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The 2026 Iowa football is just weeks away, and it sure felt like it in Iowa City. 

The sky was cloudy and occasionally filled with spits of rain, but when you're about to spend the next 24 hours talking about football, it's only fitting. 

Kirk Ferentz and the Iowa Hawkeyes held their annual media day on Friday afternoon, allowing the local media to get its first look at the 2026 squad. While today was filled with interviews, we'll get a real live look at this team during tomorrow's Kids' Day scrimmage. 

Ferentz spent the first 30 minutes of the busy day previewing his team, so as a natural reporter, I've got some takeaways. 

Here they are. 

No New Update On Quarterback Battle 

Every Iowa fan was probably hoping and praying for a new update on the ongoing quarterback battle between Hank Brown and Jeremy Hecklinski. 

Ferentz did just that …. sort of. He was asked repeatedly about the competition at Big Ten Media Days on July 28, but his answer that day was that simple – Iowa is going to take its time when making this major decision. 

That mindset hasn't changed. There's two weeks of practice before we hit game week, which is both a lot and very little time to see if the winner emerges. Ferentz also didn't rule out the possibility of this race extending into the season as well, and told the press that there's always the chance he'll change things up in October – something he did two years ago when he replaced Cade McNamara with Brendan Sullivan. 

The Hawkeyes may have a clearer picture of who will be their next starting quarterback than they did in Chicago, but long story short, there's still a long way to go before this one gets settled. 

Offensive coordinator Tim Lester's input is a "huge" factor, too. 

"We've got time on our side, so it's really our plan to let it play out," Ferentz said. "If something becomes really apparent at some point, we'll make a decision. Otherwise, we're just going to let it play out and let the guys compete." 

Offensive Line Is Shuffling Around 

This sub-headline may be slightly confusing here, but this doesn't mean that Iowa's Joe Moore Award-winning offensive line is falling apart – it's the opposite. 

Trevor Lauck is basically entrenched at left tackle, but outside of that, every spot on the front five is up for grabs. Kade Pieper is likely to move over to Logan Jones' old spot at center, but Michael Myslinski and Cael Winter are both competing for the spot as well. 

All three players have rotated between guard and center throughout fall camp, and while Ferentz is maybe slightly concerned about the unit's depth, it's always been about the "next man up" mentality, anyway. Ferentz told us that they'll probably employ a similar strategy of rotating Pieper, Winter, and Myslinski during Saturday's Kids' Day scrimmage. 

"I think the guys competing right now have been in the program long enough to have a realistic chance to play well, and it's going to be really important for us when that happens. I just don't know who they are yet," Ferentz said.

Ferentz Isn't Slowing Down 

Ferentz's longevity came up while he was chatting with us at Big Ten Media Days, and he made sure to let everyone know on Friday that he is still every bit the coach he was when he first arrived in Iowa City in 1999. Prior to saying that, he even joked that people are probably counting 

Ferentz could shock everyone and announce his retirement after the season, but it's likely he'll stay through his current contract which runs through the 2029 season. 

"I don't have much to tell you right there other than I feel good and certainly enjoy what I'm doing and enjoy the people I work with every day. That's about the extent of that one right now.

Injuries /Roster Updates 

Ferentz's team is mostly healthy at this point and time, but no football team is truly exempt from fall camp injury bugs. Wide receiver Lance Beeghly and defensive back Kyler Gerardy (both are walk-ons) suffered injuries within the last week and are likely to miss most, if not the entire season. 

Elsewhere, Ferentz confirmed that wide receiver Terrence Smith is indeed no longer on the roster anymore. Eliot Clough of 247Sports reported the news a few weeks ago, and Ferentz confirmed Smith enrolled at Iowa Western Community College and has battled "health obstacles" since transferring there. 

Finally, former linebacker Ben Kueter looks to be sticking with wrestling as his main sport moving forward. Ferentz wasn't sure if that was the case, but did confirm that the Iowa City native is no longer on the roster anymore. 

"My understanding is he's just straight ahead wrestling and hopefully does great. I think he will, but that's my understanding," Ferentz said. 

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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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