Iowa

Former Iowa High School Football Standouts Enter Transfer Portal

Published

4 months ago

December 25, 2025

Former Iowa High School Football Standouts Enter Transfer Portal

The mass exodus of Iowa State football players from within the program now includes a number of former Iowa high school football standouts.

Gabe Burkle from Cedar Rapids Prairie High School, Will Tompkins from Cedar Falls High School and Caleb Bacon of Lake Mills High School have joined the likes of Rocco Becht, Carson Hanson, Jontez Williams, Jeremiah Cooper and Ben Brahmer in the transfer portal.

All of this started when Matt Campbell left as head coach of the Cyclones for the same position at Penn State.

Burkle, a 6-foot-6 redshirt junior tight end, was a three-star recruit coming out of high school who picked Iowa State over offers from Kansas State, Michigan State and Indiana. He was an all-stater, catching 23 passes for 324 yards as a senior.

He is coming off a season in which he caught 26 passes for 302 yards with a touchdown for the Cyclones, including a four-catch, 85-yard performance vs. South Dakota where he scored his lone touchdown of the season.

Tompkins, a 6-foot-6 freshman offensive lineman, was ranked as the No. 34 offensive tackle in his class coming out of high school, making all-state honors while helping block for a Cedar Falls offense that had over 1,900 yards rushing and 1,600 yards passing.

Tennessee, Nebraska, Wisconsin, USC, MInnesota, Missouri, Kansas, Kansas State and even Penn State offered Tompkins, but he selected Campbell and the Cyclones.

Bacon, a redshirt senior linebacker, was a two-time all-state selection at Lake Mills and a two-time district player of the year. He led all of Class A in Iowa high school football as a senior with 103 tackles, including 90 solo stops.

This past fall, Bacon, who was a walk-on to the Cyclones, recorded 68 tackles with 9.5 for loss.

Iowa State has received confirmation of players returning to the program under new head coach Jimmy Rogers, including a handful of former Iowa high school football standouts.

Connor Moberly, who led Southeast Polk High School to multiple Class 5A state football championships, has confirmed he will return to the Cyclones as a quarterback candidate in 2026. Kicker Kyle Konrardy of Dubuque Senior has done the same, along with Jack Limbaugh from Algona High School.

Moberly has been a backup behind Becht while Konrardy has been a multi-time Big 12 Conference Special Teams Player of the Week selection. He has kicked several game-winners for Iowa State. Limbaugh was a true freshman this past fall.

Bryce Anderson, who played at West Des Moines Valley High School, has announced he is entering the transfer portal following the season at Memphis.

Anderson, a 6-foot-5 redshirt sophomore tight end, played at Iowa Central Community College where he caught 29 passes for 303 yards and six touchdowns in 12 games.

He had 12 catches for 101 yards for the Tigers this past season, including six receptions in his final three games.

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Iowa

Iowa football 2026 NFL Draft recap

Published

6 hours ago

April 26, 2026

Press Room

The 2026 NFL Draft has come and gone, but not without the Iowa Hawkeyes once again sending a healthy group to the next level. Iowa saw another class of NFL prospects hear their names called and find out where their new homes will be.

As is the norm for Iowa, this draft class was headlined by offensive linemen, linebackers, and defensive line talent, which is fitting. This is how Iowa wins so many games under Kirk Ferentz, and it is a direct correlation to this program’s ability to mold and develop talent into NFL stars.

While this class of draft prospects gets set to make their way to their new NFL homes, check out the recap of where each player is headed, along with where they were taken in this year’s draft.

Logan Jones

Oct 11, 2025; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes offensive lineman Logan Jones (65) celebrates a touchdown in the first half against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ross Harried-Imagn Images

Team: Chicago Bears

Round: 2

Pick: 57

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Iowa

Seahawks Select Iowa Guard Beau Stephens With 148th Overall Pick | 2026 NFL Draft

Published

18 hours ago

April 25, 2026

Press Room

Seahawks Select Iowa Guard Beau Stephens With 148th Overall Pick | 2026 NFL Draft

Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald and president of football operations John Schneider met with media following day one of the NFL draft and discuss the decision to stay and pick at 32, what makes running back Jadarian Price special, how Price will fit into the offense and more at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.

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Iowa

Steelers Land Fan Favorite Iowa OL With Third-Round Pick

Published

1 day ago

April 25, 2026

Press Room

Steelers Land Fan Favorite Iowa OL With Third-Round Pick

The Pittsburgh Steelers continue beefing up their offensive line in the 2026 NFL Draft after previously taking Arizona State tackle Max Iheanachor in the first round.

After trading picks No. 99 and 216 to the Seattle Seahawks for No. 96, the Steelers selected Iowa’s Gennings Dunker.

Dunker was a right tackle for the Hawkeyes, where he was a huge part of helping the team win the Joe Moore Award in 2025 as the nation’s top offensive line.

As for how he projects to the next level, however, Dunker is likely to move inside for the Steelers at 6-foot-5 and 319 pounds and could compete with Spencer Anderson and Brock Hoffman for the starting job at left guard.

Dunker is a better run blocker than pass protector, but he is feisty in all facets of the game and possesses a ton of strength while also being rather technically sound.

A fan-favorite with his mullet and contagious personality, Dunker should fit right in with Pittsburgh.

Iowa Hawkeyes offensive lineman Gennings Dunker (67) warms up before a football game against the Indiana Hoosiers Sept. 27, 2025 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

James Campen Offers Thoughts on Dunker

Speaking with reporters after the pick was made, Steelers offensive line coach James Campen listed some of the traits that drew him to Dunker.

“He is an aggressive kid,” Campen said. “Good football player. They’re so well-coached at Iowa. They come out and have established pad level and footwork. I’ve got a lot of respect for that football program, and the people who run it, but to be able to get a guy like him, a big, powerful kid that has position flexibility and has shown leadership in his play, his play style is really unique.”

While confirming that he is slated to primarily line up at guard, Campen also shared that Dunker’s Senior Bowl participation allowed his leadership to shine through.

“You always look for guys that are first in line doing things that are challenging or different like he did at the Senior Bowl. He was first in line to go and do new drills and things like that. So I’m sure there’s some leadership qualities there too.

“But we’re very excited to have him and to add to the O-line room. We’ll get him in here and take a look at him. I think at this point he’ll be at the guard position, and tackle will be his second position. But again, when you get players like this, you can always try to figure out which way he’s going to go. So, competition is good in those areas. So, he’ll probably end up playing a little bit of both, but primarily guard.”

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