Tradon Bessinger arrived in Iowa City with the kind of résumé that turns heads fast. The four-star quarterback from Kaysville, Utah, is the highest ranked QB prospect Iowa has signed under Kirk Ferentz in more than 20 years, coming in as the No. 187 overall player and the No. 12 quarterback in the country.
He won’t be part of the battle for the starting job this fall, but Iowa clearly views him as the future at the position. And getting him to campus took some work.
Bessinger was originally committed to Boise State, then became a target for Minnesota and BYU after a huge senior season that saw him complete 333-of-438 passes for 4,313 yards, 53 touchdowns and just four interceptions. The Power 4 attention mattered, but Iowa’s pitch eventually won him over.
"It was definitely cool," Bessinger said of being pursued by the Power 4 programs. "It was great being at Boise for a second there, committed to them. It was fun, but then these Power 4 schools came along, especially Iowa, and I just fell in love with the place."
One moment in particular helped. Bessinger took an official visit to Iowa City in late October for the Hawkeyes’ 41-3 win over Minnesota at Kinnick Stadium.
During dinner with Bessinger and his family, Iowa offensive coordinator Tim Lester got a phone call from Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur. Lester stepped away to answer it, then came back with LaFleur still on the line.
"I literally put (the phone) right in front of them, I put it down right in front of dad and Tradon. They looked at him, and there's Matt," Lester shared on the ANF Podcast this summer.
"I don't know if they're huge Packers fans, they're huge NFL fans in general. And Matt was like, 'Listen, if you want to learn an NFL system, there's no place you should go other than go play for Tim.'"
Bessinger said the moment stuck with him.
"It was definitely a cool experience," Bessinger smiled. "Me and my dad were just on the phone and there's Green Bay's head coach.
It was like 'Wow, this is an unreal experience. ... I mean it was a very trustable source to say that, and Coach Lester, he does a great job at teaching you here.
I'm excited to learn from him in the coming years."
The Packers connection helped, but it wasn’t the only reason he chose Iowa. Bessinger said the vibe on his official visit stood out, especially the way Iowa’s commits were already connecting with each other.
"On my OV, I actually realized the kids who'd come up to me -- the O-line, the receivers who are committed here -- they would come up to me one-by-one in groups together. I could just see the brotherhood they had already created," Bessinger said of his initial impression of the Hawkeyes.
"I thought it was so special. It was like, 'Wow, that's cool.
We haven't even been in school together yet, and these guys are already such good friends.' And Coach Lester, he's an amazing coach, a genius, and so I wanted to play for him."
Now that he’s on campus, the early signs have been strong. Bessinger said the transition has been exactly what he expected.
"I'm loving it right now," Bessinger beamed. "It's football, football, football.
That's what I came here to do, right? It's been fun.
It's been awesome. It's a learning experience right now."
At 6-foot-5 and 213 pounds, Bessinger has already impressed Ferentz with how he carries himself and how quickly he’s absorbing things.
"It's been really positive. [He's got a] good football mentality.
He's really serious, a good learner," Ferentz said at the podium during media day. "When the pressure is not on, he's pretty good out there, looks pretty good. ...
This is just invaluable time with him. His approach has been really good.
He's really curious and anxious to learn more, eager to learn more. It's all good, all positive."
Iowa’s new quarterbacks coach, Billy VandeMerkt, has seen the talent show up in flashes too.
"There's one or two throws every day where you're like, 'Man, that was super easy for him. It was really natural,' the former NFL assisstant said.
"He's got a natural throwing motion. He's got a natural ability to him."
There’s still plenty for Bessinger to learn as he gets introduced to Lester’s Shanahan-style offense, and VandeMerkt made it clear the process is still in its early stages.
"We've got a long way to go with him," VandeMerkt said. "He's still got to feel out some footwork stuff and just get a grasp of this entire offense."
For now, though, the biggest thing is that Bessinger is wired the right way. Iowa likes the arm talent, but it also likes the questions he’s asking and the way he’s handling the room.
"He wants the information. He's asking really good questions," Bessinger said.
"He's answering questions in the room where a lot of 18-year-olds probably aren't answering. He's definitely on the right track."
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