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There's only two more Saturdays without Iowa football for a very long time. 

We've already released four Hawkeye opponent previews over the last week, but now that Kids' Day has come and gone, it's time to begin our position previews. 

And what better place to do that than the quarterback position? It's dominated just about every preseason Iowa headline, and though the results at Kids' Day heavily favored one quarterback, Jeremy Heckllinski and Hank Brown are still in the midst of a very close competition for the coveted job. 

While Kirk Ferentz and Co. continue to mull over they will trot out for opening day on Sept. 5., we've got your preview of the entire quarterback room. 

The Rundown 

There's absolutely no need to even write this sub-headline here, but for the sake of context, we're doing it anyway. 

Kirk Ferentz did mention that there were three guys in the running for the starting job during his post-Kids' Day media scrum, but we've basically known this race would be between Hecklinski and Brown since the end of the 2025 campaign. 

But what do Hecklinski and Brown bring to the table? We've written about this a lot on here, but for those that don't know a lot about these quarterbacks, this is the best mid-August assessment we can give you: Hecklinski is the "gunslinger," which means he's not afraid to sling the football all over the field, while Brown is your traditional strong-armed pocket passer. 

The 5-foot-10 Hecklinski definitely has more mobility, but the 6-foot-4 Brown is very capable of making plays with his legs, too. 

Both quarterbacks played sparingly last season. Brown began the year as the backup to Mark Gronowski, but he played poorly when he was forced to relieve an injured Gronowski against eventual national champion Indiana in late September. Gronowski returned two weeks later, but Brown was demoted to the third-string quarterback in favor of Hecklinski.

Hecklinski didn't play much as the backup, but performed admirably in front of thousands of fans and the local media at Kids' Day. The Georgia native went 17-for-25 for 205 yards and five touchdowns during the scrimmage, and his accuracy and confidence certainly made him look every bit the part of a potential starter. 

Brown struggled throughout the open practice, but he does have more starting experience than Hecklinski. He started a pair of games for Auburn during the 2024 season, tossing 235 yards and four scores in his debut before struggling the next week and getting benched. 

Though Hecklinski has never started a game in his college career, he does have a year of experience learning Tim Lester's robust offense, and before that, he spent one season in Wake Forest's innovative "slow-mesh" scheme. 

Iowa's decision will come down to which quarterback performs the best in fall camp, which lasts another week or so. 

Will Ferentz take a chance and go with the risk-taker Hecklinski, or go with a style of quarterback he's used throughout most of his Hawkeye career?

The Rest Of The Room 

Tradon Bessinger: Bessinger is the highest-ranked quarterback recruit to commit to Iowa since Jake Christensen back in 2005. Convincing the four-star prospect from Utah to be a backup for a few seasons could be a challenge, but Ferentz has already praised his eagerness to learn. Bessinger threw for over 10,000 passing yards and tallied 127 touchdowns in three seasons as a starter in high school, and some of that raw talent was on display at Kids' Day.

Jimmy Sullivan: After redshirting in 2025, Sullivan is likely to be the third-string quarterback in 2026. He was a 2,000-yard passer during his senior season at Carroll High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana. 

Ryan Fitzgerald: Fitzgerald, the son of Michigan State head coach Pat Fitzgerald, is also entering his redshirt freshman campaign in 2026. He's a preferred walk-on. 

You Can Win FREE Tickets To Iowa's Season Opener! 

HawkeyeRoundtable is giving away TWO tickets to Iowa's season opener against Northern Illinois on Sept. 5! 

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. 

Click here to automatically become a member to enter the contest! Additional contest details can be found in our community section, too! 

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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