Iowa inside ESPN's preseason college football power rankings

Iowa is in the midst of a quarterback battle between Jeremy Hecklinski and Hank Brown.

The Hawkeyes are also retooling their Joe Moore Award-winning offensive line, though Iowa returns a preseason All-American in Kade Pieper and offensive tackle Trevor Lauck up front. Iowa expects to field one of its best groups of wide receivers in some time this season.

Defensively, Iowa has leaders in linebacker Jayden Montgomery and a star in Zach Lutmer. But, there's quite a few questions on that side of the football.

Still, with any questions facing the Hawkeyes, most think enough of head coach Kirk Ferentz and Iowa to place them inside their preseason rankings. Iowa was ranked No. 22 in the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll. The Hawkeyes earned that same preseason ranking from the AP Top 25 voters.

ESPN feels similarly about the Hawkeyes, ranking Iowa No. 24 in its preseason college football power rankings:

Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz hasn't settled on a starting quarterback, as Hank Brown and Jeremy Hecklinski continue to battle for the job in preseason camp. The good news is that two small-school transfers, Evan James (Furman) and Tony Diaz (Texas-Rio Grande Valley), have emerged as potential big-play weapons. James, a speedy slot receiver, caught 65 passes for 796 yards with seven touchdowns for the Paladins last season. Diaz hauled in 67 receptions for 881 yards with four scores for the Vaqueros. That's good news for the Hawkeyes, whose leading wideout had 24 catches in 2025. – Mark Schlabach, ESPN

Evan James and Tony Diaz certainly have folks excited in Iowa City. On3 included Diaz among its top 20 under-the-radar transfer portal additions in college football.

Hawkeye fans won't have to wait much longer to find out if its rankings are justified. Iowa opens its 2026 season at home from Kinnick Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 5 against Northern Illinois. Kickoff is set for 3:15 p.m. CT on the Big Ten Network.

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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa inside ESPN's preseason college football power rankings