Instant Takeaways From Iowa Football's Kids' Day Scrimmage

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There's still three more weeks until Iowa plays an actual football game inside Kinnick Stadium, but for roughly 2,000 Hawkeye fans, the season opener might as well have taken place on Aug. 15. 

Saturday marked the first and only time Hawkeye fans and the local media could get a glimpse of the 2026 squad during fall camp, as Iowa took the field for its 18th annual Kids' Day open scrimmage. 

All eyes were on the ongoing quarterback battle between Jeremy Hecklinski and Hank Brown, and let's just say that there was a clear-cut winner between the two. 

Without further adieu, here are some of our top takeaways from Kids' Day. 

The Quarterback Battle Wasn't Even Close 

Jeremy Hecklinski and Hank Brown both struggled to begin the practice, but as the scrimmage wore on, a clear winner emerged. 

That winner was Hecklinski, who likely had one of his best practices of fall camp. His first two throws to begin the day were well off the mark, but once Iowa switched to 11-on-11 drills, Hecklinski looked very comfortable in the offense. 

His first touchdown pass was an impressive fade to Evan James (more on him in second) for a four-yard score, and he continued to roll after that. Iowa quarterbacks don't always show a lot during these practices, but Hecklinski's ball placement skills were on full display. 

DJ Vonnahme is known for making tough catches in minimal space, but in order for him to do so, the ball has to be in the right spot. The third-year tight end broke free twice, and Hecklinski dropped both passes right in the bucket for touchdowns. 

These plays quickly got the attention of the Iowa faithful in attendance, but Hecklinski wasn't done. He finished the day with another impressive score to James, and dropped a perfect high pass in the waiting arms of a leaping Reece Vander Zee. 

There were a few misses here and there, but Hecklinski's final unofficial stat line was one of the more impressive ones we've seen from a Hawkeye quarterback in several Kids' Day practices: 17/25, 205 yards, and five touchdowns. 

It's worth mentioning that some of these reps came against the No. 2 defense, but that was an intentional move to get both quarterbacks acclimated, per Kirk Ferentz (still a lot of quality tape with the ones, too). 

"We're just trying to give them all equal access," Ferentz said after the practice. 

On the flip side, Hecklinski's competitor for the job, Hank Brown, did not fare well when he got the chance to make plays. Brown's mobility was very good (25 rushing yards), but outside of that, his performance left a lot to be desired. 

Wide receivers were open all over the field, but Brown's deep ball was never there, and he finished with a measly stat line of 9/21 for 42 yards and no touchdowns. 

There's no question that Hecklinski looked like the better quarterback on Saturday, but Ferentz and Co. aren't making their decision off of one practice – it's all about the body of work, which is nine practices at this point and time. 

Everything remains undecided. 

"I'd look at them over nine nine days. I think they've done some good things, and some things have got to get better, like every position," Ferentz said "It's clearly cloudy right now." 

Big Day For Evan James 

Everyone that was out there catching passes today made some kind of an impact if they were targeted, but Hawkeye fans know what to expect from guys like Tony Diaz, Reece Vander Zee, and Vonnahme. 

One of the so-called wild cards in the room in 2026 is Furman transfer Evan James. The second-year was making plays throughout the morning, and if you've managed to read this far, you've probably figured that out. 

I was too busy recording quarterback stats to tally an unofficial stat line for James, but here's a highlight that was a pretty good indication of how he played today. 

James collected 796 receiving yards and seven touchdowns at the FCS level last year, and knowing how Tim Lester prefers to use any weapon at his disposal, it could be wise to keep an eye on James this season. 

"He's a good football player. He's really young guy. I think this is his second year on campus, and so I think he's got a good future, but it's just day to time," Ferentz said. 

Inconsistencies In The Kicking Game 

The quarterback battle is obviously the main position race to follow as we journey through the rest of fall camp, but if there's another battle that's just as up for grabs, it's the kicking competition between North Dakota State transfer Eli Ozick and second-year Caden Buhr. 

I assumed Ozick, who went 16-of-18 for a 12-1 Bison team last year, would be the clear frontrunner for the job prior to media day, but once I chatted with special teams coordinator Chris Polizzi, I think this race still has a long way to go. 

Both kickers attempted tries from various spots on the field (42 yards, 45 yards, etc.), but Buhr outplayed Ozick on Saturday.

There were some additional attempts that took place as I was descending from the press b box, but here's what I had: Buhr 5/6, Ozick 3/7. Again, one practice doesn't come close to showing the full picture and Ozick did attempt a 57-yarder (it fell way short), but it's going to be an interesting few weeks to determine Drew Stevens' successor.
"It [the kicking game] was better Wednesday night when we were in here [at Kinnick Stadium]," Ferentz said. "But right now we got we got to zero in on that and just keep going." 

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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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