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 2026 Hawkeyes based on their jersey number. If you haven't been reading the countdown, we profile the player based on which day the countdown falls on. 

If the countdown falls on day 46, we're going to be taking a look at the player who wears No. 46. If Iowa doesn't issue a jersey number for the respective day, then we'll go back in time to find something relevant related to one of the Hawkeyes' 12 opponents. 

Today marks 45 days until kickoff, so that means it's time to take a look at the man who wears No. 45 - defensive lineman Jack Janda. 

Get to know him here. 

Hometown: Livonia, Michigan 

High School: Detroit Catholic Central High School 

Year: Freshman

Height: 6-foot-5 

Weight: 250 pounds 

Other notable players to wear No. 45: A notable name that wore No. 45 just a few years ago is former defensive lineman Deonte Craig. Craig started every game at defensive end during his final two seasons at Iowa, compiling 43 tackles and three sacks during the 2024 campaign, which earned him honorable mention All-Big Ten honors. 

Flipping to a different school is common for high school football recruits, but it's not always common to see a player flip from a rival school to another rival program. 

But for Janda, that was exactly the case. Hailing from Livonia, Michigan (a suburb of Detroit), Janda impressed Power Four schools with his strong play at Detroit Catholic Central, collecting 42 tackles and 10 sacks during his senior season, which ended with a state championship. 

Janda accumulated five Power Four offers by the end of his junior year. The list continued to grow after that, with programs such as Miami (FL), Wisconsin, Michigan State, and Washington offering. 

Janda verbally committed to Wisconsin in June 2025, but a late offer from Iowa during his senior year was enough to sway Janda to the Hawkeyes. He currently has four years of eligibility remaining. 

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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]