The spring transfer portal entry window has come and gone, and the Iowa football program remans over the scholarship limit of 85 heading into next season. With a recruiting class of 21 players in the 2024 cycle and several veterans returning for their extra year of COVID eligibility, the Hawkeyes remain in a bind.
And it’s not like this is a recent development — Kirk Ferentz and his staff have known they would be over the limit in early January between the large class incoming freshman signing in December and Nick Jackson and Quinn Schulte being the last of the older players to share their plans to return next season.
Still, Ferentz appeared as calm as ever regarding the scholarship number following Iowa’s open spring practice just under two weeks ago:
“It’s all going to work itself out,” Ferentz said. “We’ll figure it out as we go. … So, I feel pretty good about that.”
While Ferentz displayed confidence about the number going into next season, the fan base may not feel as even-keel as the program’s head man.
So, we convened with a source close to the program and an NIL lawyer to determine how the Hawkeyes can get down to 85 and potentially add some more scholarship-worthy players via the portal before the August deadline — because they need both.
