86 Days Until Hawkeye Football: Steven Stilianos & Jeff Bowie

Welcome back to our countdown of the Iowa Hawkeyes football season.

Steven Stilianos, Senior
6-5, 264 lbs.
Hayes, Va. (Christchurch School / Lafayette)
2023 projection: Reserve tight end

Stilianos was Iowa’s sole toe dip into the transfer portal following the 2021 football season and found playing time on special teams without accumulating any statistics. With Erick All coming on board, his role looks to be much of the same for 2023.

As a Leopard, though, Stilianos was a two-time all-Patriot League first teamer in the 2021 seasons. Across seven games, he accumulated 30 receptions & 255 yards, including 4 touchdowns in the 2021 spring session.

In his highlights, he shows solid ability getting the ball as a big target in the red zone and decent straight line speed. Iowa could do much worse at third tight end and would be a factor in 2023’s offense if not for All’s transfer.

Throwing it all the way back to high school, he was his division’s player of the year as a senior with first team all-state honors as a defensive lineman and second team quarterback.

Jeff Bowie, So.
6-5, 270 lbs.
West Branch, Iowa (West Branch)
2023 projection: Reserve defensive lineman

Bowie enters his third season in the program after back-to-back first team all-state seasons. He put up impressive numbers as a sophomore (11.5 tackles for loss & 7 sacks) and junior (22 tackles for loss & 6.5 sacks). He added a 93-yard fumble return for good measure.

He shows impressive strength & quickness with a bit of a violent streak. While he hasn’t been able to crack Iowa’s depth chart, I’m not quite sure it’s a “make or break” season for him quite yet. As Iowa slims down a bit on the edge, his future might be as a defensive tackle.

As a three-star recruit, he selected the Hawks over regional Power 5 programs including Nebraska, Iowa State, Kansas State, Minnesota.