Reality check: Iowa's quarterback situation compared to the rest of college football

Iowa Hawkeyes On SI · Jul 22, 2026 12:04 · 2 min read

Reality Check: Iowa's Quarterback Situation Compared to the Rest of College Football — Iowa Hawkeyes quarterback Jeremy Hecklinski (10) warms up Nov. 8, 2025 before a Big Ten Football game against the Oregon Ducks at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Iowa has a new quarterback this year, but it may be more dire than it looks on paper compared to the rest of the country.

No, you are not stuck on the same song playing on repeat for the sixth season in a row.

It actually is another year of the Iowa Hawkeyes entering the season without a solidified or confident answer at the quarterback position. You can't make it up. It's synonymous with the Hawkeyes.

Iowa Football Quarterback Competition

The Hawkeyes are going to enter training camp with an open competition between Jeremy Hecklinski and Hank Brown that appears to be far from settled, despite the need to make the announcement sooner rather than later.

Jeremy Hecklinski seemed to have grabbed the reins on the job after being the second-string last year down the stretch, but Hank Brown made strides during spring ball that closed the gap.

The unknown solution here has Iowa stuck in quarterback purgatory, which is seeing them being punished in The Athletic's quarterback tier rankings of all 136 FBS teams.

Where do Iowa's quarterbacks rank?

Well, to put it bluntly, the situation is dire for the Hawkeyes based upon these rankings.

With all 136 teams split into seven tiers, Iowa finds itself in the very last tier, Tier 7, which is a collection of quarterbacks with something to prove or some simply lacking the tools and production to be higher.

While in Tier 7, Iowa finds itself ranked as the No. 103 quarterback situation in the country, with Jeremy Hecklinski given the nod as the starter in 2026.

Riley Donald's Thoughts on Iowa's Quarterback Situation

Personally, I would slot Iowa up a tier or two based upon the situation Hecklinski (or Brown) are entering. Neither of these two is going to be expected to shoulder the load.

Iowa has one of the best offensive lines in the country, which instantly improves the situation. Pair that with an elite running back room, and Iowa's quarterback situation suddenly looks a little brighter.

The problem for Iowa, which could rear its ugly head at some point this season, is if the pressure is shifted onto the quarterback to go head-to-head in the passing game.

Iowa doesn't have that, or at least hasn't proven it. I am not sure either quarterback is built to get into a track meet against a team with a ton of confidence, unless early-season showings open our eyes.

Then again, Iowa won eight games in 2024 with a rotating door of quarterbacks. In 2023, Deacon Hill led the Hawkeyes to 10 wins. And in 2022, Spencer Petras, Alex Padilla, and Joey Labas engineered eight wins.

Could it be that the Iowa Hawkeyes are quarterback-proof no matter who is under center?