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Big Ten Football Media Days begin tomorrow morning in Chicago. 

That's a wild sentence to type, but it means that we're getting very close to the 2026 Iowa football season. 

I'm pleased to share that HawkeyeRoundtable.com will be on-site for the first two days of this great event. It will be my first time covering Big Ten Media Days, but I can guarantee you that we'll have the best up-to-date information on everything happening with the Hawkeyes and the rest of the league. 

Here are some of the things we'll be watching for in Chicago:

Iowa Topics 

Joining head coach Kirk Ferentz at the podium for the Hawkeyes this year will be defensive back Zach Lutmer, tight end Addison Ostrenga, and linebacker Jayden Montgomery. 

With all due respect to Lutmer, who should be one of the Big Ten's best defensive players in 2026, I'm really interested in hearing more from Ostrenga and Montgomery. 

Ostrenga entered the 2025 campaign as the No. 1 tight end, but a season-ending injury against Iowa State paved the way for DJ Vonnahme to take over as the main option later in the season. 

Ostrenga is back healthy for 2026, and though he won't be No. 1 on the Week 1 depth chart, he'll certainly play a pivotal role in offensive coordinator Tim Lester's offense this season. 

Ferentz choosing Ostrenga to be one of the three Iowa representatives in Chicago says a ton about Ostrenga's character, and I'm curious to hear how Ostrenga's recovery went, how he's been able to mentally prepare himself for the new season, and what role he can play alongside Vonnahme. 

Linebacker has always been a successful position for Iowa, and though there's definitely a nice talent pool this year, we're not sure who could be the next man up for this group this year. 

All signs point to Montgomery, who started in seven games and tallied 44 tackles in 2025, as the man to step up and be a leader in this room, but it isn't going to be easy. Montgomery was able to lean on veterans like Karson Sharar last season, but that's not going to be an option this year. 

How will Montgomery step up in that leadership role? What has he learned from those veterans that he can teach the youngsters? 

The same goes for Lutmer, too. We all know how good he could be in 2026, but how can he step up as the leader of the defense? How has defensive coordinator Phil Parker challenged him to be a better football player this year? 

Then there's Ferentz. It's hard to pull out new information from a coach that has been on the sidelines for nearly three decades, but I'll be hoping to hear an update on the quarterback battle and how close they could be to naming a Week 1 starter. 

Outside of the QB battle, I'm also curious to learn what Ferentz plans to do differently to elevate this team to greater success in 2026. We know they were close to achieving an amazing season last year, but how does Iowa respond from the close losses? What has Ferentz learned from that year that he can change this year? 

Other tidbits will certainly pop up during these press conferences, but for now, these are the most important things I want to know. 

The Rest of The Big Ten 

When it comes to the rest of the league, I want to pay attention to all of the opposing coaches on Iowa's schedule. 

Illinois' Bret Bielema, Wisconsin's Luke Fickell, Minnesota's P.J. Fleck, Ohio State's Ryan Day, and Purdue's Barry Odom will all take the podium while we're on-site in Chicago, 

Michigan's Kyle Whittingham, Nebraska's Matt Rhule, Washington's Jedd Fisch, and Northwestern's David Braun will take the mic on Day 3, but we'll still have full coverage of everything these coaches said. 

Obviously a nugget about playing Iowa would be great content, but it's just important for us to get to know these opposing teams as it is for the Hawkeye coaching staff, so I want to know how all of these teams are feeling about the upcoming season. 

What are their strengths? Who could be a breakout star? Those are just a few of the things I want to learn about every conference foe on Iowa's schedule. 

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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