QB battle still unsettled with opener six days out
Kirk Ferentz hasn't named a starter between Jeremy Hecklinski and Hank Brown as Iowa opens fall camp's final week, even as the reps finally start tilting one way.
The quarterback race isn't settled, but it's starting to tilt
Iowa opened fall camp on August 5 with the closest quarterback race Kirk Ferentz has run in years, and it's still going. Jeremy Hecklinski and Hank Brown have split the job's reps for most of camp, and as of August 26 the Hawkeyes still hadn't named a starter, with both players carrying a legitimate case, according to the Des Moines Register's Hawk Central. Ferentz has since indicated the reps won't stay even much longer as the Hawkeyes move into game week, which is as close as he's come to tipping his hand without actually naming a guy.
Whoever wins the job gets a new toy to throw it to. Transfer receiver Tony Diaz, who arrived from UT Rio Grande Valley, has been the buzz of camp — On3 described him to Pete Nakos as a "freak show" who "does something absolutely ridiculous every practice," and the belief in Iowa City is that the Texas transfer is an instant-impact piece the minute he steps on the field. For a program that has leaned on quarterback management over aerial fireworks for most of the Ferentz era, that's a name worth knowing before week one.
A Hawkeye alum is already making noise in the NFL
While the current roster fights for reps, a recent one is putting on a show. Kaden Wetjen, Pittsburgh's fourth-round pick out of Iowa, opened his NFL preseason with a 75-yard touchdown catch against Green Bay, then closed it out with a 45-yard punt return for a score against Buffalo, according to Steelers Depot. The Hawkeyes' own account marked the return with a simple "WETJEN TO THE HOUSE!!!" under the #NFLHawks tag — exactly the kind of thing that account exists for.
WETJEN TO THE HOUSE!!! @WetjenKaden x #NFLHawks t.co/mLdtsKdZtI
It's not nothing, either: Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy called out the rookie by name afterward, notable for a player who'd been on the roster bubble after a rough second preseason game, per SteelerNation. For a fan base still six days from its own kickoff, watching a guy who used to wear the same helmet break tackles in an NFL preseason game is a fine way to pass the time.
Last season ended with a bowl win in Nashville
The last time Iowa actually played a game, it beat Vanderbilt 34-27 on New Year's Eve to close out last season. That capped a finish that saw the Hawkeyes beat Michigan State 20-17, run past Nebraska 40-16, and then hold off the Commodores in the bowl game — a group of results that came after November losses to Oregon (16-18) and USC (21-26).
None of that carries over to 2026, record-wise — Iowa opens this season at 0-0 like everyone else — but it's the shape of team Ferentz is bringing back: capable of grinding out close ones, and finishing the year playing its best football. That's the version of the Hawkeyes a fan should picture walking into Kinnick on September 5, whichever quarterback is holding the ball.
A rebuilding Mountain West newcomer walks into a buzzsaw
Iowa opens the season on September 5 vs. Northern Illinois at Kinnick Stadium, and the Huskies arrive in the middle of their own overhaul. NIU is moving from the MAC into the Mountain West this year under interim head coach Rob Harley, who took over in February after Thomas Hammock left to join the Seattle Seahawks, per Eleven Warriors. The Huskies' last game on record was a 31-35 loss to Kent State to end last season, and they haven't played a game yet this fall either.
The line reflects the gap: it opened with Iowa favored by 31.5, and the total was set at a low 45.5, pointing to exactly the kind of grind-it-out, defense-first opener Ferentz teams are known for. Kickoff is set for 3:15 p.m. in Iowa City, and for a Hawkeye fan base that's spent camp arguing about a quarterback nobody's named yet, this is about as gentle a way to find out as there is.