Phil Parker adjusting Iowa’s defense to minimize explosive plays

IOWA CITY, Ia. — After watching his unit underachieve last season, Iowa’s longtime Defensive Coordinator is putting an emphasis on limiting the big plays throughout spring practice.

Last year the Hawkeyes’ defense allowed nearly 36 additional yards per game than they did in 2023, and that’s unacceptable to Phil Parker. After all, Iowa’s defense has played at an elite level for over a decade, and that’s why Parker is the longest-tenured assistant in the Big Ten.

However, with several holes to fill at linebacker, and inexperience in the secondary, Parker will have to do his best coaching job to date. The fans want to see the Hawkeyes back among the nation’s best defensively, and rebuilding in spring ball is where everything starts. It also helps that the transfer portal window is open for two more days, which Parker can use to add talent and fill voids within his group.

Adjusting to tempo, being more physical at the line of scrimmage and putting players in the right place to be successful are Parker’s ways of limiting coverage breakdowns, especially after watching film from all of the mistakes in 2024.

“I think sometimes you have to go look at it and evaluate it, obviously we gave up way more than we usually have, but our standard is a little bit higher than everybody else’s about giving those up,” Parker said. “You give up some plays that you shouldn’t, but overall you’re 11th in the country in scoring defense, it’s still good, but it’s not as good as we like it.”

Parker has some nice pieces up front to build the defense around, including edge rusher Ethan Hurkett, and defensive tackle Aaron Graves. The two combined for a jaw-dropping, 89 tackles and 12.5 sacks last season. Although Parker knows the Big Ten’s style of play like the back of his hand, replacing the production and leadership of dynamic linebacker duo Jay Higgins and Nick Jackson, will be challenging for any coach.

Still, Jaden Harrell, Jaxon Rexroth and Karson Sharar are raising Parker’s eyebrows in practice, and he expects them to flourish at the position as they gain more experience in the scheme.

Parker must also find some studs in the secondary, with Sebastian Castro and Quinn Schulte no longer around. Koen Entringer, TJ Hall and Zach Lutmer are looking promising though. Not to mention Xavier Nwankpa has the potential to be the next ballhawk after a position change, considering his versatility.

With 13 practices in the books, Parker still feels that his defense has a lot to work on, including coverage and communication. Once Parker irons out all of those wrinkles and find more ways to attack the offense, the Hawkeyes should be more consistent at containing big plays defensively.

“We probably give up a little bit more than I would like, but I think it’s been very competitive in the spring,” he said. “They’re doing a real good job against us, they’re trying to get our eyes all over the place, and you slip and miss a guy, and all of a sudden it opens up for an explosive play.”

Iowa has Indiana, Penn State, Oregon and USC on the conference slate this fall, and all of those teams will field some high-caliber weapons on offense. Parker believes the Hawkeyes have made tremendous strides by getting back to the basics defensively, and expects them to thrive with new faces in different places.

“Our philosophy is don’t give up the explosive plays, just two or less and hold them to 13 points, and hopefully you have a chance to win a game.”