Iowa defensive coordinator Phil Parker leads the defense in warmups Aug. 30, 2025 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Iowa DC Reveals Reason Behind Lack Of Turnovers

Originally posted on Iowa Hawkeyes on SI
By Connor Mardian | Last updated Oct 2, 2025 5:00 PM ET

The Iowa Hakeyes (3-2) (1-1) are enduring their first of two weeks this season without football on the docket.

Earlier this week, the media got to pick at the brains of a number of Iowa coordinators, including defensive coordinator/secondary coach Phil Parker.

Parker has been Iowa's defensive coordinator for 14 seasons. The accomplished defensive coordinator has cultivated defenses that have been some of the nation’s best since his promotion.

Parker was even awarded the prestigious Broyles Award in 2023 en route to Iowa’s 10-4 season.

Against the No.8 Indiana Hoosiers, Parker’s defense was in full form, allowing an electric Hoosiers offense to 386 yards, the lowest Indiana had compiled all season.

Despite the gritty 20-15 loss, the Hawkeyes looked capable of stopping any offense in the nation. However, the Hawkeyes’ turnover count puts them 108th in the nation with just three takeaways all season long, one of them coming from Heisman candidate Fernando Mendoza.

“Yeah, it’s very interesting. You talk about when you play a little bit more man coverage and a little bit more press coverage, you get less eyes on the ball,” quoted Parker.

“You know, we probably are playing a little bit more press, a little bit more man at times. When you do that, you are not looking at the ball. When you play more zone, you’ve got more guys looking at the ball. You can see it and have better opportunities for interceptions.

When you are playing bump-and-run or whether you are playing some type of man-to-man, it’s usually you’re still playing tight coverage that you might get more pass breakups, but not more turnovers.”

Last season, the Hawkeyes totaled the 20th-best takeaway per game average in the nation with 1.8. This season, Parker’s defense sits 97th with .8.

“So that’s kind of a thing we’ve been working on, but we always have been working on the turnover circuit that we have at the beginning of practice.”

“I think eventually what it is, them turnovers come as you gradually -- they’ll come to you if you are doing what you’re supposed to do. Yeah, obviously, we want more takeaways, but you stop somebody sometime on fourth down, that’s like a takeaway as I look at it. There’s different ways to look at it and different philosophies, but obviously, I think we’re low in takeaways too.”

This season, the Hawkeyes have totaled the nation’s fourth-best fourth-down conversion rate in the nation at just 14.3%, giving up just one fourth down on seven different attempts.

This article first appeared on Iowa Hawkeyes on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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