Eight-man football is one of the most unique styles of football, but one could argue it's more fun than the traditional 11-man format. 

Some states still play eight-man on the classic 100-yard field, but many opt for the shorter 80-yard gridiron, which results in the scores regularly reaching as high as the low 70s. 

The eight-man format is primarily seen at the rural level due to most of those high schools not having enough players to field a traditional 11-man roster. That's exactly the case in the case in the state of Iowa, which features 69 schools separated into 10 different eight-man districts. 

One of those schools is Winfield-Mount Union High School. Located just 50 minutes from Iowa City, the 1,000-person community is probably best known for producing Iowa basketball standout Jess Settles in the 1990s, but the town appears to be well on its way to boasting a star on the gridiron. 

Enter linebacker Cam Buffington. 

Despite playing eight-man football during his high school career, it didn't take long for the Hawkeyes to show interest in Buffington. Iowa offered the linebacker just before his sophomore year, and that offer was all Buffington needed to make his college decision. 

Just over a month after the Hawkeyes' offer came, Buffington announced his intention to don the Black and Gold in July 2021. He continued to impress people with his incredible play (106.5 tackles as a senior) for Winfield-Mount Union, so much so that 247Sports named him a four-star recruit and the No. 3 player in Iowa for the Class of 2024. 

Buffington's success at the eight-man level was expected, but adjusting to traditional 11-man football in the Big Ten was another animal. Surprisingly, Buffington's preparation never changed. 

"I think everyone has to learn, mature and grow with what we're walking into, so that's just everyone starts at the same page, and you listen to coaches, you do what they tell you, and you're going to be alright, " Buffington said at media availability Wednesday.

Once Buffington learned the play book, his next challenge was to get on the field. After taking a redshirt year in 2024, the Winfield native saw action in six games in 2025. That's barely half of the season, but what Buffington did in his limited action raised everyone's eyebrows. 

The four-tackle outing at Wisconsin was impressive, but Buffington's name was placed on the map during another lopsided Iowa rivalry victory - Minnesota. The Hawkeyes built up a 34-0 lead early in the second quarter, which allowed Buffington and other backups to earn valuable playing time in the second half. 

With the Hawkeyes leading 34-3 with 8:20 left, Buffington secured his first career interception on a wild Drake Lindsey pass to set up Iowa's final touchdown of the game. 

It may not have been a highlight play to many, but it showed all of Buffington's talents - anticipation, athleticism, and speed. 

Buffington didn't see much action for the rest of 2025, but don't expect that to be the case in 2026. With Karson Sharar, Jaden Harrell, and Jaxon Rexroth gone, Buffington is going to be one of the men to fill the key linebacker role (likely middle linebacker) in 2026. 

Losing the talented trio of 2025 wasn't ideal for Iowa, but according to Buffington, the coaching staff has placed full trust in their new linebacker corps, a trust that is mutual. 

"The coaches have trust in us, and we have trust in the coaches, so we're just listening and following and doing what the guys like before us did and just having trusted the biggest thing - each other," Buffington said. 

All eyes will certainly be on Buffington to uphold the massive standard for Hawkeye linebackers this season, but he's already prepared for that. 

Why? Because of the maturity he learned through his small-town, eight-man football roots. 

"Where I came from, there were kindergartners in there [the school]. So they're walking the halls with us, and you have to set an example," Buffington said. "That's one thing I learned throughout high school, and that kind of carried with me [to Iowa]." 

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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]