This story was updated after an Iowa Athletics spokesperson made a clarification to the program’s original release on the afternoon of April 10, stating that the Jacob Warner official title was temporary assistant coach.
Iowa wrestling will bring in a familiar face to fill out its coaching staff for at least a short time, tapping five-time NCAA All-American Jacob Warner to join as a temporary assistant coach.
The program originally stated Warner would be joining the assistant coaching staff on April 10, but an Iowa spokesperson later clarified that Warner’s official title was temporary assistant coach. The staff plans to go through the full hiring process after the 2026 US Open (April 22-26) and Senior Pan American Championships, which conclude on May 10.
The move comes after the departure of Bobby Telford, who took a position outside of wrestling after the 2025-26 season ended.
While Warner does not have official coaching experience, being in the Hawkeye Wrestling Club allowed him to help sharpen athletes still competing in the college ranks. Warner has been credited by several wrestlers in the program for helping their development, none bigger than national champion Stephen Buchanan.
“Jacob knows what it takes to compete at the highest level, both on and off the mat,” Tom Brands said in a release. “He represents everything Iowa wrestling stands for. His toughness, discipline and relentless work ethic will be a tremendous asset to our staff and our student-athletes.”
As a wrestler, Warner had a career record of 97-28 in a Hawkeye singlet. He took seventh at the NCAA Championships in 2019 as a redshirt freshman, earned All-American honors for the canceled 2020 NCAA Championships, then was fourth in 2021, an NCAA runner-up in 2022 and finished his career in fifth place in 2023. Warner also has experience on the major World stages. He won a bronze medal at the 2016 Cadet World Championships and was on the 2018 Junior World team for the United States.
The Hawkeyes have a pivotal 2026-27 season ahead, following a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championships and a regular season to forget.
“Our fans, I see them on the street, I see them here, I see them there, I say, ‘We got to do better for you,'” Tom Brands said after the NCAA Championships. “We know that.”
Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him at Emckown@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23.
This article originally appeared on Hawk Central: Iowa wrestling taps Jacob Warner as temporary assistant coach
Reporting by Eli McKown, Des Moines Register / Hawk Central
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
