Iowa football’s 2026 recruiting class gains momentum after three quick commitments

IOWA CITY — Iowa football chief of staff/general manager Tyler Barnes hinted at some good news when he tweeted three little yellow bird emoji on Sunday afternoon after a weekend of unofficial visits.

Later that afternoon, 2026 offensive line recruit Owen Linder announced his commitment to the Hawkeyes. Fellow 2026 offensive lineman Colin Whitters joined Linder the next morning as the Iowa City West standout announced his commitment.

Then to complete the trifecta, 2026 offensive lineman Hudson Parliament announced his commitment on Monday afternoon.

The recent slew of commitments leaves Iowa with some obvious momentum in the 2026 recruiting cycle ahead of the February dead period. The Hawkeyes now have six commitments for 2026 from five different states, spanning geographically from California to Michigan.

That includes two players with four-star ratings from 247 Sports — Carson Nielsen from Waterloo and the aforementioned Parliament from Brandon, S.D. — and Detroit-area defensive back Marcello Vitti, who has a four-star rating from Rivals.

The 2026 class also includes quarterback Cash Herrera — a prospect from the San Diego area who passed on an offer from nearby UCLA (and other Power Four programs) to play in Tim Lester’s Iowa offense.

On3 ranks Iowa’s 2026 class 16th nationally and sixth in the Big Ten, as of Tuesday morning. Meanwhile, 247 Sports ranks Iowa 14th nationally and fourth in the Big Ten. Rivals is the most bullish out of the major recruiting sites, slotting the Hawkeyes at 12th nationally and fourth in the Big Ten.

Recruiting rankings are fluid, of course. Rivals and 247 Sports have Iowa’s 2026 class ahead of Ohio State’s class, for example, and that does not seem likely to remain the case given the reigning national champion’s wealthy coffers.

Ranking fluctuation aside, the Hawkeyes’ 2026 class appears to be in good shape at offensive line with Nielson, Parliament, Linder and Whitters on board. Iowa took two offensive linemen in the 2025 high school recruiting class and four offensive linemen each in the 2024 and 2023 classes.

Nielsen has the highest rating from On3 and 247 Sports out of any of the four committed offensive linemen, but recruiting ratings are far from a perfect indicator of future success. Kade Pieper, for example, was Iowa’s lowest-rated offensive line recruit in the 2023 recruiting class, yet he took more in-game snaps in 2024 than the three other offensive linemen in his class combined.

Quarterback is not necessarily a dire need after Herrera’s commitment. But the Hawkeyes took two quarterbacks in the 2025 class — Jimmy Sullivan on scholarship and Ryan Fitzgerald as a preferred walk-on — and that could quite possibly happen again in 2026. Mason Atkins, a 2026 quarterback from Aurora, Ill., was among the visitors at Iowa’s junior day last weekend.

As for the other positions, Iowa has more work to do.

Iowa’s 2025 class was relatively smaller — 15 scholarship players and a few preferred walk-ons — amid the upcoming roster cutdown to the 105-player cap that goes into effect next season. But with a relatively larger senior class graduating after the 2025 season, the Hawkeyes may have the ability (and need) to add more in 2026.

Before looking too far ahead, many variables exist that could impact Iowa’s post-2025 outlook in the next 10-plus months, including the spring transfer portal window.

At least for now, though, the Hawkeyes are in an enviable spot on the 2026 recruiting trail.

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com

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