Matt Spaulding is in his third year as a recruiting specialist with the University of Iowa football program. Spaulding served as a recruiting analyst for the Hawkeye football program the previous two years after joining the program as an undergraduate assistant in 2017.
Iowa posted an 8-5 record in 2022, concluding the season with a 21-0 win over Kentucky in the Music City Bowl and wins in five of its final six games. Iowa’s streak of 10 straight bowl invitations is the longest in school history and the Hawkeyes have been in the Top 25 final rankings in four of the last five seasons. Iowa’s streak of 10 straight winning seasons ranks 10th best in the nation.
The Hawkeyes won 10 games in 2021, winning the Big Ten’s West Division title and advancing to the conference championship game. Iowa concluded the season with an appearance in the Vrbo Citrus Bowl and was ranked 23rd in the final national rankings.
Iowa opened the 2021 season with six straight wins and closed the regular season with four straight victories to earn the West Division title and a berth in the league championship game for the second time since 2015. Iowa has been in the final national rankings in each of the past four seasons and has earned 19 conference wins in the past three seasons, Iowa’s highest three-year conference win total since 2002-04.
Following back-to-back narrow losses to open the 2020 season, Iowa won six straight games, all in Big Ten play, to complete the regular season. The Hawkeyes scored at least 26 points in each of the six wins. The winning streak included road wins at Minnesota, Penn State and Illinois, and trophy game victories over Minnesota, Nebraska and Wisconsin. The Hawkeyes were ranked 15th in the final CFP rankings and coaches poll, and 16th by the Associated Press. The Hawkeyes were selected to compete in the 2020 Music City Bowl, but that event was canceled.
The Hawkeyes concluded the 2019 campaign with a 10-3 record following a 49-24 win over No. 22 Southern California in the Holiday Bowl. The three losses were all to ranked opponents by a combined 14 points. The Hawkeyes were 4-1 in trophy games for the third straight season.
Iowa completed the 2018 season with a 9-4 mark and a final ranking of 25th in the Associated Press. The Hawkeyes earned a 27-22 Outback Bowl win over No. 18 Mississippi State to close the season with three straight wins. The four losses came by a total of 23 points, and all were decided in the final minutes of play. Iowa tied for second in the Big Ten West Division.
Iowa won eight games in 2017, including a Pinstripe Bowl victory to conclude the 2017 campaign.
As part of the recruiting staff at Iowa, Spaulding assists with the coordination and logistics of all on-campus recruiting activities such as facility tours, game day visits, prospect camps and official and unofficial visits. He also serves as a liaison and host for potential prospects and their families during campus visits.
Spaulding assists coaching and recruiting staff with prospect identification and evaluation and communicates closely with both offensive and defensive coaches on preferred qualities in prospect identification, evaluation and scheme fit.
Spaulding earned his bachelor’s degree in sport and recreation management from the University of Iowa in 2019. He is a native of Sterling, Illinois, where he competed in football, baseball and track at Sterling High School.
Spaulding was born Aug. 24, 1996.