Welcome back to our countdown to the 2026 Iowa football season! 

Since May 28, HawkeyeRoundtable.com has been counting down the 100 days until the Hawkeyes storm out of the tunnel to take on Northern Illinois at Kinnick Stadium on Sept. 5.

Each day features a new article profiling one of the members of the 2026 Hawkeyes based on their jersey numbers, and that's exactly what we have on this Sunday afternoon. 

READ MORE: 84 Days Until Iowa Football: Apollo Payne and Joseph Anderson 

Iowa will tee the ball up in 83 days, so it's time to take a look at No. 83 - wide receiver Jackson Naeve. 

Get to know him here: 

Hometown: Iowa City, Iowa 

High School: Regina High School 

Year: Redshirt sophomore 

Height: 6-foot

Weight: 195 pounds 

Other notable players to wear No. 83: There aren't a lot of notable Hawkeyes that wore No. 83, but one recent player that Iowa fans will know is wide receiver Riley McCarron. The Dubuque native and former walk-on saw limited action until 2015, when he recorded his first career touchdown reception to seal a thrilling comeback victory at Iowa State. McCarron started all but one game during his senior season in 2016, leading Iowa with 517 yards and four touchdowns. 

Naeve saw the field for the first time in Iowa's lopsided triumph over Massachusetts last season, but that has been his lone appearance in a Hawkeye uniform thus far.

That doesn't mean he hasn't had a productive football career, however. Naeve played his first season of college football at Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs, recording six catches for 86 and one score. 

When the opportunity came to join the Hawkeyes as a preferred walk-on, Naeve jumped at it. 

“It’s a blessing being able to have an opportunity to play and compete for the team I’ve grown up watching and dreamed of playing for,” Naeve told HawkFanatic in June 2025. "I came out to the camp, competed and performed well. I ran good times and proved to be someone who can help the team. They needed another wide receiver who can be reliable and help the team in anyway that’s needed.”

Though Naeve grew up a Hawkeye fan, there's an interesting in-state rivalry brewing in his household. His sister, Reese, will be a freshman volleyball player for Iowa State this season. 

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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]