Sam Brincks serves as assistant director of player development with the University of Iowa football program. Brincks was a four-year letterman for the Hawkeyes during his playing career (2015-18). He redshirted in 2014 after joining the program as a walk-on and in 2019 assisted Iowa’s recruiting staff. He served as interim director of player development for one year.
In 2023, the Hawkeyes won 10 games, including their final four, to capture the Big Ten West Division for the second time in three years. Iowa advanced to another January bowl game (Citrus Bowl) and finished the season ranked No. 24. The Hawkeyes have been ranked in the final AP Top 25 five of the last six seasons.
Iowa’s streak of 11 straight bowl invitations is the longest in school history and its streak of 11 straight winning seasons ranks seventh best among power conferences. The Hawkeyes have earned 25 conference victories between 2020-23, matching its highest four-year conference win total in program history (1982-85 and 2002-05).
Iowa won eight contests 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.
The Hawkeyes won 10 games in 2021, winning the Big Ten West Division title and advancing to the conference championship game. Iowa concluded the season with an appearance in the Citrus Bowl and was ranked 23rd in the final national rankings.
Following back-to-back narrow losses to open the 2020 season, Iowa won its final six games, all in Big Ten play. The Hawkeyes were ranked 15th in the final CFP rankings and Coaches Poll and 16th by the AP. The Hawkeyes were selected to compete in the 2020 Music City Bowl, but the event was canceled.
The Hawkeyes concluded the 2019 campaign with a 10-3 record following a 49-24 win over No. 22 USC 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 won 47 games from 2015-19, the highest total in school history over any five-year period, and a total that ranked ninth nationally. Iowa won its final four games in 2019 and ranked 15th in the final AP and Coaches polls.
Iowa completed 2018 with nine wins and a final AP ranking of No. 25. 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.
The Hawkeyes posted a perfect 12-0 regular season record in 2015, winning the West Division of the Big Ten Conference. Iowa participated in the 2016 Rose Bowl Game and the 2015 Big Ten Championship and ended the season in the top 10 in the final national rankings.
Brincks and the Hawkeyes have qualified for bowl games each of the five years as a player (2019 Outback Bowl, 2017 Pinstripe Bowl, 2017 Outback Bowl, 2016 Rose Bowl Game, 2015 TaxSlayer Bowl) and five years on staff (2024 Citrus Bowl, 2022 Music City Bowl, 2022 Citrus Bowl, 2020 Music City Bowl, 2019 Holiday Bowl).
As a defensive tackle, Brincks recorded 40 career tackles, two pass break-ups and one recovered fumble. On special teams he scored on a 10-yard touchdown reception as part of the field goal unit at Penn State in 2018. He started all 13 games as a senior and was the recipient of the Brett Greenwood Award for defense. Brincks twice earned Academic All-Big Ten distinction.
Brincks is a native of Carroll, Iowa, and graduated from Kuemper Catholic High School. As a prep he earned first-team all-conference and all-state honors as a junior and senior, seeing action as both an offensive and defensive lineman. Kuemper posted a perfect 14-0 record while winning the Class 2A state title his senior season. Brincks was a football team captain as a senior. He was a three-year letterman in both basketball and track, earning all-state basketball honors as a junior and senior.
Brincks, who was born on Oct. 20, 1995, earned his bachelor’s degree in sport and recreation management from Iowa in 2018.