With the 2025-26 college football season slowly making its way here as the dog days of summer drag on before training camp starts and pads begin popping, it is a good time to look at a slightly revamped Iowa Hawkeyes team.

Iowa was more active in the portal than they have been in recent years, adding some instant infusions of talent on both sides of the ball. Those new players have hope swirling around the program that they could be a player in the Big Ten and, if things break right, maybe even a shot at the College Football Playoff.

As the season nears its kickoff, Iowa is seeing answers on offense, an uptick on the defense front, and is still trying to find out who will be the next great defensive back wearing the black and yellow.

With that, check out five bold predictions for the Iowa Hawkeyes in 2025.

A wide receiver surpasses 700 receiving yards

Iowa has not had a wide receiver go for more than 700 yards since Ihmir Smith-Marsette had 722 yards in 2019. That changes this year. Iowa has a much more experienced quarterback than they have in some time, and an upgraded receiver room that has been a weakness for a while.

The name to keep an eye on is Jacob Gill. In 2024, he managed to reel in 411 yards on 35 receptions with a rotating door at the quarterback position. If he and Mark Gronowski can stay healthy in 2025, the two feel destined to build a connection as Gill brings that steady, knowledgeable, reliable skill set to the table.

Three or more defensive linemen register at least five sacks

Last year, Iowa had three defensive linemen register at least five sacks. Ethan Hurkett led the way at 6.5 and was followed by Aaron Graves with six and Max Llewellyn at 5.5. Look for Iowa to once again see that happen.

The three aforementioned names are returning to Iowa for another year. More experienced, the trio should once again have a strong output, while possibly being Iowa's strength defensively. If Brian Allen can take the next step in his development, after tallying three sacks last year, he could become the fourth member to join the club.

Xavier Nwankpa reels in four or more interceptions

With a position change to allow Xavier Nwankpa to play more naturally and instinctively, he could be the name to watch as Iowa's breakout defensive back in 2025. A former five-star recruit, the talent has flashed for Nwankpa, but the consistency of that talent has been the issue.

Entering his fourth year with the program and under defensive coordinator Phil Parker, Nwankpa could be primed for a breakout season. With just two interceptions in his career so far, the Iowa native has the potential to be the difference-maker on the back end in 2025.

Mark Gronowski combines for at least 25 total touchdowns

Mark Gronowski has only had fewer than 25 touchdowns once in his career, and that came in his freshman season when he had 15 passing touchdowns and seven rushing touchdowns. The other three seasons at South Dakota State, he tallied touchdown totals of 38 in 2022, 37 in 2023, and 33 in 2024.

There will be an adjustment period and some growing pains moving to the Big Ten, but Tim Lester's offense should help to alleviate many of those issues. Gronowski has the arm talent Iowa has been missing, paired with the dual-threat running ability to find the end zone 25 times for Iowa this year and be an offensive weapon they have been severely missing.

Iowa averages over 30 points per game offensively

The last time Iowa averaged more than 30 points per game was in 2020, the COVID-19-shortened season. They averaged 31.8 points per game. Before that, the last time Iowa averaged more than 30 points per game in a full season was 2018.

In 2024, Iowa took a step forward and averaged 27.7 points per game, which was good for 72nd best in the country. With a better quarterback, more time to learn the system, and an experienced line up front, the Hawkeyes grow on offense and have enough firepower to win some games on their own, as opposed to prior years of relying on defensive scores and special teams plays.

Bonus Prediction: Kamari Moulton and Jaziun Patterson combine for 1,400 rushing yards

In 2024, Kamari Moulton and Jaziun Patterson combined for 782 yards on 147 carries. The two combined to average a strong 5.3 yards per carry. For context, Kaleb Johnson ran for 1,599 yards on 240 carries. If these two had been given all of those carries, they were on pace for roughly 1,300 yards.

Moulton figures to be the lead back in the offense, with Patterson spelling him in a rotational capacity. With the offensive line in their second year of Lester's scheme, after paving the way for 2,564 yards in 2024, these two figure to have a breakout season and combine for at least 1,400 rushing yards.