Iowa
Oregon Football’s New Big Ten Conference Opponents: Iowa, Part 1
Though not an original member the Big Ten Conference, Iowa has been known for its consistency over the last few decades. The Hawkeyes are another program awaiting the arrival of the Oregon Ducks.
“I thank God I was warring on the gridirons of the Midwest and not on the battlefields of Europe. I can speak confidently and positively that the players of this country would much more, much rather struggle and fight to win a Heisman award than a Croix de Guerre.”
– Nile Kinnick, Iowa’s 1939 Heisman Trophy
School History
The University of Iowa was founded in 1847, just 59 days after Iowa was admitted as a state. Until 1964, the official name of the school was State University of Iowa. Classes began in 1855 with 124 students, including 41 women.
Iowa was one of the first institutions to accept creative work in theater, writing, music, and art on an equal basis with academic research, and, in 1873, became one of the first to granta a law degree to a woman.
The first law school and dental school west of the Mississippi River was established at Iowa. UI was the first university to use radio and television in education. Iowa has produced 46 Pulitzer Prize winners.
Enrollment in 2023 eclipsed 31,000 students. A member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), the public research institution had research expenditures in fiscal year 2021 of $818 millions.
In the latest U.S. News and World Report rankings, Iowa is No. 93 among national universities and No. 47 among public schools.
Football Program History
Iowa football began as a club sport in 1872, but the program was not officially recognized by the university as a varsity team until 1899. The Hawkeyes were an Independent that year, going undefeated and earning an invitation to the Western Conference, the precursor to the Big Ten.
In their first season with the Western Conference, Iowa went undefeated again to win a share of the league title. That success waned as Iowa soon split time between the Western Conference and the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association, the precursor to the Big Eight.
Success picked up again in the 1920s, with undefeated seasons in 1921 and 1922. Both of those seasons resulted in claimed national titles, though are not among the recognized national championships from the NCAA.
A 6-1-1 record in 1939 produced the program’s first top-10 finish from the Associated Press. That same year, the Hawkeyes notched their only Heisman Trophy winner in program history, Nile Kinnick, would become he namesake for their football stadium.
The 1950s saw Iowa become a national power. From 1953 to 1961, the Hawkeyes were ranked in the top-12 every season, posting five top-10 finishes. In 1961, Iowa was preseason No. 1, but managed to go just 5-4. That was the last season Iowa would be ranked until the 1980s when Heyden Fry took over.
Fry held the reigns for more than 20 years, leading the Hawkeyes to three Big Ten titles and 14 bowl games, including a trio of Rose Bowls. His 1985 team won a school-record 10 games and took the Big Ten title outright.
In 1998, Fry retired and handed the keys to former assistant Kirk Ferentz. Ferentz kept the consistency going with a trio of top-10 finished in 2002, 2003, and 2004. Despite no Big Ten titles since 2004, Iowa has only missed the bowl season once while reaching double-digit wins six times.
Iowa represented the West Division in two of the final three Big Ten Championship games before the league eliminates divisions this fall.
Championships and Heisman Trohpy Winners
Claimed National Championships: 5 (1921, 1922, 1956, 1958, 1960
Confrence Titles: 13
Heisman Trophy Winners: Nile Kinnick (1939)
Oregon is set to join the Big Ten Conference in 2024. For information on the league as a whole and where to read about the other programs, refer toOregon Football’s New Big Ten Conference Opponents: Rich History, Distance.
Iowa
Penn State earns commitment from Iowa State leading wide receiver via transfer
Penn State landed Iowa State’s pair of quarterbacks earlier Sunday, including starter Rocco Becht, in a splash move. Now, the Cyclones’ leading receiver is coming with them.
Wide receiver Brett Eskildsen committed to Penn State via the transfer portal, becoming the seventh Cyclone to join the Nittany Lions this weekend. He announced the move on social media.
Eskildsen recorded 30 receptions, 526 yards and five touchdowns as a sophomore in 2025. He also appeared in all 13 games as a freshman but made just two catches for 17 yards.
The 6-1, 200-pound wideout is from Frisco, Texas, and is a three-star in the 247Sports transfer rankings (No. 118 overall, No. 30 WR). He was a three-star out of high school as well, where he had more than 1,5000 career receiving yards.
Becht’s top man from 2026 is now in place. He’ll also be able to throw to standout Penn State freshman Koby Howard and quick youngster Tyseer Denmark, who have confirmed their returns thus far.
