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 storm out of the Kinnick Stadium tunnel to "Back in Black" for their season opener against Northern Illinois on Sept. 5. 

Each day of the countdown has primarily featured an article profiling a current member of the team based on their jersey number. There have been some exceptions to this policy due to Iowa not issuing every jersey number from 0-100. 

READ MORE: 72 Days Until Iowa Football: Owen Linder 

Today marks 71 days until the season opener, so that means it's time to take a look at the man who wears No. 71 - offensive lineman Jack Dotzler. 

Get to know him here: 

Hometown: Waunakee, Wisconsin 

High School: Waunakee High School 

Year: Redshirt Senior 

Height: 6-foot-6 

Weight: 312 pounds 

Other notable players to wear No. 71: A recognizable man to don No. 71 in recent years is former defensive tackle Carl Davis. The 6-foot-5, 315-pound Davis was a behemoth on Iowa's defensive line for years, and he started the final 26 games of his career. Davis recorded nine tackles for loss and two sacks in 2014, with his performance earning him second team All-Big Ten honors that season. 

Dotzler arrived in Iowa City after a successful prep career in Wisconsin, where he won three varsity letters and led Waunakee to a state championship during his senior season. 247Sports ranked Dotzler as a three-star prospect and the No. 9 overall player in Wisconsin for the Class of 2022. 

Dotzler held offers from notable programs such as Penn State, Michigan State, Purdue, Indiana, and Iowa State, but didn't receive an offer from his home state Wisconsin Badgers. He committed to Iowa ahead of his senior year of high school in June 2021. 

The Wisconsin native took a redshirt year in 2022, but has since earned sparse playing time in the years that have followed. Dotzler's first real college action came against Western Michigan in 2023, but he didn't see regular action until his redshirt junior campaign in 2025, where he registered playing time in all 13 games as a backup to left tackle Trevor Lauck. 

With Lauck still on the roster in 2026, Dotzler will have to find a starting role at another spot, possibly taking over the right tackle position vacated by Gennings Dunker. Dunker's backup Cannon Leonard would compete with Dotzler for the role, so it's not going to be easy for Dotzler to find a spot. 

One thing that helps Dotzler find a spot on this talented offensive line is his experience. Iowa isn't afraid of playing underclassmen in the trenches, but having someone knowledgeable about their system should be a huge boost for Dotzler's chances. 

Keep an eye out on him this year. 

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]