2026 four-star quarterback Peyton Falzone is fresh off a trip to Iowa City. The No. 6 QB in the country in the class of 2026, Falzone hails from Nazareth Area High School in Pennsylvania.
Falzone caught up with Hawkeye Beacon to discuss the visit, the fact that Iowa already has a 2026 QB commit, how Tim Lester would use him in the Iowa offense and more.
Falzone recently decommitted from Virginia Tech and opened up his recruitment prior to visiting Iowa. Though he made his initial decision to commit to Virginia Tech at a relatively normal time for quarterback recruits in the 2026 class to do so, Falzone continued to take visits to other programs, and that's what ultimately pushed his decision to decommit from the Hokies.
"I wanted to be able to embrace those visits openly and to give them my all," he said. "The schools need to know you're actively interested in them for you to get their full attention. I really just wanted to be able to visit other places, be locked in with them and be able to learn about their programs. I felt being committed somewhere, it wasn't right for me to try to do that."
And thus, he re-opened his recruitment. Iowa was the first program he visited following his decommitment from the Hokies.
"[Iowa] is a really cool place. I had a good visit," Falzone said. "It was great being able to talk with Coach (Kirk) Ferentz and Coach Lester before the game. I just kind of got to sit down and ask him questions I have for the program and things like that. I think there's a great tradition there. I mean, obviously they've had great seasons under Coach Ferentz, and he's doing a great job. The tradition there is just fantastic, and I was glad I was able to make the trip."
Lester, who serves as Falzone's primary recruiter, provides an offense and a coaching style that Falzone could see himself buying into as well.
"I think he's a great coach, and he's very well respected, and that's for all the right reasons," Falzone said. "He runs an explosive offense, utilizing the run game to open up the passing lanes. He likes to complement both those parts of the game together, and that's where football flourishes the most. When you can throw the ball down the field, they're going to move guys out of the box, and eventually you can run the ball. So I just think he runs a great offense, definitely something exciting to watch."
And don't get it twisted -- Falzone has eyes. He knows the offense had its struggles against Nebraska in Iowa's 13-10 victory. He also recognizes the added context of the Hawkeyes having only Jackson Stratton, a fourth-string, walk-on, available as a starting quarterback.
"You have someone who doesn't normally take those one reps, you can only do so many things. That's understandable," Falzone said. "So a lot of the dynamic can change pretty fast when you have a guy who's less experienced step up in there. But, honestly, I think they did a good job, all things considered."
Falzone also puts some heavy stock in what Lester thinks of him as a prospect. Though the Hawkeyes have had a history of statues in the pocket, Falzone is certainly not that with 4.5 forty-yard dash speed -- and he knows it.
"That's something I don't see myself as, because I utilize my legs as a strength," Falzone said. "I use my legs to run around the field and extend plays. ...If the coach is searching for that pocket passer guy, I can do that. But I really value my legs in my game. That's something I'm proud of."
Lester recognizes that and would plan to use that mobility, should Falzone pick the Hawkeyes.
"[Coach Lester] mentioned my athleticism as such a plus," the four-star passer said. "He said it can make a lot of wrong calls right and kind of help them out. That's something that he was super supportive about, me being able to use my legs in the pocket and make stuff happen."
All the football discussion was a major plus for Falzone, but the number one thing he took away from his visit was how the staff interacted with him and his father.
"They went out of their way to make me and my dad feel at home," Falzone said. "The hospitality was incredible. The staff was super welcoming. Everyone I was able to talk to was very genuine, and that's a big thing. ...That's like super consistent throughout the program, so that was good."
The sense of authenticity for Falzone started with the program's head man.
"Coach Ferentz is a great person," Falzone said. "He's consistent with how he treats everybody, and consistency is the name of the game in football. With on the field and off the field with your coaches, they're great people there."
Now, to the elephant in the room: Iowa's already-committed 2026 quarterback, three-star Cash Herrera.
"[The staff] did not bring that up on their end of it," Falzone said. "Most of our conversation was kind of structured around me."
Though the Hawkeyes already have Herrera committed, Falzone is not concerned. Citing the coming change of 105 scholarship players on FBS rosters, the Pennsylvania native is prepared to commit to a school that will bring in two QBs in their recruiting class.
"That's just kind of what football has been trending towards," he said. "They're going to try to get in more quarterbacks, so you can't necessarily get as many guys in the portal as you would have liked."
Falzone welcomes whatever competition he may face at the college program he ultimately selects.
"That's not really something that ever scared me," he added. "I know when you go and you play at the Power Four level, you're going to be competing for your life every day, and every year they're going to bring in a new guy that's trying to be better than you.... It's going to be exciting to have someone else in a class to try to compete against and make each other better."
With that said, the Hawkeyes haven't offered Falzone a scholarship -- yet.
"They did not offer me," he said. "But I have a call with them sometime this week, probably tomorrow."
The Competition
Given Falzone's recent decommitment from Virginia Tech, his phone has been going off non-stop. In addition to offers from Penn State, Syracuse and Virginia Tech (a program he's still considering, despite his current decommitment decision), he has also received interest from several other programs, including South Carolina, Kansas State, Georgia, Ohio State.
Thanks to his aforementioned 40 time, his home state Nittany Lions initially offered him as a tight end or wide receiver, but they have since changed their tune and are now recruiting him as a quarterback. He's dead set on playing under center in college.
Other than that deal-breaker, Falzone remains completely open to anybody and everybody that is willing to recruit him.
"My recruitment is 100% open," he said. "The schools that have been reaching out, I take them all 100% seriously, and I'm open to anything right now. ... I'm going to be making visits in January and getting around to see as many places as I can."
When he does make his final decision, he knows what's going to be of most importance to him and his family.
"It has to click where I'm connecting with the coaches at a player level, but also as like a trust level where these are people I really want to play for -- they have my best interest in mind," he said.
"I want a school that develops quarterbacks and doesn't just want a guy that can plug in -- somewhere you can learn and grow in that offense. I want a school that really values a dual threat quarterback and having their QB run the ball and be able to make stuff happen with his legs and also having them have him be a threat in the pass game. So not just one or the other, but just having that nice dynamic level switching between both."
Evaluation
Falzone would be the best quarterback commit Iowa has landed in years, full stop. Tall and lanky with a big arm and elite-level speed for a quarterback, Falzone is the definition of a dual-threat QB.
Turn on his film, and you'll see strong examples of both his skill as a passer and his running ability.
On the first play of his tape, Falzone launches a 60-yard bomb on the money to his receiver for a touchdown. On the second play, he keeps the ball on an RPO, puts his foot in the ground and breaks the ankles of his would-be tacklers, makes two more defenders miss, and then out-runs the rest of the defense for a 50-yard touchdown run.
He can throw the ball on the run, too. On the third play of his tape, Falzone escapes a collapsing pocket, rolls to his right and fires a 50-yard pass down the field for the touchdown.
All of this adds up to a quarterback that can extend and make plays with his feet and his arm, and makes him a gunslinger that could ultimately change the narrative around the QB position at Iowa, should he choose to don black and gold.
