Watch: Iowa’s Kade Pieper wins Hay Bale Toss at Solon Beef Days 2025
Iowa football offensive lineman Kade Pieper won the Hay Bale Toss at Solon Beef Days on July 18, 2025. Pieper is now a back-to-back champion.
IOWA CITY — Iowa football was picked to finish 10th in the Big Ten, and three Hawkeyes earned preseason recognition, in a poll of USA TODAY Sports Network writers who cover the conference.
Two Iowa offensive linemen — Logan Jones and Gennings Dunker — earned spots on the preseason USA TODAY Sports Network 2025 All-Big Ten team. Jones was one of five unanimous selections.Â
Meanwhile, Kaden Wetjen was named preseason All-Big Ten as an all-purpose specialist.
Penn State was the preseason pick to win the Big Ten, followed by Ohio State, Oregon and Michigan to round out the top four teams.
Iowa was picked to finish in the bottom half of the 18-team league.
The Hawkeyes are scheduled to play five Big Ten teams picked above them this season, including the preseason favorite — Penn State (home), Oregon (home), Indiana (home), USC (away) and Nebraska (away). Iowa also plays four Big Ten teams projected to finish below them — Minnesota (away), Wisconsin (away), Rutgers (away) and Michigan State (home).
USA TODAY Sports Network preseason Big Ten champion, order of finish
Teams were ranked first through 18th with a total points system used to rank teams: a first-place prediction equaled one point and last was 18. The team with the fewest points was ranked first.
1. Penn State, 16
2. Ohio State, 20
3. Oregon, 26
4. Michigan, 45
5. Illinois, 55
6. Indiana, 63
7. USC, 72
(tie) 8. Nebraska, 85
(tie) 8. Washington, 85
10. Iowa, 86
11. Minnesota, 112
12. Wisconsin, 117
13. Rutgers, 138
14. UCLA, 139
15. Michigan State, 141
16. Maryland, 155
17. Northwestern, 165
18. Purdue, 180
Champion:Â Penn State (5 votes)
Both Hawkeyes on the preseason All-Big Ten offensive team are on the line.
Jones has been a fixture at center for the Hawkeyes, starting 38 games combined across the last three seasons at Iowa. Jones could’ve pursued a future in the NFL this offseason but instead decided to return for another run in Iowa City. He now enters the 2025 campaign regarded among the best offensive linemen in the Big Ten.
In his second season as a regular starter on Iowa’s offensive line, Dunker broke through as a bulldozing force during the 2024 campaign for the Hawkeyes. Jones and Dunker were crucial parts of paving the way for running back Kaleb Johnson, who was selected in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft. With a wealth of experience under his belt, Dunker has generated serious NFL Draft buzz himself as he enters his fifth season in the Iowa program.
USA TODAY Sports Network 2025 preseason All-Big Ten offense
(Italicized denotes unanimous selection)
Quarterback:Â Drew Allar, Penn State
Running back (2):Â Jonah Coleman, Washington; Nicholas Singleton, Penn State
Wide receiver (2):Â Elijah Sarratt, Indiana;Â Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State
Tight end:Â Max Klare, Ohio State
Offensive tackle (2):Â Gennings Dunker, Iowa; Isaiah World, Oregon
Offensive guard (2):Â Olaivavega Ioane, Penn State; Emmanuel Pregnon, Oregon
Offensive center:Â Logan Jones, Iowa
The Hawkeyes did not have any players named to the preseason All-Big Ten defensive team, which speaks to the level of unknown on that side of the ball after losing so many contributors from last season.
USA TODAY Sports Network 2025 preseason All-Big Ten defense
Defensive line (4):Â Zane Durant, Penn State; Gabe Jacas, Illinois; Mikail Kamara, Indiana; Matayo Uiagalelei, Oregon
Linebacker (3):Â Bryce Boettcher, Oregon; Aiden Fisher, Indiana;Â Sonny Styles, Ohio State
Defensive backs (4): Caleb Downs, Ohio State; D’Angelo Ponds, Indiana; Dillon Thieneman, Oregon; (tie) Koi Perich, Minnesota and Xavier Scott, Illinois
Wetjen was one of three specialists to earn preseason All-Big Ten honors. Wetjen emerged as a special teams weapon for the Hawkeyes last season and was named the 2024 Jet Award winner, given to college football’s most outstanding return specialist. Wetjen finished last season with one punt return touchdown (vs. Northwestern) and one kickoff return touchdown (vs. Missouri).
USA TODAY Sports Network 2025 preseason All-Big Ten specialists
Kicker:Â Dominic Zvada, Michigan
Punter:Â Ryan Eckley, Michigan State
All-purpose:Â Kaden Wetjen, Iowa
USA TODAY Sports Network 2025 preseason Big Ten awards
Player of the year:Â Jeremiah Smith, wide receiver, Ohio State
Coach of the year:Â James Franklin, Penn State
Newcomer of the year:Â Makhi Hughes, running back, Oregon
Follow Tyler Tachman on X @Tyler_T15, contact via email at ttachman@gannett.com
