Iowa has landed the commitment of Brody Schaffer, a 2026 three-star wide receiver out of Winneconne, Wisconsin.
The high school quarterback and defensive back chose Iowa over offers from programs including Northwestern, Washington State, Texas State and more. Iowa State and Wisconsin were among other teams that had also shown interest.
Schaffer has been on campus at Iowa just once -- for the Hawkeyes' Junior Day in January -- but he "felt like it was the place for him."
"I attended their junior day and I immediately felt at home," Schaffer told national analyst Greg Smith. "The way they’ve treated me throughout this process is amazing and I’m forever grateful for their belief in me as a player. They have a great fan base and support that makes playing at Iowa a really special opportunity. The coaching staff is consistent and has some of the purest and most down to earth people and that’s what has helped me make this decision. Go Hawkeyes!”
Prior to his decision, Schaffer sat down with Hawkeye Beacon to discuss his preliminary interest with Iowa and the offer they extended him. He was impressed with wide receivers coach Jon Budmayr.
"He's a great coach. He was at Wisconsin for a while, so we connect in that sort of way," Schaffer said. "He's all about relationships. He's that type of coach. He loves building relationships with the players and connecting outside of football, and that's what I'm looking for in a coach -- one who's there for me as a coach and as a person to talk to. That's really important to me, and he showed that to me. That's why we've developed a really good relationship so far."
A quarterback turned receiver -- much like Budmayr's trajectory as a coach -- Schaffer has a great appreciation for the way Budmayr teaches the position.
"I think it's really important that he also played quarterback," Schaffer said. "He knows those type of things. It's a really great way to connect."
Schaffer first popped up on Iowa's radar thanks to Nike's The Next Ones, a new, annual event hosted by the NFL that brought in 33 of the top high school football players to New Orleans. Each NFL team, plus Europe's NFL Academy selected a high school player to take part in the one-day combine that allowed each prospect to show their talents and be coached by NFL Legends.
Schaffer was selected to represent the Packers, as Winneconne resides just under an hour south of Green Bay. NFL players -- even some from the Packers organization -- provided coaching and teaching during the event.
"I had a few really nice plays at receiver, and honestly, Iowa was waiting to see some more film at receiver. I think going to compete against some of the best players in the country at this event really helped them push to offer," Schaffer said. "I'm really grateful for that because I'm just an athlete and I'm able to play a lot of different positions. ... I have experience at receiver, but at the same time I feel like they see my athleticism and they see me move and they know that I can play receiver at a high level."
Schaffer is the seventh commit in Iowa's 2026 recruiting class, joining Hudson Parliament, Colin Whitters, Owen Linder, Carson Nielsen, Cash Herrera and Marcello Vitti as commits in Iowa's 2026 recruiting class.
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