Iowa

Quarterback is the largest variable. Ferentz said July 28 that Iowa had not selected a starter and allowed that the decision could come in August or even during the season. The spring roster included Auburn transfer Hank Brown, returning sophomore Jeremy Hecklinski and freshman Ryan Fitzgerald. Brown and Hecklinski were selected to the 17-player leadership council, placing both in visible leadership roles, but neither entered camp with sustained Iowa game production. The winner must replace Mark Gronowski’s production and leadership without being asked to carry the offense alone.

There is support around that competition. Ferentz described every offensive skill group outside quarterback as relatively experienced, which should allow Lester to build around the run game and play action rather than demand immediate transformation from the new starter. The harder question is whether the front can make that approach viable. Iowa graduated three starters from its 2025 line, and Ferentz said roughly seven to nine players could earn significant snaps while acknowledging that their positions were not settled.

Guard Kade Pieper is the clearest offensive anchor. He started all 13 games in 2025, helped Iowa outrush nine opponents and was named to the 2026 Big Ten preseason honors list. His experience gives Iowa a piece around which to arrange the rebuilt front, but identifying five starters is only the beginning. The line must develop enough cohesion to protect an inexperienced quarterback and keep the offense out of obvious passing situations. That is how the Hawkeyes preserve their physical identity rather than merely invoke it.

The defensive front presents an even larger reconstruction. Ferentz called it Iowa’s greatest focus and concern after seven of the previous season’s top eight linemen departed. Veterans Luke Gaffney and Will Hubert offer a starting point, while South Dakota State transfer Bryce Hawthorne and several other portal additions expand the options. Ferentz expects a broader rotation and did not envision one lineman playing 500 snaps. That committee could provide flexibility, but its ability to control early downs remains unproven.

Parker has more established leadership behind that front, though not a settled lineup. Ferentz said the starting four or five defensive backs remained unclear entering camp. Zach Lutmer, Deshaun Lee and Jaylen Watson all hold places on the leadership council, making them consequential figures as Iowa determines its starting combination and nickel configuration. Their communication will matter if a young defensive line produces uneven stretches. More broadly, a council spanning every offensive position group and all three defensive levels can help integrate roughly 30 January newcomers after the departure of a large senior class, although its actual impact remains to be seen.

The schedule gives Iowa three home games to begin sorting those questions. Northern Illinois, Iowa State and Northern Iowa visit Kinnick Stadium in succession, although the Sept. 12 rivalry game against Iowa State makes that opening stretch more than a gentle runway. Then the pressure spikes: Iowa travels to Michigan, hosts Ohio State and visits Washington on a Friday night before its first open week. Any uncertainty at quarterback or either line will become much more expensive during that sequence.

Home rivalry dates against Wisconsin on Oct. 31 and Nebraska on Nov. 27 add later checkpoints, but Iowa’s season may take shape well before then. The Hawkeyes have a stable coaching structure, experienced offensive skill players, Pieper at the center of the offensive rebuild and leaders in Parker’s secondary. Their ceiling depends on whether the quarterback and both lines become functional units quickly enough. Familiarity gives Iowa a foundation; resolving those urgent questions before Michigan, Ohio State and Washington will determine how much it can support.

Season outlook

Projected win

Defensive havoc rate

16.9%

Front-seven havoc

10.0%