UCLA is just weeks away from starting its second season in the Big Ten. After capturing seven Big Ten championships during their first year in the conference, the Bruins will look to build upon their inaugural year. Prior to the start of UCLA’s second Big Ten campaign, Daily Bruin Sports will preview football, basketball and other top programs from each school.

Football
2024 Record: 8-5, 6-3 Big Ten, TransPerfect Music City Bowl Loss
Coach: Kirk Ferentz
Player to watch: Ethan Hurkett

Iowa football has long had a reputation for dominating the trenches.

The Hawkeyes have boasted numerous low-scoring results yielded purely by limiting opposing offenses to even worse performances than their own.

But their 2024 campaign seemed to flip that script.

The Hawkeyes scored 40-plus points in four matches last season, the most since 2017, which was largely credited to a powerful run game.

Running back Kaleb Johnson ranked seventh in the nation with 1,537 ground yards and tied for sixth with 21 rushing touchdowns. The now-Pittsburgh Steeler’s 138 points accounted for almost 40% of his squad’s points last season.

But although Iowa’s rushing game excelled, its passing attack left much to be desired.

The Hawkeyes haven’t had a 2000-yard passer since Nate Stanley in 2019, and a Hawkeye quarterback hasn’t posted 3000 passing yards since eight years before that. Cade McNamara’s two seasons in Iowa were far from exceptional, notching fewer than 1,600 passing yards across two seasons – he was sacked more times than he reached the endzone.

Upon McNamara’s transfer to East Tennessee State, former South Dakota State quarterback Mark Gronowski can look to triumph where his predecessor fell short. The former Jackrabbit sported over 2,500 passing yards and 20-plus touchdowns in each of his last three seasons, including a career-high 3,058 in 2023. Gronowski also accrued a career-high 29 touchdowns and threw just five interceptions during his junior campaign.

However, Gronowski will have to work with a wideout core that ranked second-to-last in receiving yards per game in the Big Ten last season. Although receiving yards leader Jacob Gill returns to the Hawkeyes, he only posted 411 yards and two touchdowns throughout his junior season.

But former Chattanooga wide receiver Sam Phillips may bolster the receiver room. The Cartersville, Georgia, local was good for 823 receiving yards last year, which led the FCS Southern Conference.

Alongside a revamped offense, Iowa may look to rectify its historic identity – one built on defensive grit.

The Hawkeyes’ defense was middle of the pack in yards allowed per game in the Big Ten last season, allowing 318.4 yards per contest. And the departures of their two tackle leaders – linebackers Jay Higgins IV and Nick Jackson – to the NFL will not help the unit’s case.

However, Iowa retained defensive lineman Ethan Hurkett, who led the squad with 6.5 sacks and three forced fumbles in 2024. Lineman Aaron Graves also matched Hurkett’s forced fumble count last season.

The two seniors have the chance to lead a front seven that allowed the fourth-fewest rushing yards per game in the Big Ten just two seasons ago. And they are getting reinforcements too.

Defensive lineman Bryce Hawthorne – a four-star transfer from South Dakota State – committed to Iowa this summer after redshirting last season. Joining Hawthorne is former Central Michigan lineman Jonah Pace, who racked up four sacks in his junior campaign.

Regardless, the Hawkeye defensive front’s improvement may foster a two-way beast in the Big Ten.

Men’s Basketball
2024-25 Record: 17-16, 7-13 Big Ten
Coach: Ben McCollum
Player to watch: Bennett Stirtz

Just like an actual hawk, the Hawkeyes’ offense soared last season.

Iowa men’s basketball sported a top-20 points per game average in the nation, accomplishing this with an unselfish brand of basketball, as the squad’s 18.3 assists per game ranked third in the country.

But the program lost its top seven scorers from last season, including team-leading forwards Owen Freeman and Payton Sandfort, with the former transferring to Creighton and the latter graduating. Iowa is also now without its lead facilitator in guard Brock Harding, who took his talents to TCU after averaging 5.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game last season.

For a squad that had the second-fewest turnovers per game in the Big Ten last year, the Hawkeyes prioritized finding a new offensive initiator in the offseason.

