April 23, 2026, 8:55 a.m. CT<\/p>\n
It is time for fans of the Iowa Hawkeyes<\/a> to get their first look at what the 2026 squad could be this Saturday when they open the doors to Kinnick Stadium for Iowa<\/a>‘s spring game. Calling it a spring game is slightly generous, as Iowa has always treated this as more of a glorified practice under Kirk Ferentz.<\/p>\n Nonetheless, it will offer the chance for fans to see new faces, new players, new coaches and get a read on this team for the first time in 2026. The spring open practice is set to begin at 10:45 am on Saturday, April 25, and ESPN previewed what to expect<\/a>, look for, and what the biggest intrigue surrounding this Iowa team is.<\/p>\n Spring storyline:\u00a0Iowa’s next logical step is CFP contention, especially after a 9-4 season where it pushed playoff teams like Indiana and Oregon to the brink. To move up a rung, the Hawkeyes are seeking improvement in their passing game, which still lagged at 127th nationally despite quarterback\u00a0Mark Gronowski<\/a>‘s timely contributions. As offensive coordinator Tim Lester sorts through who will play at quarterback, he has a quality pass-catching option in sophomore tight end\u00a0DJ Vonnahme<\/a>, who led the team in receptions (29), receiving yards (434) and receiving touchdowns (three). Wide receiver production has long been an issue for Iowa, but the team could have a playmaker in\u00a0Reece Vander Zee<\/a>. Running back\u00a0Kamari Moulton<\/a>, who tied for fourth on the team in receptions, is also back. – ESPN<\/p>\n It’s hard to argue that Iowa is starting to feel like they are on borrowed time to make an appearance in the College Football Playoff. They have been close, but have to kick down the door one of these years. And that starts on offense.<\/p>\n Everyone knows Iowa can run the ball. The running back room is going to be loaded with four backs all capable of starting, and DJ Vonnahme appears to be blossoming into another great Iowa tight end. That leads to the next logical question: who can get the ball to the tight end and the wide receivers? In an unsurprising turn of events, quarterback is Iowa’s biggest position of intrigue, as it has been for the better part of the 2020s.<\/p>\n Need a news break? Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!<\/a><\/p>\n Position of intrigue:\u00a0Quarterback. The portal and teams’ willingness to spend on proven quarterbacks has reduced the number of true competitions, but Iowa appears to have one with sophomore\u00a0Jeremy Hecklinski<\/a>\u00a0and junior\u00a0Hank Brown<\/a>. Hecklinski, a transfer from\u00a0Wake Forest<\/a>, is undersized at 5-foot-11 and 188 pounds but brings a gunslinger-type mentality to an Iowa offense that typically doesn’t show much aggressiveness. Brown started two games at\u00a0Auburn<\/a>\u00a0in 2024 and saw more action behind Gronowski last season. He has more of a traditional size at 6-4 and 215 pounds and won a Tennessee high school state title playing for coach Trent Dilfer. Gronowski leaves a significant void in Iowa’s run game — he ran for 545 yards and 16 touchdowns last fall — and Hecklinski and Brown will try to fill the production this spring. – ESPN<\/p>\n It’s a true quarterback competition at Iowa, and if I can promise you one thing, there is a better chance of snow falling in South Florida than there is of Kirk Ferentz giving any indication of who is going to be the starter on Saturday.<\/p>\n Expect Jeremy Hecklinski and Hank Brown to split reps pretty evenly on Saturday, with both getting opportunities to work with the first-string offense. While this won’t decide the competition, it is undoubtedly going to create some noise in Iowa City based on which looks better in front of fans for the first time. Both of these quarterbacks have to be on the lookout for Iowa’s next ballhawk, Zach Lutmer, who is ESPN’s player to watch for Iowa.<\/p>\n Player to watch:\u00a0Safety\u00a0Zach Lutmer<\/a>. Iowa’s defensive brilliance is often taken for granted, and with longtime coordinator Phil Parker in place, justifiably so. But the unit loses key players from 2025 at all three levels, including linemen\u00a0Ethan Hurkett<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Max Llewellyn<\/a>, linebacker\u00a0Karson Sharar<\/a>\u00a0and safeties\u00a0Xavier Nwankpa<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Koen Entringer<\/a>. Iowa will lean on Lutmer and several other key returners to maintain the defense’s overall stinginess. Lutmer led Iowa with three interceptions in 2025 and ranked second on the team with seven pass breakups. He and\u00a0Deshaun Lee<\/a>\u00a0will lead a secondary that could be a team strength in 2026. —\u00a0Rittenberg<\/p>\n Year in and year out, Phil Parker someway, somehow finds the next great Iowa defensive back that has a nose for the ball and makes opponents pay. Zach Lutmer proved that last year, highlighted by an interception of Fernando Mendoza, the future No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.<\/p>\n His versatility has created a chess piece that Parker, a defensive wizard, can move all around the field to wreak havoc on the opposing quarterbacks. Lutmer is going to be asked to do a lot this year, which starts Saturday, where he is likely to be lined up all over the field on defense.<\/p>\n Contact\/Follow us\u00a0@HawkeyesWire<\/a>\u00a0on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0to follow ongoing coverage of\u00a0Iowa<\/a>\u00a0news, notes and opinions.\u00a0Follow Riley on X:\u00a0@rileydonald7<\/a><\/p>\n