, Xavier Nwankpa, Jermari Harris and Deshaun Lee. The Hawkeyes have Deontae Craig and Yahya Black returning along their defensive line, too.
Offensively, new offensive coordinator Tim Lester can provide a breath of fresh air for the Hawkeyes. Plus, it’s important to remember what Phil Steele touched on.
Iowa was without starting quarterback Cade McNamara for the bulk of last season and McNamara probably wasn’t fully healthy when he did appear in five games either.
McNamara will have star tight end Luke Lachey, junior wide receivers Kaleb Brown and Seth Anderson and running backs Leshon Williams, Kaleb Johnson and Jaziun Patterson back in the fold as key offensive skill weapons.
If the Iowa offensive line turns a corner, then Phil Steele could be right on the money with a Big Ten and national sleeper. Phil Steele also included Iowa as his No. 7 surprise team entering the 2023 season.
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