The calendar may still be March, but spring practice is approaching, and the storylines for the 2026 college football season have already become abundant. The Big Ten is once again among the best conferences in the sport, and the Iowa Hawkeyes are hopeful this is the year they break through for a spot in the College Football Playoff.
The Hawkeyes finished 2025 with a 9-4 record, capped off with a very strong showing in a ReliaQuest Bowl victory over Vanderbilt. The Hawkeyes lost some key starters, but hit the portal hard, and are now a revamped roster looking for some cohesion during spring practices.
ESPN took a look at each of the teams in the Big Ten and detailed a few key storylines that could shape teams starting this spring during their 2026 preview.
Iowa Football 2026 Schedule
Iowa Football Spring Storyline
Can Iowa finally break through? This team has been close. They had Indiana and Oregon each nearly dead to rights late in the hostile Kinnick Stadium, only to see things go sideways down the stretch. This team must figure out how to close games late.
They also must find some production on offense. Everything went through Mark Gronowski last season. Who is going to be the guy who steps up this year? We know the defense will be its usual stout self under Phil Parker, but can Iowa build on the last two years of offensive growth?
Spring storyline: Iowa’s next logical step is CFP contention, especially after a 9-4 season where it pushed playoff teams like Indiana and Oregon to the brink. To move up a rung, the Hawkeyes are seeking improvement in their passing game, which still lagged at 127th nationally despite quarterback Mark Gronowski’s timely contributions. As offensive coordinator Tim Lester sorts through who will play at quarterback, he has a quality pass-catching option in sophomore tight end DJ Vonnahme, who led the team in receptions (29), receiving yards (434) and receiving touchdowns (three). Wide receiver production has long been an issue for Iowa, but the team could have a playmaker in Reece Vander Zee. Running back Kamari Moulton, who tied for fourth on the team in receptions, is also back. – ESPN
Iowa Football Position of Intrigue
It’s the same song and dance that this team has played since the Nate Stanley era ended. Who is going to command the offense, and how well can they do so? Gronowski was able to get things going last year, especially with his legs, but the spot is ripe for the taking now, with Jeremy Hecklinksi and Hank Brown looking to prove they can handle the offense.
Offensive coordinator Tim Lester has proven his ability to adapt his play-calling around the quarterback’s strengths and will once again need to do so in 2026 to unlock yet another Iowa offensive success story.
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
Iowa Football Player to Watch
Once again, the Iowa Hawkeyes are primed to have one of the best defensive backs in not just the Big Ten, but the entire country with Zach Lutmer. Last year, he blossomed in Phil Parker’s scheme and exploded onto the scene with his instinctual play and ball skills. With another year in the system and more time to grow, Lutmer could be primed to break out nationally this year as part of a unit that is always rock solid in Iowa City.
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
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire : Iowa Football 2026 Preview: ESPN details Hawkeyes’ 2026 outlook
Reporting by Riley Donald, Hawkeyes Wire / Hawkeyes Wire
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