2023 Iowa Hawkeyes football
Big Ten West Division champion
Big Ten Championship Game, L 0–26 vs. Michigan
Citrus Bowl, L 0–35 vs. Tennessee
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Division	West Division
Ranking
Coaches	No. 22
AP	No. 24
Record	10–4 (7–2 Big Ten)
Head coach	Kirk Ferentz (25th season)
Offensive coordinator	Brian Ferentz (7th season)
Offensive scheme	Multiple
Defensive coordinator	Phil Parker (12th season)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	Kinnick Stadium
Seasons ← 2022 2024 →

The 2023 Iowa Hawkeyes football team represented the University of Iowa as member of the West Division of the Big Ten Conference during the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Hawkeyes were led by Kirk Ferentz in his 25th year as head coach. The Hawkeyes played their home games at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa, and sold out all seven home contests for the second consecutive season.

With a victory over Illinois on Senior Day, Iowa secured the Big Ten West title for the third time. A win over rival Nebraska in the regular season finale completed a 10-win regular season. They competed in the Big Ten Championship Game against the East Division champion No. 2 Michigan, where they were shutout by the eventual national champions 26–0. The Hawkeyes ended the 2023 season with a 35-0 shutout loss to No. 21 Tennessee in the Citrus Bowl.

Senior punter Tory Taylor was named First-team All-Big Ten for the third time, Eddleman–Fields Punter of the Year for the second time, a Unanimous First-team All-American, and the 2023 Ray Guy Award winner as the nation's most outstanding punter. Despite missing the final four games due to a season-ending injury, junior cornerback Cooper DeJean was named First-team All-Big Ten for the second time, Tatum–Woodson Defensive Back of the Year, Rodgers–Dwight Return Specialist of the Year, and a Unanimous First-team All-American. Defensive coordinator Phil Parker won the Broyles Award as the nation’s top assistant coach in college football.

The team became infamous over the course of the season for their great defense being paired with a historically terrible offense, causing some to call them the "Best Worst Team Ever".^[1][2] The four lowest Over/Unders in college football history were set in games involving the 2023 Hawkeyes, the lowest being an O/U of 24.5 against Nebraska.^[3][4] In each of those four games the final combined score was below the line.

Preseason

Iowa lost several players in the transfer portal, including top two wide receivers Keagan Johnson and Arland Bruce IV, backup quarterback Alex Padilla, and running back Gavin Williams. Two top defensive players, cornerback Terry Roberts and linebacker Jestin Jacobs, transferred to Miami and Oregon, respectively.

Iowa added players in the transfer portal before the 2023 season, including Michigan quarterback Cade McNamara, Michigan tight end Erick All, and Charleston Southern wide receiver Seth Anderson, son of NFL wide receiver Flipper Anderson. Saginaw Valley State offensive tackle Daijon Parker committed to Iowa after originally committing to Virginia.

Iowa was picked second in the West Division by Big Ten media, behind Wisconsin.^[5]

Player movement

Transfers in

Transfers out

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 2	11:00 a.m.	Utah State*	No. 25	Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA	FS1	W 24–14	69,250	[26]
September 9	2:30 p.m.	at Iowa State*		Jack Trice Stadium Iowa City, IA (rivalry)	FOX	W 20–13	61,500	[27]
September 16	2:30 p.m.	Western Michigan*	No. 25	Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA	BTN	W 41–10	69,250	[28]
September 23	6:30 p.m.	at No. 7 Penn State	No. 24	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA	CBS	L 0–31	110,830	[29]
September 30	6:30 p.m.	Michigan State		Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA	NBC	W 26–16	69,250	[30]
October 7	2:30 p.m.	Purdue		Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA	Peacock	W 20–14	69,250	[31]
October 14	3:00 p.m.	at Wisconsin		Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI (rivalry)	FOX	W 15–6	76,205	[32]
October 21	2:30 p.m.	Minnesota	No. 24	Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA (rivalry)	NBC	L 10–12	69,250	[33]
November 4	2:30 p.m.	vs. Northwestern		Wrigley Field Chicago, IL	Peacock	W 10–7	38,000	[34]
November 11	2:30 p.m.	Rutgers	No. 22	Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA	BTN	W 22–0	69,250	[35]
November 18	2:30 p.m.	Illinois	No. 16	Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA	FS1	W 15–13	69,250	[36]
November 24	11:00 a.m.	at Nebraska	No. 17	Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE (rivalry)	CBS	W 13–10	86,183	[37]
December 2	7:00 p.m.	vs. No. 2 Michigan	No. 16	Lucas Oil Stadium Indianapolis, IN (Big Ten Championship Game, Big Noon Kickoff)	FOX	L 0–26	67,842	[38]
January 1, 2024	12:00 p.m.	vs. No. 21 Tennessee*	No. 17	Camping World Stadium Orlando, FL (Citrus Bowl)	ABC	L 0–35	43,861
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll (and CFP Rankings, after October 31) - Released prior to game All times are in Central time Source: [39]

