For the first time, this offseason saw the Iowa Hawkeyes delve into the transfer portal in earnest. The effort to improve on both sides of the ball is clear.
Through all of the additions, the Hawkeyes find themselves snubbed from being recognized as a team who “dominated” the 2023 offseason. Sure, maybe Iowa didn’t add five-star after five-star, but they upgraded across the board.
For an 8-5 team to upgrade, that is adding considerable talent. Nonetheless, Iowa finds themselves left off 247Sports’ list of teams who dominated the 2023 offseason.
While Iowa didn’t make the cut, two Big Ten foes do appear on the list. The Wisconsin Badgers find themselves here, spurred on largely by the hiring of Luke Fickell from Cincinnati. He is undoubtedly an upgrade at the head coaching slot, but is that move enough to outrank Iowa in terms of offseason success?
Penn State is on the list as well. While the Nittany Lions are good, maybe even great this upcoming fall, that is due to the hype around quarterback Drew Allar and an always-stout defense.
Defensively, the addition of Virginia transfer Nick Jackson is a fantastic attempt to replace the incredible production that Jack Campbell and Seth Benson had during their tenure. Jackson had 104 tackles and five sacks last year as he looks to be a defensive spark.
Offensively, the offseason has been highlighted by a flurry of transfers landing at Iowa. The large ones include the duo from Michigan, quarterback Cade McNamara and tight end Erick All, each of whom are instant contributors. The Hawkeyes also landed offensive linemen Rusty Feth and Daijon Parker and wide receivers Seth Anderson and Kaleb Brown.
While Iowa was snubbed from this list, there is no denying their effort and work to upgrade the roster was a main focus this offseason.
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