Iowa football rules out DB vs. Ohio State

The Iowa football program has a Herculean task in front of it on Saturday. And that challenge just got a little more difficult.

The 14th-ranked Hawkeyes are hosting No. 6 Ohio State inside Kinnick Stadium on Saturday afternoon as "College GameDay" descends upon Iowa City. Phil Parker's defense will have to contend with third-year Buckeye wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. And they'll have to do so without a key contributor on the back end.

Third-year defensive back Tyler Brown was ruled out against Ohio State in Wednesday's availability report. The 5-foot-10, 201-pound Brown came up hobbling in the fourth quarter against Michigan and will now miss a game with an injury.

Iowa safety Tyler Brown is currently listed as out against Ohio State, per the first Big Ten injury report for the Hawkeyes.

Darion Jones and Derek Weisskopf listed as questionable and both play important roles on special teams for the Hawkeyes. pic.twitter.com/ZDCtgGldPa

— Sean Bock (@SBock247) October 1, 2026

Brown missed the first two games of the season with a soft tissue injury suffered in the offseason. He returned against Northern Iowa and played against the Wolverines before getting banged up again. The James Madison transfer was set to be a big contributor for Iowa's defense this season, but he has struggled to stay healthy. He has 10 total tackles and a forced fumble in two games.

Villanova transfer Anthony Hawkins, who started the first two weeks of the season, will get the nod again on Saturday. Hawkins has six total tackles in 2026.

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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa football rules out DB vs. Ohio State