2026 roster · Roster geography
The Iowa roster story
In 2016, 53 of 116 roster spots were filled by Iowa players with no earlier college team detected. On the 2026 roster, 38 of 111 fit the same definition. Detected transfers went from 1 to 9.
In 2016 the median player grew up 187 mi from campus. Now it is 225 mi.
Of the 9 players who came from another college, 1 is from Iowa. Those home-state players make up 11% of detected-transfer stock on this roster.
Then → now
2016–18 compared with 2021–25
- Local-developed core
- Transfer stock
| Measure | 2016–18 | 2021–25 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local-developed core | 46.0% | 42.7% | |
| Transfer stock | 0.8% | 3.7% |
The roster, at a glance
- 360 miAverage hometown distanceAverage hometown distance among 103 located players.
- 35.1%In-state35.1% of the roster is from Iowa.
- 14.6%Backyard14.6% grew up within 100 miles of campus.
- 8.1%Detected transfers8.1% of the roster arrived after playing at another school.
Across the FBS
Where Iowa ranks
Homecoming Radius over time
The median hometown-to-campus distance, by season. The dotted line is the FBS median.
Roster composition over time
Where the in-state lens draws the line: local-developed, local transfer, outsider developed, outsider transfer, and unknown. This chart begins where stable athlete IDs make transfer detection possible; the radius chart above carries the official-archive geography farther back.
Where do Iowa's players come from?
| Season | Roster | In-state | Transfer signal | Radius |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 111 | 35.1% | 8.1% | 225 mi |
| 2025 | 109 | 40.4% | 7.3% | 203 mi |
| 2024 | 130 | 43.8% | 4.6% | 203 mi |
| 2023 | 126 | 43.7% | 5.6% | 203 mi |
| 2022 | 127 | 44.1% | 0.0% | 195 mi |
| 2021 | 122 | 42.6% | 0.8% | 193 mi |
| 2020 | 134 | 36.6% | 3.7% | 198 mi |
| 2019 | 128 | 36.7% | 3.9% | 198 mi |
| 2018 | 101 | 48.5% | 0.0% | 181 mi |
| 2017 | 121 | 43.8% | 1.7% | 183 mi |
| 2016 | 116 | 46.5% | 0.9% | 187 mi |
| 2015 | 115 | 41.6% | 0.0% | 212 mi |
| 2014 | 122 | 34.7% | 0.0% | 212 mi |
| 2013 | 126 | 38.4% | 0.0% | 218 mi |
| 2012 | 110 | 35.5% | 0.0% | 221 mi |
| 2011 | 108 | 37.0% | 0.0% | 213 mi |
| 2010 | 110 | 43.1% | 0.0% | 199 mi |
| 2009 | 110 | 44.5% | 0.0% | 180 mi |
Where the roster grew up
Every 2026 player's hometown, with campus marked and the Homecoming Radius circled.
Homecoming Radius: 225 mi
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