Iowa’s offense may spend next season doing what it has done so often under Kirk Ferentz: letting the ground game carry the load while the quarterback situation sorts itself out.
That setup feels especially relevant now, with Hank Brown and Jeremy Hecklinski still battling for the starting job and no clear answer yet on who will open the season under center. Iowa has leaned on the run for years, and with the quarterback spot unsettled again, the Hawkeyes appear built to do it all over again.
The difference this time is how much help the offense has around that uncertainty. The running back room is deep enough to absorb almost anything, with starter Kamari Moulton, Xavier Williams and Nathan McNeil all back, plus L.J.
Phillips coming over from South Dakota. That kind of depth gives Iowa the ability to go four, maybe even five deep if needed.
Pro Football Focus clearly likes what it sees. In its ranking of the highest-graded returning Big Ten running backs, PFF put L.J.
Phillips Jr. at No. 1 overall and Moulton at No. 9.
That’s a strong endorsement for a room that already looks like one of the best units on the roster.
And the backs are only part of the picture. Iowa also returns two key starters on the offensive line in All-American Kade Pieper and Trevor Lauck, while the tight end group is deeper than it has been in a long time and can go at least four deep. The wide receiver room has also gotten a boost with the additions of Tony "Boogeyman" Diaz and Evan James from the transfer portal.
Put it together, and the Hawkeyes have a chance to make the offense much more dangerous than it might first appear. If the backs do their part, the quarterback won’t need to carry the whole operation.
Moulton and Phillips Jr. are the headliners, and they have a chance to become one of the Big Ten’s best backfield duos. Moulton dealt with injuries early last season but still finished with 878 rushing yards and five touchdowns after missing two games. Phillips Jr. was dominant at the FCS level, leading the subdivision with 1,925 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns while earning First-Team FCS All-American honors from Phil Steele, Walter Camp and AFCA.
Moulton’s production has climbed every year he’s been in the program. He went from 93 rushing yards as a freshman to 483 as a sophomore, then jumped to 878 last season. The next step could be the 1,000-yard mark.
How Iowa uses Phillips Jr., Moulton, McNeil and Williams together will be worth watching, but the larger point is clear: that quartet can take a lot of pressure off whichever quarterback wins the job. Brown and Hecklinski still have to settle the competition, but if the starter is simply efficient and steady, Iowa may not need much more.
If the backs stay healthy, the Hawkeyes could end up surprising people on offense next season.
In Other News...
Iowa Is Still Alive For A Guard Who Could Change Everything
Iowas pursuit of TJ Jamison has reached the kind of stage that can make a recruiting cycle feel suddenly real. The four-star point guard from Shreveport, Louisiana, has trimmed his list to six schools, with the Hawkeyes still in the mix alongside USC, Oklahoma, Baylor, LSU and Miami, and his recent visit to Iowa gave the staff a chance to make its case in person to one of the top guards in the 2027 class.
Jamison, ranked 36th nationally, is set to choose his school on July 25, which gives Iowa a short window to keep building on the impression it made during that visit. For a program trying to establish itself under Ben McCollum, landing a player like Jamison would be a major sign that the Hawkeyes can compete for elite backcourt talent well beyond their usual footprint. [Read more 🡒]
Iowas 2026 All Big Ten Pipeline Is Already Taking Shape
Iowas 2026 All-Big Ten conversation is already starting to take shape around a group that looks built to keep the program competitive on both sides of the ball. The Hawkeyes have a familiar mix of proven production and upward mobility, with Zach Lutmer, DJ Vonnahme, Kamari Moulton and Jayden Montgomery all drawing early attention as players who could be in line for conference recognition if their roles expand the way Iowa expects.
Up front, Kade Pieper and Trevor Lauck are the names to watch, with both linemen viewed as the kind of steady anchors that usually end up on postseason lists when Iowa is playing its best football. There is also a new piece in the secondary in Tyler Brown, whose arrival gives the Hawkeyes another intriguing option as they try to build a defense that can hold up in the Big Ten race and keep this early projection from feeling like simple offseason optimism. [Read more 🡒]
Iowas Five-Star Freshman Is Already Giving Hawkeyes Real Reason For Hope
McKenna Woliczko arrived in Iowa City over the summer with plenty of buzz attached to her name, and the five-star freshman from California has already started turning that reputation into something more tangible. The early months have been about the usual college transition, but also about refining the parts of her game that will matter most in the Big Ten, especially her perimeter shooting and overall physicality. Head coach Jan Jensen has liked what she has seen from the freshman forward, pointing to her versatility and the way she has handled the adjustment period.
For Iowa, the appeal is obvious. Woliczko was brought in as a player who can fit into multiple spots in the lineup, and the Hawkeyes are counting on her to be part of a bigger shift in how they want to play this season. Jensen has already seen signs that the freshman is moving in the right direction, and the progress she made during summer workouts only adds to the sense that she could become a major piece sooner rather than later. [Read more 🡒]