Big hits, interceptions, and pass breakups have been a staple of the Iowa football secondary for years under defensive coordinator Phil Parker. Each one of those things were on full display during Saturday’s open spring practice at Kinnick Stadium.
The Hawkeye secondary will enter 2025 with some unanswered questions, but the unit gave the Hawkeye faithful a show throughout the practice.
Most of the Hawkeyes’ secondary has playing experience, whether it be starting on defense or getting repetitions on special teams. Safeties Koen Entringer and Xavier Nwankpa saw a bulk of that playing time in 2024, and will likely be the strong and free safeties this season.
Nwankpa was not in uniform for the open practice on Saturday, as he continues to battle a minor foot injury. While the third-year safety was forced to watch from the sidelines, he liked what he saw from his fellow defensive backs.
“They’re really just competing,” Nwankpa said. “That’s the standard every day, come out here and compete. There’s good energy, they made a bunch of plays, and they had a pick in the endzone. So just having the guys out there competing every day, it’s just going to make the team better going into the fall.”
Entringer, a third-year safety, made some big plays on Saturday in both the pass and run games. Entringer rotated from free safety to strong safety, and even got some reps as the nickel or “cash” position, as Iowa calls it.
Entringer played in 12 games for the Hawkeyes last season, starting in one. The junior proved to be a valuable asset for Parker, who often moved Entringer to multiple positions throughout the season and even during games.
Entringer registered a couple of pass breakups and shut down the run game throughout Saturday’s practice. He was also one of the most vocal leaders on the field, making sure that each of his teammates were in their correct spots.
Perhaps the biggest question surrounding this unit was the number one cornerback spot. Following Jermari Harris’ departure, Iowa has had a consistent two-man battle for the number one spot.
Deshaun Lee and TJ Hall both played alongside Harris last season, and will now battle for the open spot. Hall impressed during the 7-on-7 drills, tallying multiple pass breakups and delivering a huge hit on the sideline to fire up his defense.
MONSTER hit by TJ Hall pic.twitter.com/PpndwOjikg
— Brad Schultz (@BradMSchultz) April 26, 2025
Another integral part of constructing this Hawkeyes defense is finding a way to mesh all three levels. With key pieces leaving key positions, Iowa has needed players to step up into key roles.
“We’ve definitely had to fill some spots,” middle linebacker Karson Sharar said. “Guys had to step up, and they’ve done a great job throughout spring ball. We keep improving together as a unit, and keep taking strides forward.”
Though the Iowa coaching staff likely has a slight idea of which players will start in the season opener against Albany on Aug. 30, summer practice could easily tell a different story.
“We’ve probably got three or four guys on the interior, and at corner, we’ve probably got a three-man battle with a couple guys working to be the fourth guy,” head coach Kirk Ferentz said. “I don’t think we’ll really know for sure until we get close to game time, and we may not even know then until we start playing and see who’s who and what’s what.”