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

In 99 days, your Hawkeyes will walk out of the tunnel to "Back in Black" and a roaring Kinnick Stadium crowd for their season opener against Northern Illinois. 

While you all anxiously await for the ball to be teed up, HawkeyeRoundtable.com is counting down the final 100 days until kickoff. 

The first player in our 2026 countdown is defensive lineman Brad Fitzgibbon, No. 99.  

Hometown: Chicago, Illinois 

High School: Marist 

Class: Redshirt freshman 

Height: 6-foot-3 

Weight: 265 pounds 

Other notable players to wear the number: The most prominent Hawkeye player to wear No. 99 in recent years is defensive lineman Noah Shannon. Shannon was a two-year starter for the Hawkeyes, but is most remembered for controversially losing his final season of eligibility due to a gambling scandal. 

Fitzgibbon took his redshirt year in 2025, so he has yet to get on the field for the Black and Gold. The Hawkeyes will have a loaded defensive line room this season, so Fitzgibbon's playing time might be sparse in 2026.

Though he might not see the field right away, Fitzgibbon is in the right place to get developed. Iowa is known for developing in-house talent over a multi-year period, which worked well for guys like Karson Sharar (drafted by Arizona Cardinals in 2026) last season. 

247Sports tabbed Fitzgibbon as a three-star recruit and the No. 20 player in Illinois for the Class of 2025. Fitzgibbon starred in football and basketball at Marist High School in Chicago, collecting 47.5 tackles, including 16 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks during his senior season. 

Fitzgibbon committed to Iowa in June 2024 over offers from Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Wisconsin, Michigan State, and others.

247Sports' national recruiting analyst Allen Trieu released a scouting report on Fitzgibbon shortly after his June 25 commitment, and here's what he had to say about the young defensive lineman. 

"Plays in a high school defense that uses multiple fronts and has played defensive tackle as well as some end in an odd-front. Likely a college three-tech. Has quickness and burst off the ball and is a penetrator and interior pass rusher. Solid athlete who has shown he can change direction and run plays down. Has shown some of that ability in space on special teams as well. Weight-room guy who will get stronger in college. Plays with good leverage. Coaches speak highly of work ethic and intangibles. Physical measurables are passable to good, but tenacity and those other intangibles elevate him even more as a prospect."

Trieu projected Fitzgibbon as a Power Four starter, so all signs point to him earning a role with the Hawkeyes down the road. 

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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]