Iowa Safety Named Player to Watch in 2026

"Iowa's defensive brilliance is often taken for granted, and with longtime coordinator Phil Parker in place, justifiably so," Rittenberg said . "But the unit loses key players from 2025 at all three levels, including linemen Ethan Hurkett and Max Llewellyn, linebacker Karson Sharar and safeties Xavier Nwankpa and Koen Entringer."

"Iowa will lean on Lutmer and several other key returners to maintain the defense's overall stinginess. Lutmer led Iowa with three interceptions in 2025 and ranked second on the team with seven pass breakups. He and Deshaun Lee will lead a secondary that could be a team strength in 2026," he continued.

There's no doubt Lee and Lutmer have a chance to be a dynamic duo, but those two alone can't make up for all of the key playmakers this team lost. Iowa addressed basically every need in the transfer portal, now it's just a matter of putting all the pieces together.

Lutmer Continues to Grow

The Iowa native had just 14 tackles in 2024, though he was able to snag an interception in his limited playing time. Last year he was able to flip the script as he showed incredible growth from his freshman to sophomore season.

Lutmer had 71 total tackles a year ago, 44 of which were solo. He had seven pass deflections fresh off a year where he didn't have a single one. As Rittenberg mentioned, he had a trio of interceptions which he returned for 72 yards and a touchdown.

Iowa's secondary is going to be crucial as they face Michigan and Ohio State early in the season. Both of those teams will likely be ranked extremely high as playing at the Big House in Week 4 is no easy task. These are marquee games for a team with playoff aspirations, and there's little time to waste for a guy like Lutmer who's once again thrown into a bigger role.