A spring Saturday in Iowa City disguised itself as a fall Saturday, as black and gold trickled its way into Kinnick Stadium for this year’s open spring practice.
After battling a monstrous schedule to finish the 2025 season 9-4, hopes are high for the Iowa Hawkeyes. However, arguably the biggest strength of Iowa over the past few years is now the biggest question mark ahead of the 2026 season—the defense.
The Hawkeye defense took a big cut, losing an abundance of productive defensive linemen in Aaron Graves, Ethan Hurkett, Max Llewellyn, Brian Allen, and Jonah Pace. Defensive coordinator Phil Parker and head coach Kirk Ferentz recognize the loss of big bodies, but see talent in the defensive units they have.
Defensive Line
“We have a lot of work to do,” Ferentz said, regarding the defensive line. “It’s a little tougher up front, on both sides of the ball. If you think about it, we lost six out of our top eight last year.”
But Ferentz and Co. aren’t focused on the past.
“The good thing about being young and being maybe a little on the undeveloped side is that you can improve faster and grow faster. We just have to realize we have to maximize every opportunity,” Ferentz said.
When it comes to young players, Iose Epenesa is one to keep an eye out for. The defensive end is entering his second season as a Hawkeye, seeking a bigger role in the program with the recent openings in the line.
Taking after his brother A.J., who is now in the NFL, Epenesa is progressing quickly, and Parker predicts he will become a strong asset to the defensive line. Epenesa continues to improve day-by-day, fighting to be one of Iowa’s best, a common theme among the locker room.
“Every single guy in the room is showing up, and they’re working as hard as they can every single day,” linebacker Jayden Montgomery said. “I think every guy in the linebacker room could start.”
Ferentz also took advantage of the transfer portal over the offseason, acquiring Kahmari Brown from Elon.
“He’s definitely sticking out,” defensive tackle Bryce Hawthorne said. “He’s a real good pass rusher. He’s teaching me and helping me out with my pass rushing.”
It was clear to everyone at open practice that Brown fits right in, adapting to his new environment and teammates with ease. Parker plans to utilize Brown as much as possible, developing him efficiently as a pass rusher and building him to be a more intelligent player, learning the ins and outs of Iowa’s defensive strategy.
Defensive Backs
Meanwhile, the defensive backs were worked in practice, getting non-stop plays for all 105 minutes.
Zach Lutmer is predicted to be one of Iowa’s main defensive pieces after dominating his redshirt sophomore season, recording 71 tackles, seven pass breakups, and three interceptions. In open practice, Lutmer was a gnat, up in his opponent’s face and making it anything but easy for them to make a play.
Participating in drills opposite of Lutmer was third-year sophomore Rashad Godfrey Jr. He appeared in 12 games last season, but broke out in Iowa’s final match-up against Nebraska, recording 9 tackles and forcing a fumble at cornerback.
Overall, Parker and Ferentz seek to build the DBs up, developing them into threats on the turf and using them more to Iowa’s advantage.
“I think we have tremendous depth,” Montgomery said, regarding Iowa’s defense as a whole. “We have a high standard, which is important. But, I think our focus for spring was, as a young room, to continue to grow and to learn off of each other.”
Looking ahead
“At the end of the day, this whole football team, consistency is going to be a big part of it,” Ferentz said. “I think we’re capable of doing some things, but haven’t shown much consistency in this period of 15 days, but I’ve seen guys grow, which is good.”
The Hawkeye defense will be on full display starting September 5th, in Iowa’s season opener against Northern Illinois.