Iowa football walk-on simulating Diego Pavia in Hawkeyes' bowl prep

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When it comes to slowing down the Heisman Trophy runner-up, it's going to take all hands on deck for the Iowa football team.

Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia had an excellent 2025 regular season, completing 71.2% of his passes for 3,192 yards and 27 touchdowns. He also ran for 826 yards and nine touchdowns, giving opposing defenses a dual-threat option they have to stop. His 2025 season got him to New York City as a Heisman Trophy finalist, where he finished as the runner-up to Indiana's Fernando Mendoza.

It's going to be a tall task for the Hawkeye defense to try and contain Pavia in the ReliaQuest Bowl on New Year's Eve. While the scheme of defensive coordinator Phil Parker will be important, Kirk Ferentz is turning to a walk-on to help his defense prepare for Pavia's skillset.

According to Chad Leistikow of the Des Moines Register, Iowa is using walk-on quarterback Ryan Fitzgerald to simulate Pavia in the Hawkeyes' practices.

Fitzgerald, the son of new Michigan State head coach Pat Fitzgerald, is a true freshman walk-on for the Hawkeyes. The 6-foot-1, 218-pound quarterback from Northfield, Illinois, didn't see any action for Iowa this season, but the coaching staff is high on his potential going forward.

He helped lead Loyola Academy High School to three straight state championships. Across his two years as the starting quarterback for Loyola Academy, Fitzgerald threw for 3,835 yards and 45 touchdowns, while also rushing for 988 yards and 15 touchdowns. Those rushing totals show off the dual-threat ability of Fitzgerald, and why the coaching staff picked him to simulate Pavia in practice.

With Mark Gronowski set to graduate, there's going to be an open battle for the starting quarterback role next season. Sophomore Hank Brown and redshirt-freshman Jeremy Hecklinski are the favorites at the moment, but don't count out Fitzgerald from getting involved in the battle. This experience as the scout team quarterback is huge for a young player, and it's clear that Ferentz believes in his potential.

Iowa will hope to translate that preparation into success at the ReliaQuest Bowl on Wednesday. Kick-off is scheduled for 11 a.m. CST, and the game can be seen on ESPN.

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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa football walk-on simulating Diego Pavia in Hawkeyes' bowl prep

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