Iowa Class A Senior DL Watchlist for 2025

Continuing our search of the top upcoming senior Defensive-linemen in Iowa heading into this season, we move over to Class A, where we take a look at a select group of names that have already taken big roles for their units, or are poised to post huge numbers in their senior campaigns that will look to boost their stock heading into the next offseason. We take a look today at 5 senior DL from Class A Iowa to watch in 2025!    [player_tooltip player_id='1360044' first='Hunter' last='Curley'] quickly grew over the course of his junior season as one of the most exciting players on Wapsie Valley's roster to watch. His 10 sacks ranked 2nd most among all Class-A defenders last season, recording a total 48 tackles, 17.5 TFLs, and 4 fumble recoveries. His size doesn't exactly match for a DE, but he's got plenty of speed and flexible bend on his pursuits to get outside the Tackle, while showing a relentless motor toward chasing down the QB trying to evade the pressure, and his knack of finding and stealing the ball from the offense makes him a difference-maker in games. Curley is slated to receive much more reps as the No. 1 RB on the offense next season, and he'll look to continue increasing his volume in making big-plays in the pass-rush as he will in the ground game.     [player_tooltip player_id='1689950' first='Gage' last='Swan'] made our Class A All-State team as an Offensive-lineman, and he plays just as big of a role for Wayne on the other side of the trenches as well. Last season, Swan recorded 28 tackles, 19.5 TFLs, 6 sacks, and 2 fumble recoveries. Swan translates many of his skills from blocking toward getting around blockers, including great hand placement, formidable strength, and the ability to consistently drive his opponents back, single-handedly moving the trenches with his presence. Swan should continue to garner more attention as a standout from Wayne's emerging unit heading into 2025.     Alex Meland has developed into quite a solid force in the run-defense as one of the few bright spots for North Mahaska's unit. Meland finished with 52.5 tackles, 17.5 TFLs, 5.5 sacks, and 3 fumble recoveries last season. Meland's ability to finish the job and get to the ball-carrier to force a stop behind the LOS showed itself a lot more than in his sophomore season, and not just being able to consistently find his way to the ball-carrier, but also finding the ball off the ground and scooping it up to force a turnover. Meland could build some mass this offseason to better suit his role as an edge-rusher, but he's a clear standout to watch for the Warhawks' team in 2025.     Staying in North Mahaska, Chance Angle has proven to be a suitable running mate for the team's pass-rush corps alongside Meland. Angle recorded 28 tackles, 9.5 TFLs, and 4.5 sacks last season. Angle plays more in the standard DE role, and despite being undersized, Angle plays with an impressive level of tenacity, showing great hand-fighting skills and agility to get outside the Tackle, while also having a decent amount of length to reach the QB trying to evade the pocket. Angle has solid tackling form and has enough speed to chase down RBs in the open field. Much like Meland, Angle could build some weight to suit himself more as an edge-rusher, but North Mahaska has an underrated duo on their defense that they can rely on to force pressure on their opponents.     Earning a starting job heading into his junior year, Derek Hemann left a strong imprint for the Saints' defense as he contributed toward the team's 2nd straight double-digit winning season. Hemann finished with 25 tackles, 10 TFLs, 5.5 sacks, and a fumble recovery. Hemann shows solid speed and great balance in tight quarters while being able to both bend sharply and make quick cuts inside to get around the Tackles and find his way into the pocket. That agility and closedown speed is on display as a small forward for Saint Ansgar's basketball team, as he was able to consistently utilize these skills as a defender to steal the ball from his opponents. That should continue to translate well as a defender on the gridiron as he could find his way to the QB a lot more during his senior season.

Continuing our search of the top upcoming senior Defensive-linemen in Iowa heading into this season, we move over to Class A, where we take a look at a select group of names that have already taken big roles for their units, or are poised to post huge numbers in their senior campaigns that will look to boost their stock heading into the next offseason. We take a look today at 5 senior DL from Class A Iowa to watch in 2025!