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Iowa football's 2020s decade has been mired by years of offensive struggles, but the Hawkeyes finally seem to be heading in the right direction under third-year coordinator Tim Lester. 

Iowa was a very respectable 47th in total offense last year, but something that held it back was its mediocre passing attack. Mark Gronowski's injury in September probably didn't help, and though there were good outings mixed in, the Hawkeyes just couldn't find much consistency there in 2025. 

While the concerns of who will be the quarterback in 2026 are valid, Iowa's wide receivers are poised to take a major step in 2026. That's a bold statement considering the Hawkeyes don't have a good recent history at the position (no wide receiver has tallied 1,000 yards in a season since 2011), but Lester has slowly elevated the talent in this room over his two years running the offense. 

Four wideouts tallied over 100 yards, and while that might be a low bar for Lester and Co., it shows the Shanahan offense is getting more weapons involved. 

Speaking of weapons, Iowa has a lot of them in 2026, so here's your wide receiver preview. 

Names To Watch 

Reece Vander Zee: When you're talking about Iowa wideouts, the first name that has to be mentioned here is Vander Zee. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Vander Zee has battled injuries in his first two seasons, but if he can stay healthy this year, he's undoubtedly the No. 1 man in this room. Vander Zee's height not only allows him to be a dangerous threat in the red zone, but he's one of those guys that can go up and get the football in crowded areas. The third-year tallied 219 yards on 15 catches a year ago, and one would think that production is likely to increase this year. He's got three years of eligibility remaining thanks to the five-year rule. 

Tony Diaz: Outside of maybe L.J. Phillips, no Hawkeye transfer has received more praise in the offseason than Diaz. Kirk Ferentz compared him to program legends Bob Sanders and Marshal Yanda at Big Ten Media Days on July 28, so it's safe to say the hype is there for the UTRGV transfer. The 5-foot-10, 184-pound Diaz has everything a wide receiver at the Power Four level should have – great route running, speed, and body control, and should be a perfect pairing with the lengthy Vander Zee. Diaz tallied 875 yards at the FCS level last year, and if he can manage to just get half of that in the Big Ten this year, then the Hawkeyes will be in fantastic shape. He's got three years of eligibility remaining 

Dayton Howard: Iowa is going to heavily use its tight ends as well, but if there's a third man to watch out for this year, it's Dayton Howard. Howard hasn't earned as much attention as Diaz and Vander Zee, but he's got the experience and size (6-foot-5, 215 pounds) to be a factor in this room in 2026. Howard tallied only 91 yards last year, but did earn three starts later in the year and scored a touchdown against USC. It's also worth mentioning that Howard was lightly recruited out of high school, so could he be another recruiting win for Kirk Ferentz? We'll see. 

Potential Breakout Candidates 

Evan James: Not many people have talked about James, but they are now after he tallied a pair of touchdowns during the Kids' Day scrimmage. The 5-foot-10, 170-pound James comes to Iowa City after recording 796 yards and seven touchdowns at the FCS level for Furman last year, and could be a good depth piece for the Hawkeyes this season. 

KJ Parker: The practice highlights have been thrown everywhere on social media, but can Parker translate that to the field this year? The 5-foot-10, 191-pound Parker has great agility and catching ability, but he's collected just three receptions in his college career so far. 

Jarriett Buie: Buie tallied 94 yards in six games played in 2024, but an injury sidelined him for the entire 2025 season. Buie has good size at 6-foot-2 and 198 pounds, but the main question for him will be if he can get back to game speed. He looked good at Kids' Day, but we'll see what role he could potentially play in this offense.

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This is easily the biggest giveaway we've ever done on this site, and it's a great opportunity for two lucky fans to experience the joy of attending a Hawkeye football game at Kinnick Stadium. 

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HawkeyeRoundtable publisher Brad Schultz has covered the Iowa Hawkeyes since 2023. To send him story ideas, scoops, or criticize his writing, reach him at bradschultz@roundtable.io

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