Rankings

Roster

2023 Iowa Hawkeyes football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class QB 12 Cade McNamara  Sr QB 5 Joe Labas So QB 10 Deacon Hill So QB 11 Marco Lainez Fr QB 19 Tommy Poholsky Fr RB 2 Kaleb Johnson So RB 28 Kamari Moulton Fr RB 9 Jaziun Patterson  Fr RB 8 Terrell Washington, Jr. Fr RB 22 Max White So RB 4 Leshon Williams Jr FB 88 Hayden Large Sr FB 31 Eli Miller So FB 41 Rusty VanWetzinga Fr WR 6 Seth Anderson So WR 7 Jacob Bostick  Fr WR 3 Kaleb Brown So WR 84 Jarriett Buie Fr WR 17 Alex Eichmann  Fr WR 16 Graham Friedrichsen  Fr WR 20 Dayton Howard Fr WR 15 Jack Johnson Jr WR 29 Judah Mallette Fr WR 26 Aidan McDermott Fr WR 14 Alex Mota Fr WR 13 Reese Osgood  Fr WR 25 Ayden Price Fr WR 89 Nico Ragaini Sr WR 0 Diante Vines Jr WR 21 Kaden Wetjen Jr WR 18 Alec Wick So TE 83 Erick All  Sr TE 85 Luke Lachey  Jr TE 44 Grant Leeper Fr TE 49 Andrew Lentsch So TE 48 Zach Ortwerth Fr TE 87 Addison Ostrenga So TE 82 Johnny Pascuzzi So TE 86 Steven Stilianos Sr TE 40 Jalyn Thompson Fr TE 81 Cael Vanderbush  Fr OL 66 Jeremy Chaplin So OL 77 Connor Colby Jr OL 56 Nick DeJong Sr OL 71 Jack Dotzler  Fr OL 67 Gennings Dunker So OL 76 Tyler Elsbury Jr OL 52 Asher Fahey Jr OL 64 Leighton Jones Fr C 65 Logan Jones Jr OL 72 Kale Krogh  Fr OL 74 Trevor Lauck Fr OL 75 Cannon Leonard Fr OL 59 Griffin Liddle So OL 60 Rusty Feth Sr OL 53 Michael Myslinski So OL 79 Daijon Parker Sr OL 58 Kade Pieper Fr OL 78 Mason Richman Jr OL 70 Beau Stephens So OL 73 Kyson Van Vugt  Fr OL 61 Cael Winter Fr	Defense Pos. # Name Class DE 90 Brian Allen  Fr DE 93 Anu Dokun Jr DE 13 Joe Evans Sr DL 94 Yahya Black Jr DL 56 Maddux Borcherding-Johnson Fr DL 91 Chase Brackney Fr DL 86 Jeff Bowie So DL 45 Deontae Craig Jr DL 97 Caden Crawford  Fr DL 33 Jackson Filer Jr DL 51 Luke Gaffney  Fr DL 95 Aaron Graves So DL 57 Will Hubert  Fr DL 49 Ethan Hurkett Jr DL 87 Andrew Kraus  Fr DL 48 Max Llewellyn So DL 85 Logan Lee Sr DL 44 Kenneth Merrieweather Fr DL 55 Jeremiah Pittman So DL 98 Chris Reames Sr DL 54 Anterio Thompson So DT 99 Noah Shannon Sr LB 31 Nolan DeLong Fr LB 39 Eric Epenesa So LB 37 Kyler Fisher Sr LB 28 Aidan Hall Fr LB 41 Jaden Harrell So LB 34 Jay Higgins Sr LB 10 Nick Jackson Sr LB 32 Ben Kueter Fr LB 47 Jack Laughlin Fr LB 36 Jayden Montgomery  Fr LB 35 Tanner Pollock Jr LB 12 Jaxon Rexroth So LB 43 Karson Sharar So LB 40 Josef Smith Jr LB 25 Kelby Telander So LB 42 Zach Twedt So LB 23 Landyn Van Kekerix  Fr DB 15 Amare Bickham Fr DB 29 Sebastian Castro Sr DB 5 Teegan Davis Fr DB 17 Brenden Deasfernandes Jr DB 3 Cooper DeJean  Jr DB 4 Koen Entringer  Fr DB 2 TJ Hall So CB 27 Jermari Harris Jr DB 16 Jamison Heinz Jr DB 20 Deavin Hilson So DB 26 Kael Kolarik  Fr DB 8 Deshaun Lee  Fr DB 6 Zach Lutmer Fr DB 21 Watts McBride Fr DB 7 John Nestor Fr DB 1 Xavier Nwankpa So DB 14 Kahlil Tate Fr DB 30 Quinn Schulte Sr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K 1 Aaron Blom Jr K 18 Drew Stevens So P 9 Tory Taylor Sr LS 39 Luke Elkin Jr LS 97 Liam Reardon Jr	Head coach Kirk Ferentz Coordinators/assistant coaches Brian Ferentz – Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks Phil Parker – Defensive coordinator/secondary LeVar Woods – Special teams coordinator George Barnett Offensive line Kelvin Bell – Defensive line Ladell Betts – Running backs Kelton Copeland – Wide receivers Abdul Hodge – Tight ends/fullbacks Jay Niemann – Assistant defensive line/defensive recruiting coordinator Seth Wallace – Assistant defensive coordinator/linebackers Raimond Braithwaite – Director, strength and conditioning Kammy Powell – Head Football Athletic Trainer Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster Last update: September 26, 2023

