Early Signing Day is here!
Wednesday is the first day high school athletes in the class of 2025 can sign letters of intent to accept scholarship offers for college football. Iowa is expecting to sign 15 athletes Wednesday, headlined by DE Iose Epenesa and several other 4-star prospects.
Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz and director of recruiting Tyler Barnes will meet with the media to discuss the class on Wednesday as well; that video will be made available after the press conference, and select quotes from the coaches will be listed for several players.
Below are Iowa's 2025 commits, sorted by their commitment status. Click on their player cards to view their full Rivals profiles. This list will update as more National Letters of Intent are signed.
Check this page all week for the latest recruiting content from Eliot, Adam and Ross as we break down the 2024 recruiting class.
PREMIUM ANALYSIS
MEDIA
SIGNED — 15/15
NATHAN MCNEIL
PREMIUM: "How much they run the ball and trust their RBs, that's a big thing"
Nathan is a multi-faceted offensive weapon who could thrive in a Tim Lester offense. He picked Iowa over Arkansas State and Rhode Island.
BRAD FITZGIBBON
PREMIUM: "It was a gut feeling, like, 'this is where I want to be'"
Brad is a disruptive interior force at DT from Chicago, IL. Fitzgibbon chose the Hawkeyes over Michigan State and Kansas, and he had offers from several other Big Ten schools.
JIMMY SULLIVAN
PREMIUM: "I absolutely love Coach Lester"
Iowa's signal-caller of the class, Jimmy is a sure-armed slinger from Fort Wayne, Indiana. Sullivan picked the Hawkeyes over Big Ten foes Illinois, Michigan State and Minnesota, among others.
BARNES: "Tim [Lester] is actually not going out on the road recruiting. I took his place this year because he wanted to be on campus all spring with Jimmy."
BURKE GAUTCHER
PREMIUM: "I'm pretty fast downhill and a physical guy"
Gautcher is a cerebral all-purpose athlete from Sycamore, Illinois, whom Iowa projects to outside linebacker. He chose the Hawkeyes over offers from Illinois and Minnesota.
MASON WOODS
PREMIUM: "Coach Hodge knows how to coach me"
The son of special teams coordinator LeVar Woods, Mason will bring plus-level athleticism to an already-stacked tight end room. Woods selected Iowa over Kansas, Kansas State and Missouri among a total of nine D-I offers.
BARNES: "Kind of Noah Fant-ish, if you will. He is a guy who can really run. Awesome ball skills. Very fluid. He can just be a mismatch out there. I think he's a guy that Tim [Lester] is looking forward to as a new toy to have in that room."
ELI JOHNSON
PREMIUM: "He has the potential to be great there"
Eli is an athletic tight end with an expanding skill set and a Big Ten frame. He chose the Hawkeyes over Minnesota, Kansas and Iowa State, among numerous other power-conference offers.
BARNES: "A guy that is from Wisconsin, but he's 25 minutes from Minneapolis. How Minnesota and Wisconsin weren't all over this kid before we got to him is unbelievable because he stands out like a sore thumb."
CARSON COONEY
PREMIUM: "Iowa is different from every other school linebacker-wise"
Carson is an explosive linebacker from Oswego, Illinois, with high-end playmaking skills. He chose Iowa over Wisconsin and in-state Illinois and Northwestern.
IOSE EPENESA
PREMIUM: "Epenesa has the potential to lead the pack"
Iose is an elite DE prospect who is the son of former DT Eppy Epenesa and the brother of current Buffalo Bill DE A.J. Epenesa and graduating LB Eric Epenesa. He took official visits to Missouri, Utah, Miami and Penn State before picking the Hawkeyes.
BARNES: "We certainly weren't going to pressure Iose. We wanted him to want to come here on his own and not because his brothers went here and his dad went here."
CHARLES "CJ" BELL
PREMIUM: "He's an elite athlete"
CJ is a long, fluid corner who can thrive in Iowa's defense. He chose the Hawkeyes over Notre Dame, Penn State, Tennessee and several other power-conference programs.
JOEY VANWETZINGA
PREMIUM: "It's something I dreamed of since I was a kid"
The brother of walk-on fullback Rusty VanWetzinga IV, Joey is a stout lineman who could project to either side of the ball. Iowa was his only offer.
THOMAS MEYER
PREMIUM: "It's a great fit for me and my family"
Meyer is a playmaking tight end and the top-rated 2025 recruit in the state of Iowa. He picked the Hawkeyes over Iowa State, Kansas and Missouri, and also held offers from several high-profile programs like Miami, Nebraska and Texas A&M.
BARNES: "Thomas speaks for himself. Highly-recruited kid in the state. Thankfully comes from a Hawkeye family. They've had season tickets forever."
DREW MACPHERSON
PREMIUM: "I just love football, I'll play wherever they put me"
Drew MacPherson is a versatile, aggressive athlete that Iowa plans to move to safety. Iowa was his first power-conference offer.
LUCAS ALLGEYER
PREMIUM: "I think I have really high potential with tackle at the next level"
Lucas is an imposing tackle prospect and the nephew of former Hawkeye OL Ken Allgeyer (1986-1990). He chose the Hawkeyes over Northwestern and Kansas State, and received offers from several other power-conference teams.
O'LONTAE DEAN
PREMIUM: "Dean is probably the most versatile athlete in this class"
A signing-day commitment, Dean is an explosive talent who projects to add versatility and playmaking to Iowa's defensive backs room. He chose the Hawkeyes over strong late interest from Louisville, as well as LSU, Ole Miss, and several power-conference teams.
BARNES: "Yeah, this kid is a little bit different. He's a kid that plays everything from safety to outside backer, running back, to receiver. He can kind of do it all. ... For us, he's going to be strictly a safety. Where he fits back in the back three, we'll see."
TERRENCE SMITH
PREMIUM: "He's just a big play guy"
Terrence Smith is a rangy weapon with home-run potential from Aurora, IL. Iowa beat out Minnesota most notably for Smith.
BARNES: "He has big hands, 50/50 balls are not 50/50 balls for Terrence. Those are 70/25 balls. He is really great at high-pointing the ball. ... If he were 30 minutes east in Chicago a little bit closer, he probably would have had 25 offers. How he didn't get more offers is kind of crazy to me."
