Five Things to Watch for from the Iowa Hawkeyes in 2026

Not a snap has been played, but that doesn’t stop us from running rampant with speculation about what is in store for the 2026 edition of Iowa Hawkeye football. Much of the hand wringing thus far has been about the quarterback controversy (or not?) surrounding Hank Brown and Jeremy Hecklinski. But what are some of the other key watch items as we move closer to opening day on September 5?

For the 2026 season, the Iowa Hawkeyes are near the bottom of the country and rank as the lowest in the Big Ten for returning experience. According to data compiled by CBS Sports and ESPN’s Bill Connelly, Iowa faces a massive roster overhaul:

• Defensive snaps returning: 33 percent (ranking 95th in the FBS)

• Offensive snaps returning: 46 percent (ranking 51st in the FBS)

• Total snaps returning: 39 percent (ranking 74th in the FBS)

In his presser at the Big Ten Football Media Days, Kirk Ferentz said the defensive line was his greatest concern, having lost seven of their top eight players. Additionally, regardless of who wins the quarterback battle, they’ll be breaking in a new starting quarterback to replace Mark Gronowski.

Now that I have sprinkled doom dust on your Hawkeye bubble and brought you down to earth, let’s give you some oxygen so you can start to breathe again.

Injuries, or lack thereof, are a storyline thus far in 2026, and a stark contrast to how 2025 kicked off. Quarterback Mark Gronowski had surgery on his shoulder shortly after transferring to Iowa and missed all of spring practice. Wide receiver Reece Vander Zee fractured his foot days before the season started, and senior tight end Addison Ostrenga suffered a season ending injury against Iowa State in Week 2. It wasn’t until later in the season that Mark found his groove, Reece VZ rejoined the team, and freshman tight end DJ Vonnahme found his stride that the passing game began to show signs of life.

At Media Days Ferentz noted that two players were out that may miss a large portion of the season, if not the entire season – Kyler Gerardy (DB) and Lance Beeghley(WR – a portal transfer from SMU). As it currently stands, anyone competing for a starting job should be healthy for opening day.

While Iowa did have a large graduating class and some notable transfers heading into 2026, they responded by bringing in 27 new players in January (a record), a combination of freshman and portal transfers to fill the gaps. Will the lack of injuries and influx of reinforcements be enough to balance out the lack of returning production?

Iowa promoted Billy VandeMerkt to quarterbacks coach this offseason. The key connection is that Billy worked under current OC Tim Lester back when Tim was the head coach at Western Michigan. Billy worked across multiple offensive skill positions there, which included quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends. Before joining Iowa, VandeMerkt spent four seasons as an offensive assistant coach in the NFL with the Jets from 2021-24, and worked primarily with the Jets’ quarterbacks in 2024, where the Jets had a scheme likeIowa’s. VandeMerkt was a quarterback himself in college.

Multiple Hawkeyes have a legacy connection to Iowa this season. Drew Campbell has been proving himself to be a strong defensive end and is the younger brother of Jack Campbell. Speaking of defensive ends, Iose Epenesa is the younger brother of A.J. and Eric Epenesa who both played at Iowa, and their father is Eppy Epenesa, who was a defensive tackle at Iowa from 1996-1998. Wide receiver Isaiah Oliver is the son of former basketball great Dean Oliver (1998-2001). Oliver caught a 34-year TD pass from Jimmy Sullivan during this year’s Kids’ Day.

Trivia Question – Which award has recently been bestowed upon an Iowa lineman, where each of them have gone on to be drafted into the NFL?

Answer – The Solon Beef Days Hay Bale Toss Champion!

Yes, that’s right. Iowa Hawkeyes offensive lineman Cael Winter was crowned the 2026 Hay Bale Toss champion after he cleared a bale of hay above 13 feet and six inches. Winter now joins an impressive “who’s who” list of Hawkeyes to win the annual Hay Bale Toss over the past several years, which includes Tyler Linderbaum, Tristan Wirfs, and Gennings Dunker. Which surely means that Cael himself is destined for greatness.

Okay, I just wanted to have a little fun with that last watch item. But since we Iowans live in a state where there are more pigs than people, some people take these hay bale competitions pretty seriously!

Here’s a closing Easter Egg for sticking around to the end.

The Big Ten Network (BTN) will air Iowa’s B1G Football Camp on Monday, August 25 at 5:00 PM CST. BTN has already aired their segments for the other 17 B1G schools, so apparently, they are saving the best for last. These segments are well done, typically beginning with key highlights and storylines heading into the new season, and then interview the head coach. From there, they will interview several key players and a handful of coordinators and coaches. Once it airs, BTN will repeat the segment at random times in the following days.