Iowa opens its season Saturday against Northern Illinois, and the Hawkeyes still don't know who's taking the first snap. Hank Brown and Jeremy Hecklinski have been grinding through fall camp all August with no resolution, and according to On3's Pete Nakos, that's still the case with the opener bearing down.
Sources continue to tell @On3 that no decision has been made at Iowa regarding the quarterback battle. Hank Brown and Jeremy Hecklinski will both play. Who takes the field has yet to be determined. More in Week 1 CFB Insider: t.co/CyDXzj3oGs
Nakos reported that sources continue to tell On3 no decision has been made — both quarterbacks will play, but who actually takes the field first is still unsettled. That tracks with everything that's leaked out of Iowa City this summer. Ferentz and offensive coordinator Tim Lester have both said for weeks that both QBs would likely see the field in the opener, but neither has been willing to hand the job outright to either guy.
The two are stylistically different bets. Brown is the prototypical pocket passer with a big arm — a 4th-year player who started sparingly last season, completing 11-of-21 passes for 107 yards with a touchdown and an interception across 3 games in 2025. Hecklinski is the dual-threat option, a redshirt sophomore with an underrated arm who reportedly split reps with Brown almost evenly throughout spring ball.
Iowa's coaching staff also shuffled the quarterback room this offseason — Lester handed off day-to-day QB coaching duties to Billy Vandemerkt while staying on as play-caller, adding another variable to a competition that was already too close to call. Iowa's Week 1 depth chart didn't help either, listing the starter simply as "Brown OR Hecklinski" rather than picking a side.
For a Hawkeyes offense that's been searching for stability under center for years, the lack of clarity days before kickoff is notable — Ferentz has never been shy about platooning quarterbacks when he's not fully sold on one guy, and this looks like it's shaping up the same way. Whether that's a sign both are good enough to trust or neither has separated is the real question, and Iowa fans won't get an answer until the ball is actually snapped Saturday against Northern Illinois.