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 roster based on their jersey number. If you've been a loyal reader of this countdown you've probably got the point, but if a player wears No. 48, that's the player that will appear on HawkeyeRoundtable. 

READ MORE: 48 Days Until Iowa Football: Zach Ortwerth 

Today marks 47 days until kickoff, so that means it's time to take a look at the man who wears No. 47 - long snapper Ike Speltz. 

Speltz is probably going to be the starting long snapper this year, so get to know him here. 

Hometown: Van Meter, Iowa 

High School: Van Meter High School 

Year: Sophomore 

Height: 6-foot-3 

Weight: 235 pounds 

Other notable players to wear No. 47: A recognizable name to wear No. 47 for the Hawkeyes is former defensive lineman Mitch King. King was one of the Big Ten's most dominant defensive lineman during his career, becoming the 60th player in Iowa history to record over 200 career tackles. He was named a first-team All-American by ESPN for his performance during the Hawkeyes' 9-4 season. 

Few people pay attention to the long snapper, but when you've been as good as Iowa has been on special teams over the years, it's a key position to watch. 

Speltz came to Iowa City as a walk-on after leading Van Meter to back-to-back state championships during his final two years of high school, but struggled to find playing time. 

Speltz battled Boston College transfer Bryant Worrell for the long snapping duties in 2025, but Worrell became the permanent starter ahead of the conference opener. Worrell would later come in the spotlight in November after snapping the ball over Rhys Dakin's head for a safety against Oregon (Iowa lost that game by two points), but that was the lone setback for Iowas' long snappers in 2025. 

With Worrell gone, Speltz is the likely name to take over the long snapping duties in 2026. Long snapping is always a critical position, but Speltz will have additional pressure to perform well this year because the Hawkeyes will come in with a new-look special teams unit under new coordinator Chris Polizzi. 

HawkeyeRoundtable is giving away TWO tickets to Iowa's season opener against Northern Illinois on Sept. 5! 

This is easily the biggest giveaway we've ever done on this site, and it's a great opportunity for two lucky fans to experience the joy of attending a Hawkeye football game at Kinnick Stadium. 

Click here to automatically become a member to enter the contest! Additional contest details can be found in our community section, too! 

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]