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Iowa
Iowa State picks up commitment from Arkansas State QB Jaylen Raynor
Iowa State football has picked up a commitment from Arkansas State quarterback Jaylen Raynor, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported on Jan. 3.
Raynor has one season of eligibility remaining. The 6-foot, 202-pounder from Kernersville, North Carolina, passed for 3,361 yards and 19 touchdowns this season. He was intercepted 11 times.
Raynor also rushed for 423 yards and seven touchdowns.
He passed for 8,694 yards and 52 touchdowns in three seasons at Arkansas State.
“The (Iowa State) coaching staff is known for winning,” Raynor told Thamel. “The head coach is a known winner and done it on multiple levels.”
Raynor will join Arkansas State offensive coordinator Keith Heckendorf in Ames. Heckendorf was named Cyclones quarterbacks coach this week.
Raynor completed 19 of 33 passes for 222 yards in a 24-16 loss to Iowa State on Sept. 13, 2025.
Iowa
Seven Iowa High School Wrestlers Off To Dominant Starts This Season – FloWrestling
The first month of the Iowa high school wrestling season has been filled with scintillating individual performances. Here’s a look at seven standouts who have been racking up bonus points in December.
Drew Anderson (Riverside)
The Class 1A state runner-up last year at 132 is up to 144 this season and he’s 14-0 with 11 technical falls, a pair of pins and a forfeit win. Anderson, a junior in his second season at the school, already owns the Riverside school record for technical falls with 28. Anderson is on pace to more than double the previous Riverside tech record of 23.
Urijah Courter (West Marshall)
Courter won the 2A title last season at 113 after placing third as a freshman at 106. He’s up to 120 this season. Courter is 14-0 this season with 10 pins and two technical falls. His ledger also includes a 6-5 win against Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont’s Simon Bettis in a rematch of last season’s state title bout.
Cooper Hinz (Jesup)
Entering the holiday break, Michigan commit and two-time state medalist Cooper Hinz is 22-0 with 21 wins via pin, technical fall or forfeit. His other victory was a 4-1 overtime decision against returning state placewinner Cain Rodgers of North Fayette Valley. More impressively, all of Hinz’s pins and technical falls have all come in the first period.
Lincoln Jipp (Bettendorf)
Jipp placed fifth at 138, third at 165 and second at 175 in Class 3A during his first three seasons. Now he’s up to 215 — 77 pounds more than where he started his career as a freshman. The North Carolina recruit pinned his way through the prestigious Dan Gable Donnybrook. He’s 16-0 with 10 pins, four technical falls and a forfeit.
Mason Koehler (Glenwood)
The returning 2A champ at 215 is 20-0 with 18 pins and a major decision. His only two matches that went the distance came at the Council Bluffs Classic, where he defeated Nebraska standout Ryan Boehle of Grand Island 14-4 and Minnesota hammer Joe Kruse of Totino-Grace 9-2. The rest of Koehler’s matches this season ended in first-period pins. He has already registered a six-second pin and another in nine seconds this season.
Jaxon Miller (Carlisle)
Miller is a three-time state medalist, a two-time finalist and returning state champ in Class 3A. He placed fourth as a freshman at 145 before making trips to the finals at 157 and 165. He’s 16-0 this season with 13 first-period pins, two technical falls and a forfeit.
Keaton Moeller (Starmont)
Moeller placed third in 1A as a freshman at 145 before winning a state title at 150 as a sophomore. He missed all of last season after suffering a torn ACL in football. Now he’s back as a senior at 190 and Moeller hasn’t missed a beat. He’s 13-0 with five pins, six technical falls and a pair of forfeits. He has yet to wrestle a full period this season.
Iowa High School Premium Rankings
Check out the Iowa High School Wrestling Premium Rankings, which are generated by using an athlete’s complete match history to predict a wrestler’s performance against others in their weight class by considering factors such as win-loss records, the quality of their victories (pins, technical falls, major decisions), the strength of their opponents and overall historical performance patterns. The data is updated every Monday, sourced from the Trackwrestling season results. Since each team is responsible for maintaining their season results, any data discrepancies for a wrestler should be addressed by contacting their coach to manage the information within the season. This includes the weight class assigned. Wrestlers are eligible to be ranked after competing in five matches at a single weight.
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