New Hawkeyes DB Ty Hudkins Explains What Sets Iowa Apart In 2025

Ty Hudkins has seen his fair share of change in the college ranks, and he's only going to be a sophomore.

He was originally committed to play college ball for Northwestern, but long-time head coach Pat Fitzgerald was fired because of a hazing scandal. He then committed to Purdue and spent his freshman season with the Boilermakers, but then Ryan Walters was fired after a 1-11 season.

Hudkins hit the transfer portal in search of some stability, which is something he hasn't known yet as a college defensive back. He landed in Iowa City, and he believes he's found that stability with the Iowa Hawkeyes. He has good reason to believe that.

“Coach (Kirk) Ferentz has been there. Coach (Phil) Parker has been there. And they’re still going to be there. So that’s kind of what just made it feel really comfortable and what helped influence my decision," Hudkins recently told Tyler Tachman of the Des Moines Register regarding his decision to transfer to Iowa.

Not only did the Hawkeyes provide Hudkins with the stability that he was looking for, but even in 2025's NIL and transfer portal-focused college football environment, he relayed that something still feels "pure" about Iowa football.

“Being able to find a program like Iowa is rare," Hudkins explained. "Their culture and how they’ve stuck to their virtues and values, even with all this new era and all this new stuff going on. They’ve always been gritty, tough Iowa and that’s kind of what I’ve looked for in my decision and why it felt like such a good fit.”

Hudkins is a 5-foot-11, 197 pound defensive back from Grand Rapids, Michigan, who was ranked as a 3-star safety coming out of Forest Hill Central High School in the class of 2024.

He appeared in all 12 games as a special teams player for Purdue as a freshman.

Hudkins will be a depth player in 2025 but the Hawkeyes are going to make sure he's versatile. He'll learn free safety, strong safety and also the "cash position", which is Iowa's hybrid slot corner-strongside linebacker role.

The former 3-star believes he's versatile enough to play multiple roles in Iowa's defense. Perhaps most importantly, though, he feels he's found the right fit at Iowa.

“I wanted to play for a big-time, blue-blood program, which is what Iowa is, in my opinion,” Hudkins said, “With a good fan base, a good culture, good coaches, everything checked the boxes."