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When Tim Lester arrived as Iowa's new offensive coordinator in January 2024, it's safe to say he was walking into a difficult situation. 

Iowa's offense had sat at rock bottom since the turn of the decade, and the embarrassing "Drive to 325" clause (the Hawkeyes needed to average 27.7 points per game) in former offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz's contract fell well short, and he was dismissed midway through the 2023 campaign. 

The Hawkeyes posted a horrific 15.4 points per game and ranked dead last in just about every offensive category that season, but Lester's arrival has brought new life to the dormant offense. 

The quarterback carousel that headlined 2023 remained in 2024, but Lester's run scheme was the perfect fit for Kaleb Johnson, who collected 1,537 yards and and set numerous school records along the way. 

Mark Gronowski was brought in to revive the passing attack in 2025, but his September injury hampered his potential. The results were still much-improved from the previous season, but not quite what Lester's robust West Coast offense is designed to produce. 

Those quarterback questions are still very present in August 2026 – Lester's third in charge of the offense – as Jeremy Hecklinski and Hank Brown are still deep in competition for the starting job.

It appears the coaching staff will take their time to make this monumental decision, but the picture could become a little clearer after Saturday's open Kids' Day scrimmage at Kinnick Stadium. 

Why? Because Saturday will be the first and only time the local media and the Hawkeye faithful will get a chance to see Iowa practice between now and the season opener against Northern Illinois on Sept. 5. 

One practice probably isn't going to decide this tense race, but since it mimics a live game setting, the media reports, and the fanbase scowls.

But that's exactly what Lester wants his young signal-callers to experience. The Hawkeyes will play games at every possible time this season – including a pair of Friday games. Saturday's scrimmage will begin at the traditional in-season start time of 11:00 a.m local time, further proving Lester's point. 

"I just want to see how they handle the the the different atmosphere," Lester said at Iowa media day on Friday afternoon. "We're going to play on Friday nights, Tuesday nights, Wednesday nights, 8 o'clock, five, whatever they tell us to play, and you have to be ready as a quarterback."

As far as the playbook goes, Iowa fans can expect to see a pair of comfortable quarterbacks during the practice. Both quarterbacks have alternated reps so much throughout fall camp, and that comfortability could result in some explosive plays. 

"It's been it's been a great battle and and tomorrow's just one step of this of this thing that'll that'll take a bit to play out," Lester said. 

There's no question the battle is very close, and Kirk Ferentz hasn't ruled out the possibility of the competition extending into the season. Ferentz has done this sporadicly throughout his career (the 2008 season is a good example), but what does Lester think of it? 

The 49-year-old has already done it once in his Hawkeye career (2024), and though those conversations aren't present right now, if the situation were to arise again, Lester would make sure the incoming quarterback would have a scripted set of plays. 

"They would know exactly when they're going in, and not be afraid because you got to play loose," Lester said. "We haven't even talked about that yet. We're letting it play out, and then we're gonna have to make those decisions." 

The final say will likely come down to Ferentz when Iowa finally makes his decision, but according to the Hawkeyes' longtime head coach, Lester has a "huge" influence in the decision. 

"In a perfect world, we'll all come to a consensus, and there will be pretty much agreement," Ferentz said. "But my experience, NFL or college, it's not always clear-cut, and we'll keep an open mind as the decision gets going as well." 

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This is easily the biggest giveaway we've ever done on this site, and it's a great opportunity for two lucky fans to experience the joy of attending a Hawkeye football game at Kinnick Stadium. 

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HawkeyeRoundtable publisher Brad Schultz has covered the Iowa Hawkeyes since 2023. To send him story ideas, scoops, or criticize his writing, reach him at bradschultz@roundtable.io

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