The hype surrounding Braeden Jackson is likely only to grow even larger this week.
The former Ankeny Centennial star returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown and racked up 138 all-purpose yards as the 17th-ranked Iowa football team went on to defeat No. 18 Michigan, 20-19, on a last-second touchdown reception by Reece Vander Zee on Saturday at Michigan Stadium.
Now, the Hawkeyes (4-0) will host Ohio State (3-1) in a top-20 showdown next Saturday at sold-out Kinnick Stadium. ESPN College GameDay is returning to Iowa City for the first time in 20 years.
The live broadcast will air from 8 to 11 a.m., with the exact on-campus set location to be announced. Fans attending are encouraged to arrive early. This marks College GameDay’s second visit to Iowa City for football in the show’s history.
Rece Davis hosts the iconic show alongside analysts Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee, Nick Saban and “Stanford Steve” Coughlin. College football insider Pete Thamel, and reporters Jen Lada and Jess Sims round out the broadcast crew.
The importance of Saturday’s game only escalated with Iowa’s dramatic victory in Ann Arbor. Vander Zee aught a 16-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Hank Brown as time expired, lifting the Hawkeyes to their first road win over a ranked opponent in five seasons.
“Everybody’s going to remember the end of this one, rightfully so, but it’s a little bit like the Capital One Bowl,” said Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz. “It’s really all about the 59 minutes prior that get you there. Couldn’t be prouder of the way the guys hung in there and what they did, how they executed that last possession.
“It took the total effort. We knew things weren’t going to be easy coming into this game. That was one of the emphasis points, we’ll live with 3-yard runs if we get them, just keep pushing it and just keep playing, that’s the biggest thing,” he added.
The final play marked Iowa’s first walk-off touchdown since Oct. 24, 2009, when quarterback Ricky Stanzi connected with wide receiver Marvin McNutt for a 7-yard score in a 15-13 victory at Michigan State.
Jackson gave the Hawkeyes a huge lift late in the first quarter after Michigan took a 7-0 lead on an 18-yard touchdown pass from Bryce Underwood to JJ Buchanan. He took the ensuing kickoff at Iowa’s 1-yard line and raced upfield, found a big hole and then dashed untouched to the end zone to tie the game before a crowd of 111,126 at the Big House.
It was Iowa’s first kickoff return of the 2026 season, and it tied for the seventh-longest touchdown return in program history. It was also the first kickoff return for a score allowed by Michigan since 2019. The Hawkeyes have now returned both a punt and kickoff for a touchdown in three straight seasons.
Jackson, a second-year running back, also saw some action in the backfield. He ran four times for 13 yards and caught one pass for 6 yards for Iowa, which was limited to just 58 yards on the ground by a stout Wolverines’ defense.
Saturday’s matchup against Ohio State is the Hawkeyes’ annual ANF Black & Gold Spirit Game. Fans are encouraged to wear black or gold, depending on their seat location. The contest will mark Kinnick Stadium’s 32nd consecutive sellout.
Additional details regarding Friday’s on-campus ESPN broadcasts will be released later this week.