And they found that in Bennett Stirtz.

The former Drake guard dominated in his first year of Division I competition, averaging 19.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game last season. His scoring and passing numbers, alongside his 2.1 steals per game, each ranked top 35 in the country and either first or second in the Missouri Valley Conference.

After leading his former squad to a program-best record, Stirtz helped clinch Drake’s first NCAA Tournament victory since 1971. And the reigning MVC Player of the Year is poised to shoulder a heavy role at Iowa, one that he seems suited to handle, since he boasted a nation-leading 39.3 minutes per game throughout the 2024-2025 campaign.

But where the Hawkeyes excelled, so did their opponents.

Iowa allowed the conference’s most points per game on the highest average field goal percentage last season. It also forfeited the most boards per contest in the Big Ten, which was largely due to a lack of size.

The 2024-25 roster did not have a single listed center, and it did not help that the team’s two leading rebounders from last year had departed before the upcoming season. The Hawkeyes’ singular center this season is true freshman Trevin Jirak, who could bear a large role from the get-go after winning Iowa Basketball Player of the Year in his senior season at Valley High School in West Des Moines, Iowa.

The three-star recruit secured 9.4 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game in his senior year, flashing his two-way potential. Jirak showcased an ability to spread the floor as well, averaging 16.2 points per game and shooting 38.6% from beyond the arc.

Former Drake coach Ben McCollum, who captained a record-breaking Drake squad last season in his singular year at the helm, will need to blend a retooled offense and a competent defense to remain competitive in the Big Ten – a tall task for any first-year head coach.

Women’s Basketball
2024-25 Record: 23-11, 10-8 Big Ten, NCAA Tournament Second Round Exit
Coach: Jan Jensen
Player to watch: Hannah Stuelke

Iowa women’s basketball has the opportunity to return to its former glory.

After reigning as three-time conference champions between 2022 and 2024, the Hawkeyes sustained a devastating one-point loss to Ohio State in last year’s Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals.

Following that conference three-peat, associate head coach Jan Jensen took over as the team’s full-time leader, and she now heads into her 26th campaign on the Hawkeyes’ coaching staff. Jansen has helped spearhead Iowa’s success, contributing to 18 NCAA Tournament appearances and five Big Ten Tournament championships.

But the well-oiled offensive machine that Iowa boasted last season needs restructuring, particularly after guard Lucy Olsen departed for the WNBA. The All-Big Ten First Team selection led the Hawkeyes with 17.9 points and 5.1 assists during the 2024-2025 campaign.

Olsen was the only Hawkeye to dish out more than three assists last season, and Jansen must look elsewhere to replace Olsen’s playmaking and scoring output.

Iowa returns its second-leading scorer from last season, forward Hannah Stuelke, to help ease the transition. The All-Big Ten Second Team honoree was Iowa’s only other double-digit scorer last year and can utilize her 6-foot-2 frame to dominate the glass and interior. Stuelke averaged 7.7 rebounds per game in 2025 – nearly cracking the Big Ten’s top ten list for boards – and notched seven double-doubles.

Although Stuelke makes her presence known inside, Iowa’s leading returning passer, guard Kylie Feuerbach, could make up for the facilitating that was lost with Olsen’s departure. Feuerbach had 2.3 assists per game last season, alongside a team-high 43 steals – demonstrating her two-way repertoire.

Jansen also turned to the transfer portal to reinforce her backcourt rotation, bringing in four-star transfer Chazadi Wright from Georgia Tech. The former Yellow Jacket flashed all-around talent as a freshman, recording 7.2 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. Although she only started 12 games, Wright was a reliable option for Georgia Tech, playing in every game and showcasing her efficiency at the charity stripe, where she shot at an 88.6% clip.

And the second-year head honcho has a knack for developing star guards, most notably two-time WNBA all-star Caitlin Clark. The 2024 WNBA first overall pick never averaged fewer than seven assists per game in four campaigns at Iowa, matching that with a career 28.4 points per contest on a 37.7% clip from beyond the arc with double-digit attempts per contest.

Jansen’s experience is extensive, and it may help unlock the Hawkeyes’ newfound potential, igniting a return to the Big Ten’s summit.