Iowa Football Signees and Recruits at State Wrestling Tournament

The IHSAA will hold the first round of the state wrestling tournament at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines on Wednesday this week. The Iowa football program has strong connections to talented wrestlers, as they've been able to bring them in and transform them into first-round NFL draft picks like Tristan Wirfs and Tyler Linderbaum.

Who could be next? We'll see a few future Hawks and Iowa targets wrestle for state championships later this week.

One of the two four-star prospects Iowa signed in their 2024 recruiting class, Cody Fox from East Buchanan will head to Des Moines as the second seed at heavyweight with a record of 44-2. Last season, he finished sixth in the same weight class.

Fox totaled 62.5 tackles, including ten tackles for loss and four sacks on defense this football season. He was also an all-state offensive lineman for the third year in a row.

Potentially waiting for Fox in the final will be Mason Knipp, the #1 seed out of Columbus Catholic in Waterloo. The most recent addition to the Hawkeyes 2024 preferred walk-on class, Knipp is the reigning 1A champion at 220 pounds. He took the title last year by defeating then-defending 220-pound state champion, Jared Thiry of Don Bosco Gilbertville. He scored a winning takedown with 29 seconds left in sudden victory for a 3-1 win.

Knipp enters the week with a 34-0 record.

During his senior campaign on the football field for the Sailors, Knipp posted 78 tackles, including 36.5 tackles for loss and 11 sacks. He was a pivotal piece in Columbus' run to the 1A semifinals in 2023.

Ethan Wood, a junior out of Mount Vernon, returns to the state tournament this season, jumping from 195 pounds last year to heavyweight this winter. He enters the event as the five-seed with a record of 39-9. At last season's state tournament, he bowed out in the round of 16.

Wood took multiple game day visits to Kinnick this fall. On the gridiron, he posted 36 tackles, including 17 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks for the Mustangs on defense. Offensively, he caught 24 passes for 347 yards and three scores. He has received interest from North Dakota, North Dakota State, South Dakota, South Dakota State and St. Thomas.

The six-seed in the same class and weight is another 2024 PWO, Trent Cakerice. He has a record of 37-3. Like Wood at the 2023 state tournament, the Grundy Center product was eliminated before he could earn a medal, falling in the quarterfinals.

For the football state champion Spartans, Cakerice posted 56.5 tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks in 2023.

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Seeking his second-straight state championship is Dreshaun Ross out of Fort Dodge. Ross took the belt at 195 pounds last year, and enters this week's event as the one seed at 220-pounds with a 43-0 record.

Ross is the only football recruit on this list with an offer that has yet to sign. He's a priority for the Hawkeyes in their 2026 recruiting cycle.

As mentioned before, the All-American wrestler may be keeping an eye on Iowa linebacker and wrestler Ben Kueter to see how his career pans out over the next two years, as Ross may have a chance to compete in both sports at Iowa as well.

On the football field this fall, Ross ran the ball 120 times for 729 yards and eight touchdowns on offense and posted 61.5 tackles and 11 tackles for loss on defense. He also had two interceptions as well.

In addition to an Iowa football offer, Ross also has offers from Iowa State, Purdue, Nebraska, Minnesota, Missouri and Kansas State.

Drew Campbell returns to the state meet looking for his first-ever medal. Last season, he was defeated in the round of 16 by current Hawkeye fullback, Rusty VanWetzinga. This year, he enters the tournament as the four-seed with a record of 26-3.

As a senior captain for the football Tigers, Campbell posted 64.5 tackles, 21.5 tackles for loss and six sacks this season.