The Daily Iowan
Takeaways from Iowa’s spring practice The Hawkeyes’ open practice on April 25 gives a glimpse into next season.
For the first time since November 22, 2025, Iowa fans flooded into Kinnick Stadium on a perfect 64-degree day to watch their beloved Hawkeyes host their spring practice. Iowa finished 2025 with a 9-4 record and No. 17 in the final AP poll. Iowa has many new faces looking to prove themselves and show off their skills for the Hawkeye fans in attendance. From a competitive quarterback battle to a fully new defensive line, Iowa had plenty to watch at its open practice. Here are some takeaways from the practice.
Hank Brown and Jeremy Hecklinski have been in a battle for the starting quarterback spot since the final whistle blew at the ReliaQuest Bowl on December 31, 2025. Both quarterbacks shared a similar number of reps in the practice, and each showed flashes of big-play ability but were inconsistent. Brown and Hecklinski each hit at least two passes of 20 yards or more, with Brown taking more shots downfield than Hecklinski. Projected number one wide receiver Reece Vander Zee said Brown has seen Brown take those shots all spring.
“He’s taking more shots down the field, being more confident,” Vander Zee said. “Same with Jeremy [Hecklinski], they’re both doing a good job, pushing the ball down the field and giving us a chance to go make plays.” Hecklinski looked more accurate while on the run, while Brown succeeded when getting the ball out quickly to the sideline. Receiver Dayton Howard had a good connection with Hecklinski, especially in the offense-only and red zone periods.
The big standout offensively for Iowa was wide receiver KJ Parker, who caught multiple contested deep balls during the
scrimmage session. Parker played in 11 games in 2025, catching 3 passes for 18 yards and a touchdown. Kirk Ferentz praised Parker’s growth and compared him to former Hawkeye receiver Warren Holloway. “I just walked in here after talking to Warren Holloway,” Ferentz said after the practice. “Warren was a young player, always went hard, but didn’t always go the right way or do the right things, and then the rest of his career ended up being pretty good.” “KJ’s at that point, he’s got a good energy to him,” Ferentz continued. “He’s got some ability, certainly, and goes hard, and is fearless out there.
After losing several defensive linemen, many vacant spots lay open in Iowa’s defensive line.
quarterback battle
A peek at the Hawkeyes’ 2026 Lester’s ‘great problem:’ the defensive strategy
Jeremy Hecklinski and Hank Brown continue to improve as they jostle for the starting spot.
A spring Saturday in Iowa City disguised itself as a fall Saturday, as black and gold trickled its way into Kinnick Stadium for this year’s open spring practice. After battling a monstrous schedule to finish the 2025 season - , hopes are high for the Iowa Hawkeyes. However, arguably the biggest strength of Iowa over the past few years is now the biggest question mark ahead of the 2026 season — the defense. The Hawkeye defense took a big cut, losing an abundance of productive defensive linemen in Aaron Graves, Ethan Hurkett, Max Llewellyn, Brian Allen, and Jonah Pace. Defensive coordinator Phil Parker and head coach Kirk Ferentz recognize the loss of big bodies, but see talent in the defensive units they have. “We have a lot of work to do,” Ferentz said, regarding the defensive line. “It’s a little tougher up front, on both sides of the ball. If you think about it, we lost six out of our top eight last year.”
Ferentz said. When it comes to young players, Iose Epenesa is one to keep an eye out for. The defensive end is entering his second season as a Hawkeye, seeking a bigger role in the program with the
With spring practice nearing a close for Iowa football, the question lingering around the quarterback position remains up in the air. However, to offensive coordinator Tim Lester, the jostle between Jeremy Hecklinski and Hank Brown is “a great problem.” With both returning and incoming talent filling the offense’s skill positions, such as Tony Diaz, DJ Vonnahme, and Reece Vander Zee, the final piece of the puzzle revolves around who their distributor will be. “You have two [quarterbacks] playing well instead of having to play one because the other one is not playing well,” Lester said an unnamed coach told him after practice. While Lester noted that both quarterbacks have a long way to go in preparation for the season, he feels they’ve made strides in areas such as completion percentage and explosive plays. Another strength that Lester noted in Hecklinski and
But Ferentz and Co. aren’t focused on the past. “The good thing about being young and being maybe a little on the undeveloped side is that you can improve faster and grow faster. We just have to realize we have to maximize every opportunity,”