​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 Hawkeyes based on their jersey number. Loyal readers already know how this works by now, but in case your’e new, here’s how we do it: if a player wears No. 21 and there’s 21 days until kickoff, then that’s the player we’re going to be taking a look at. Every piece on this countdown has been a special one, but today is even more special because we’re now down to exactly three weeks until game day. That’s 14 days, which means it’s time to take a look at the man who wears No. 14 – wide receiver Tony Diaz. You’ve probably heard of the highly-anticipated transfer by now, but in case you haven’t, get to know him here. Bio  Hometown: San Marcos, Texas High School: San Marcos High School Year: Third-Year Height: 5-foot-10 Weight: 184 pounds Other notable players to wear No. 14: A recognizable name to wear No. 14 for Iowa in recent years is former cornerback Desmond King. King was a threat in the secondary every season he played, but is best known for his incredible 2015 season. King recorded a Big Ten-best eight interceptions and 43 tackles that year, and his performance helped the Hawkeyes go a perfect 12-0 in the regular season. Diaz’s Career So Far To say Diaz has had an unusual path to college football stardom would be an understatement. Diaz was lightly recruited out of high school likely due to the immense talent pipeline in the state of Texas, but he took a chance and committed to the brand-new Texas Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros football program. That choice was a risky one considering Diaz would have to wait one season to play games (he graduated HS in 2024, UTRGV began play 2025), but his relationship with head coach Travis Bush proved to work out just fine for him. The Vaqueros shocked the nation by posting a 9-3 mark in 2025, and Diaz’s performance certainly helped. He posted 875 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns, with the 875 yards ranking as the second-best figure in the Southland Conference. Phil Steele named Diaz his 2025 Southland Freshman of the Year, and it’s safe to say his performance caught the eye of many Power Four programs. Alabama, Illinois, Kentucky, Arkansas, Virginia Tech were reportedly the schools vying for his services, but Diaz chose to come to Iowa. He’ll instantly become a key target for the winner of the ongoing quarterback battle between Jeremy Hecklinski and Hank Brown, and his ridiculous athleticism should heklp the Hawkeyes find some explosiveness. New Iowa WR Tony Diaz is obviously a high-end athlete, but what really makes him special is his body control. Makes everything about the position look easy https://t.co/aOurSeWnGCpic.twitter.com/quGJEJUykA—