Iowa’s Week 6 depth chart didn’t bring the kind of shake-up some might have expected after Hank Brown exited the Ohio State game banged up. Instead, the Hawkeyes are keeping things largely intact as they head into Friday night’s matchup at Washington.
The biggest note is at quarterback, where Brown remains listed as QB1. That suggests Iowa believes he has enough of a health check to stay at the top, even after Jeremy Hecklinski stepped in and directed a touchdown drive against Ohio State. Hecklinski didn’t waste the opportunity, completing all five of his passes for 67 yards.
That doesn’t mean the door is closed on a bigger role for him. If Brown is less than 100%, Iowa could have a built-in changeup ready to use.
Hecklinski showed he can move the ball, and there’s a case for Iowa to lean into a few more packages for him against a Washington defense that also has to prep on a short week. That kind of wrinkle could give the offense a different kind of juice in spots where the Huskies may not be fully ready for it.
At running back, Kamari Moulton is still listed first, with Xavier Williams right behind him. That looks more like a placeholder than a final answer. Iowa has more depth in that room than the chart suggests, and the carries figure to keep spreading around.
L.J. Phillips Jr. should be part of that mix after returning from his absence against Ohio State and getting some work. Braeden Jackson is also pushing his way into the rotation, and Nathan McNeil has shown enough burst to warrant touches as well.
For now, though, Iowa is sticking with the same basic setup that has helped get it to 4-1.
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Iowa Just Got A Harsh Reminder Of The Gap They Face
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Jeremiah Smith was at the center of it for Ohio State, putting together a record-setting performance that rewrote the programs receiving marks for catches, yards and touchdowns in the same game. For Iowa, the result was another look at the margin separating it from the Big Tens best, while elsewhere in the rankings Missouris 45-17 win over Florida sent the Gators tumbling five spots. [Read more 🡒]