Game summaries

Utah State

The Hawkeyes' season opener was the first matchup in the series since a 48–7 win in 2002. It was also the first Iowa career start for Cade McNamara who threw for 191 yards and two touchdowns to start out the year 1–0.^[40][41]

at Iowa State

The Hawks avenged last season's 10–7 defeat by collecting their sixth straight victory at Jack Trice Stadium, earning Kirk Ferentz his 200th collegiate career win.^[42][43][44]

Western Michigan

The Hawkeyes evened the all-time series (2–2), building on the 59–3 victory in 2013. A blocked punt in the third quarter that resulted in a safety proved to be the turning point in cementing Iowa's upper hand. After trailing 10–7 in the second quarter, the Hawks scored the final 34 points of the game.^[45][46]

at No. 7 Penn State

In a game played under the lights in Happy Valley between two unbeaten top 25 teams, Iowa was humbled by the Nittany Lions. The Hawkeyes, wearing alternate uniforms, were dominated in every phase of the game.^[47][48]

Michigan State

Iowa recorded back-to-back victories in series for first time since 2009–2010. The Spartans were looking to avenge a humbling loss from their last visit – 49–7 in 2020 – during a week where there head coach Mel Tucker was fired. With Cade McNamara suffering a season-ending knee injury in the first quarter the offense continued to struggle. Cooper DeJean returned a punt 70 yards to give Iowa the lead for good with under four minutes left. This game marked Kirk Ferentz's 200th Big Ten Conference regular season game as Iowa's head coach (116–84).^[49][50][51]

Purdue

Purdue had won two of the last three at Kinnick Stadium, the latter of which spoiled the Hawkeyes' homecoming, unbeaten record, and No. 2 AP ranking. They had a chance to win again but were held on a fourth down. This was the first start for QB Deacon Hill in the 1,300th game in Iowa program history. He struggled in the first half but settled down in the second.^[52][53][54]

at Wisconsin

Iowa won at Wisconsin for the first time since 2015 and recorded back-to-back wins in rivalry series for the first time since 2008–2009. This was a defensive struggle with both teams trading punt after punt. The Hawkeyes never trailed in the game and grabbed ahold of the Big Ten West lead.^[55][56][57]

Minnesota

The Hawkeyes, ranked in the top 25 again after a 3-week absence, had won eight straight and 9 of 10 in the series entering the game. Minnesota won at Kinnick Stadium for the first time since 1999. A controversial penalty upset Iowa fans at the end of the game, negating a potential game-winning touchdown by Cooper DeJean.^[58][59]

at Northwestern

Iowa has won four of five in this series. The game at Wrigley Field was the first time the Hawkeyes have played on a baseball field since the 2017 Pinstripe Bowl. The game was yet another defensive struggle with neither team even scoring in the first half. Hawkeye kicker Drew Stevens nailed a 52-yard field goal with seconds left to defeat the Wildcats.^{[60][61][62][63]}

Rutgers

Kirk Ferentz has yet to lose to Rutgers, and this victory tied him with Bo Schembechler in career wins (194) as a Big Ten coach. After struggling to score in the first half, the Hawkeyes found their rhythm in the second. Iowa is now 4–0 against the Scarlet Knights all-time, shutting them out for a second time.^[64][65]

Illinois

Illinois broke a long losing streak in the series in previous year, but has not won at Kinnick Stadium since 1999. A victory on Senior Day gave the Hawkeyes the Big Ten West outright, and Kirk Ferentz moved all alone into third place in career wins as a Big Ten head coach.^[66][67][68]

at Nebraska

In this rivalry matchup, No. 17 Iowa racked up its 10th win of the season, its sixth straight win in Lincoln, and kept Nebraska from reaching bowl eligibility for the first time since 2016 as they recaptured the Heroes Trophy. After having two field goals blocked earlier in the game, Iowa kicked a game-winner as time expired to escape with the victory.^[69][70][71]

vs. No. 2 Michigan (Big Ten Championship game)

Fox's Big Noon Kickoff was on hand for this top 20 match-up. Iowa was attempting to defeat Michigan for the first time since 2016 and earn the program’s first outright Big Ten title since 1985, but it wasn't to be. Two years after being humbled by the Wolverines in the Big The Championship Game, the Hawkeyes were unable to pose a scoring threat in this one and were blanked 26–0.^[72][73]

vs. No. 21 Tennessee (Citrus Bowl)

Iowa made its second Citrus Bowl appearance in three years and third overall. The Hawkeyes, looking to redeem themselves in three phases - being shut out in previous game, a narrow loss in last Citrus Bowl appearance, and being blown out by Tennessee in a bowl game nine years prior, were dominated from start to finish in Brian Ferentz's last game as offensive coordinator.^{[74][75][76][77]}

Awards and honors