ESPN previews Iowa football spring game, what to watch, storylines

It's hard to argue that Iowa is starting to feel like they are on borrowed time to make an appearance in the College Football Playoff. They have been close, but have to kick down the door one of these years. And that starts on offense.

Everyone knows Iowa can run the ball. The running back room is going to be loaded with four backs all capable of starting, and DJ Vonnahme appears to be blossoming into another great Iowa tight end. That leads to the next logical question: who can get the ball to the tight end and the wide receivers? In an unsurprising turn of events, quarterback is Iowa's biggest position of intrigue, as it has been for the better part of the 2020s.

**Position of intrigue:**Quarterback. The portal and teams' willingness to spend on proven quarterbacks has reduced the number of true competitions, but Iowa appears to have one with sophomore Jeremy Hecklinski and junior Hank Brown. Hecklinski, a transfer from Wake Forest, is undersized at 5-foot-11 and 188 pounds but brings a gunslinger-type mentality to an Iowa offense that typically doesn't show much aggressiveness. Brown started two games at Auburn in 2024 and saw more action behind Gronowski last season. He has more of a traditional size at 6-4 and 215 pounds and won a Tennessee high school state title playing for coach Trent Dilfer. Gronowski leaves a significant void in Iowa's run game -- he ran for 545 yards and 16 touchdowns last fall -- and Hecklinski and Brown will try to fill the production this spring. - ESPN

It's a true quarterback competition at Iowa, and if I can promise you one thing, there is a better chance of snow falling in South Florida than there is of Kirk Ferentz giving any indication of who is going to be the starter on Saturday.

Expect Jeremy Hecklinski and Hank Brown to split reps pretty evenly on Saturday, with both getting opportunities to work with the first-string offense. While this won't decide the competition, it is undoubtedly going to create some noise in Iowa City based on which looks better in front of fans for the first time. Both of these quarterbacks have to be on the lookout for Iowa's next ballhawk, Zach Lutmer, who is ESPN's player to watch for Iowa.

**Player to watch:**Safety Zach Lutmer. Iowa's defensive brilliance is often taken for granted, and with longtime coordinator Phil Parker in place, justifiably so. But the unit loses key players from 2025 at all three levels, including linemen Ethan Hurkett and Max Llewellyn, linebacker Karson Sharar and safeties Xavier Nwankpa and Koen Entringer. Iowa will lean on Lutmer and several other key returners to maintain the defense's overall stinginess. Lutmer led Iowa with three interceptions in 2025 and ranked second on the team with seven pass breakups. He and Deshaun Lee will lead a secondary that could be a team strength in 2026. -- Rittenberg

Year in and year out, Phil Parker someway, somehow finds the next great Iowa defensive back that has a nose for the ball and makes opponents pay. Zach Lutmer proved that last year, highlighted by an interception of Fernando Mendoza, the future No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

His versatility has created a chess piece that Parker, a defensive wizard, can move all around the field to wreak havoc on the opposing quarterbacks. Lutmer is going to be asked to do a lot this year, which starts Saturday, where he is likely to be lined up all over the field on defense.

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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire : ESPN previews Iowa football spring game, what to watch, storylines