Matt Spaulding

Matt Spaulding is in his ninth year with the University of Iowa football program, including his second as director of recruiting.

As director of recruiting, Spaulding has a lead role in all aspects of prospect identification and evaluation, assisting the general manger and coaching staff in roster management, assisting the coaching staff in off-campus recruiting efforts and coordinating all aspects of on-campus recruiting activities.

Prior to being elevated to director of recruiting, Spaulding spent the previous five years as a recruiting specialist and analyst after joining the program as an undergraduate assistant in 2017.

The Hawkeyes won 18 games the last two seasons, including 10 and capturing the Big Ten West Division in 2023. Iowa earned berths to the Citrus and Music City bowls after the 2023 and 2024 seasons, respectively, and finished 2023 ranked No. 24 nationally. The Hawkeyes have been ranked in the final AP Top 25 five of the last seven seasons.

Iowa’s streak of 12 straight bowl invitations is the longest in school history and its streak of 12 straight winning seasons ranks fifth best among power conferences. The Hawkeyes have earned 31 conference victories between 2020-24, matching its highest five-year conference win total in program history (1981-85 and 2019-23).

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 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 contests in 2019 and ranked 15th in the final AP and Coaches polls.

Iowa completed 2018 with nine wins, placing second in the Big Ten West Division 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.

Iowa won eight games in 2017, including a Pinstripe Bowl victory to conclude the season.

Spaulding played offensive line at Augustana College (IL)  from 2014-15, before completing his undergraduate 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.