Iowa has built a reputation as a perennial top 10 defense under coach Kirk Ferentz and defensive coordinator Phil Parker over the past few years. From 2020-23, the Hawkeyes ranked among the top 10 teams in the country in yards allowed per play and were also top 10 in points allowed per game in three of those four seasons.
But ESPN analyst Greg McElroy isn’t quite sure that trend will hold in 2025. Iowa already saw a slight step back in 2024 as it finished 32nd in yards allowed per play and 11th in points allowed per game. That combined with a number of key players who are no longer on the team caused McElroy to name the Hawkeyes as an “honorable mention” team on his list of the top 10 defenses for the upcoming season.
“You’re gonna sit there and think, ‘How can you possibily put together a list that does not include Iowa in the top 10?’ You’re right,” he said on his Always College Football podcast. “I have the same problem. That’s why I have them, even with some of the departures, even with some of the turnover that they’ve had over the years, Iowa still remains in the honorable mention category because of Phil Parker. I think he’s as good of a defensive coordinator as there is in the entire country.
“…But you lose linebacker Jay Higgins, that was one of the best tacklers in the entire Big Ten last year. You lose a defensive tackle up front in Yahya Black. You lose Sebastian Castro on the back end. Those are really big pieces that must be replaced. So you’ve gotta look at some of the production that was lost at linebacker and in the back end.”
Iowa is coming off of an 8-5 finish this past season. But while the Hawkeyes lose a number of key contributors to their defense, they also bring back several as well.
McElroy pointed to names such as Max Llewellyn, who finished with 6.5 sacks this past season, as provided strangth on the defensive line. He also noted a transfer player who is primed to make a major impact.
“I do like some of their personnel that’s back up front on the defensive line,” he said. “Llewellyn’s back. Hurkett’s back. Graves is back. And you have, I think, a guy that could potentially break out at safety. There’s been a lot of buzz about Xavier Nwankpa. So I think he’s got a chance at being quite good. There’s gonna be some experienced players that also come in via the transfer portal.
“So they should still be pretty stingy against the run. They should still keep the ball in front of them. They won’t allow a ton of big plays and they should be able to create some turnovers. But there’s just too many question marks at the second and third level for me to, at this point, have them ranked in the top 10.”
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