Montgomery should play a key role on the new-look linebacking corps this season.
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 this countdown has primarily featured an article profiling one of the current members of the 2026 Hawkeyes based on their jersey number, but as you've probably noticed by now, the closer we get to the season, the less frequent the jersey numbers become.
This problem has forced us to go back in time and look at notable Hawkeyes to wear certain numbers that fit our countdown, but if you bleed black and gold, you probably haven't minded that one bit.
But there's not going to be a problem today. We're now just 36 days away from kickoff, so that means it's time to take a look at the man who wears No. 36 - linebacker Jayden Montgomery.
Get to know him here.
Bio
Hometown: Suamico, Wisconsin
High School: Bay Port High School
Year: 5th-year
Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 227 pounds
Other notable players to wear No. 36: This one is going back four decades, but the man making this section was too good of a player not to be included. That player is of course legendary linebacker Larry Station. Station was part of some of the most famous Hawkeye teams of all time, leading Iowa to the 1985 Big Ten championship as a senior. An injury derailed Station's hopes of a successful pro career, but he remains Iowa's all-time tackle leader with 492 career tackles. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2009.
Montgomery's career so far
Wearing Station's number is a positive sign for Montgomery's chances at being another strong Hawkeye linebacker, but that's not the only reason to be optimistic.
Iowa's linebacker room is as wide-open as its been in a long time, but Montgomery easily brings the most starting experience to this room. After working his way up through the depth chart, Montgomery started seven games in 2025, recording 44 tackles and two pass break-ups.
Montgomery's skills really began to emerge late in the year, where he tallied a career-high eight tackles against both No. 9 Oregon and No. 14 Vanderbilt in the 2025 ReliaQuest Bowl.
In short, this experience playing (and succeeding) against high-profile opponents could be crucial for Iowa's linebacking corps in 2026. Outside of Montgomery, only Cam Buffington has some starting experience under their belt, so Montgomery is probably going to be the vocal leader of this room.
Montgomery should have no problem with that. His father, Jerry, played for Iowa and currently serves as the defensive line coach and run game coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals.
When the Hawkeyes take the field on Sept. 5, Montgomery is definitely a name we'll be watching.
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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]
