UCLA is set to enter its third season in the Big Ten following a sophomore campaign in which the program captured three NCAA championships – the most of any Big Ten school. The conference as a whole saw 11 national titles to its name in the most recent competitive cycle. Daily Bruin Sports will preview the football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball and other top programs of each Big Ten rival.
Football
2025 record: 9-4, 6-3 Big Ten, ReliaQuest Bowl win
Coach: Kirk Ferentz
Player to watch: Tony Diaz
With a history of dominating on the defensive line, a year of rebuilding poses some uncertainty for Iowa.
The departure of key veterans to the NFL, including defensive ends Ethan Hurkett and Max Llewellyn and defensive tackle Aaron Graves, has left big shoes to fill in a dominant line.
The defensive line allowed the eighth-fewest points per game in the nation last season, averaging 16.1. Defensive coordinator Phil Parker has been able to keep opponents’ offenses on their toes season after season.
The 2026 campaign is looking no different. The trio of defensive linemen Kenneth Merrieweather, Iose Epenesa and transfer Kahmari Brown may be the stability needed this season. Merrieweather played in all 13 games last year and recorded 14 tackles. Epenesa will likely see more playing time this season after making only four appearances as a true freshman. Brown – an Elon transfer – recorded a program-first 12 sacks last season.
The offense may also be able to relieve some pressure from the defensive line with its newly acquired depth to bolster the run game.
University of Texas Rio Grande Valley transfer wide receiver Tony Diaz will likely be the main target for whoever gets the nod at starting quarterback. Diaz brings a fresh explosive element to a Hawkeye offense that has struggled to score in the past. The San Marcos, Texas, local ranked No. 6 in the FCS with 11 receiving touchdowns, averaging 5.67 receptions per game last year.
Returning wide receiver Reece Vander Zee will see an increased role as well this season, after only playing in the last eight games of the 2025 campaign because of a preseason injury that kept him sidelined for the first stretch. Vander Zee finished the season with 15 receptions for 219 yards and two touchdowns. Entering the 2026 season healthy, he will have the opportunity to make a difference in the passing game for the Hawkeyes.
But who will be throwing to these wide receivers is still a question.
Hank Brown and Jeremy Hecklinski have battled through fall camp for the starting signal-caller spot, and going into Week 1, Brown is getting the nod. Hecklinski, though, is still expected to play some. Neither Brown nor Hecklinski has much in-game collegiate experience, but the former has competed a bit more, with experience in three games for Iowa.
Brown came off the bench in those games last season, completing 11 of his 21 passes for 107 yards and one touchdown. Hecklinski only saw the field twice, going 2-for-2 on his passes for eight yards.
With the defense entering a new era under Parker, the offense may be the key to taking the Hawkeyes back to a bowl game at the end of the year.
Men’s basketball
2025-26 record: 24-13, 10-10 Big Ten, Elite Eight appearance
Coach: Ben McCollum
Player to watch: Cooper Koch
Everyone loves a Cinderella story.
Then-No. 9 seed Iowa made it to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1987 and defeated three higher-ranked seeds on its way in: No. 8 seed Clemson, No. 1 seed Florida and No. 4 seed Nebraska. The Hawkeyes became the lowest-seeded Big Ten team to reach the Elite Eight in the history of the tournament.
But with the loss of its core player Bennett Stirtz to the NBA, Iowa will need to find a new way to write a compelling story.
Stirtz was a key contributor all around the court, being the sole player in the nation last season to have 730-plus points, 160-plus assists, 95-plus rebounds, 90-plus 3-pointers and 50-plus steals. Without him, the Hawkeyes will need to find a way to make up for his lost production.
And forward Cooper Koch may be the answer.
Koch started every game last season for the Hawkeyes, averaging 7.8 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. The Peoria, Illinois, local made 66 3-pointers – the second most on the team – while also scoring double-digit figures in 13 matchups. The preparation he’s done this summer will make him a problem for opposing defenses come November.
It’s never good for a team to lose its top-three scorers, but retaining the next best four is a good sign: Forward Cam Manyawu and guards Kael Combs and Tate Sage round out the four shooters behind Koch.
Manyawu finished with a team-leading .631 field goal percentage and second-highest rebounds with 169. Combs and Sage both averaged 6.1 points per game and will likely see more minutes this year.
Second-year coach Ben McCollum will need to piece together his returning core with his two transfers, center Andrew McKeever and guard Ty’Reek Coleman. McKeever averaged 8.2 points per game last season with Saint Mary’s and led the WCC with 302 rebounds, proving he can make a difference on the Hawkeyes’ defense. Coleman, an Illinois State transfer, averaged 10 points per game with 2.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists as a true freshman.
McCollum did the unthinkable as a first-year head coach, and with most of his team returning on top of gaining new players, we could see something similar going into March.
Women’s basketball
2025-26 record: 27-7, 15-3 Big Ten, NCAA tournament second-round exit
Coach: Jan Jensen
Player to watch: Ava Heiden
The Round of 32 curse has hit Iowa women’s basketball.
The Hawkeyes have fallen in the second round of the NCAA tournament in both seasons since their back-to-back national championship game appearances.
But this year they could return to their former glory – and that will all ride on center Ava Heiden.
With the departure of forward Hannah Stuelke to professional basketball, all eyes will be on Heiden. During her breakout sophomore campaign, she led the team with an average of 18 points and was second in rebounds with 7.2 per game. She also produced 1.3 blocks per game, good for No. 5 in the Big Ten. The Sherwood, Oregon, local was the key target of coach Jan Jensen’s offense last year and has high expectations on her entering the new season.
However, some scoring pressure will be relieved for her with the return of guard Chazadi “Chit-Chat” Wright and the addition of transfer Dani Carnegie.
Wright was the third-best shooter on the team during the 2025-26 season, averaging 12.5 points per game alongside 138 assists, which was the second-most of any Hawkeye. Carnegie, a Georgia transfer, averaged 17.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. The First Team All-SEC selection is poised to bolster the Hawkeyes’ scheme on either side of the ball. Carnegie will be a reliable option for Jensen after she saw action in all 32 of the Bulldogs’ games.
Aside from the transfer portal, Jensen is getting her highest-rated recruit yet in incoming freshman McKenna Woliczko, who was No. 6 overall in the class of 2026 and a five-star according to ESPN. Woliczko has experience with the United States national team, winning a gold medal at the 2024 FIBA U17 World Cup, where she averaged 12.4 points per game with 9.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists in seven matches. She will be key to spacing out the floor for Jensen’s offense and providing new speed in transition on the court.
Jensen will have all the parts to make it out of the Round of 32, but only time will tell how the team develops together.
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