Iowa’s dependable developmental linebacker with special-teams roots
Jack Laughlin is a redshirt sophomore linebacker for Iowa who has not yet seen game action in college, but he’s already earned Academic All-Big Ten honors and a Team Leader Award, which says plenty about the Hawkeye standard he fits. In the 2026 preseason, he’s listed at 6-foot-1, 224-225 pounds and has been spotted in fall-practice coverage, suggesting he’s still in the mix as a depth-and-development piece. The appeal here is classic Iowa: smart, physical, high-floor, and culture-friendly—less proven production right now, more long-term glue guy upside.
