The talented running back enters his second year with the Hawkeyes.
Welcome back to our countdown to the 2026 Iowa football season!
Since May 28, we've been counting down the final 100 days until the Hawkeyes swarm out of the Kinnick Stadium tunnel for their season opener against Northern Illinois on Sept. 5.
Each day of the countdown has primarily featured an article profiling one of the current members of the 2026 Hawkeyes based on their jersey number. Loyal readers already know this by now, but if you're hurrying to catch your football fix, this is how this works: if a player wears No. 6 and we're six days until kickoff, that's the player that will appear on the countdown.
We've had to mix things up with innovative pieces on days that a current Hawkeye doesn't wear the number that fits the countdown, but that's not going to be a problem since we're under a week to go until the opener.
Today marks just five days until kickoff, and there happens to be two players that wear No. 5. We're going to take a look at both today, starting with running back Nathan McNeil.
Get to know him here.
Bio
Hometown: Tampa, Florida
High School: Wiregrass Ranch High School
Year: Second-Year
Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 202 pounds
Other notable players to wear No. 5: McNeil shares the No. 5 with some pretty good company, because a notable former Hawkeye to wear the number was running back Sedrick Shaw. Shaw may just be the greatest running back in Iowa history, and he currently holds the program records for career rushing yards (4,156), rushing touchdowns (tied w/33) and is also the only Hawkeye to tally three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. Shaw was inducted into the University of Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame earlier this year.
McNeil's Career So Far
Ranked as a three-star prospect by 247Sports composite out of Wiregrass Ranch in the Tampa suburbs, McNeil only had three college offers: Iowa, Rhode Island, and Arkansas State. The Hawkeyes and then-running backs coach Ladell Betts gave McNeil a shot, and though it's still very early in his career, one of Betts' final moves before departing Iowa may be a good one for the Hawkeyes.
McNeil's raw talent was on full display during Iowa's 2025 open spring scrimmage, and it showed it in limited action that season, totaling 169 yards on 37 carries. He was the leading rusher during the lopsided Week 3 win over UMass, but McNeil's best game of the season was probably against Wisconsin. Iowa again finished with a dominating victory, allowing McNeil to record a career-long 24-yard carry in the win.
McNeil is only going to get better this year, but will he have many opportunities to do so? Kamari Moulton and L.J. Phillips figure to take a bulk of the carries, so McNeil will probably be relegated to a supporting role alongside Xavier Williams.
Looking for a FREE Hawkeyes community?
Don't miss out on our Roundtable community and the latest news! It's completely FREE to join and gives you the chance to win FREE Hawkeye swag.
Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members. Download the FREE Roundtable APP and stay even more connected and get notified when new articles are posted.
Click here to join the fun!
HawkeyeRoundtable publisher Brad Schultz has covered the Iowa Hawkeyes since 2023. To send him story ideas, scoops, or criticize his writing, reach him at [email protected]
