Iowa’s quarterback race still has the feel of an unfinished puzzle, and the Hawkeyes may be leaning on an unexpected piece to help solve it.
The roster already has the running backs, the offensive line and the wide receivers. What it still needs is the quarterback who can tie it all together, and that question remains the central one as Kirk Ferentz tries to sort through the battle between Jeremy Hecklinski and Hank Brown.
That’s where Tom Moore enters the picture. Iowa added the veteran coach in May, and his background is about as deep as it gets.
Moore has been around football since the 1950s, when he played quarterback for Iowa from 1958-1960. Since then, he’s worked as Peyton Manning’s offensive coordinator with the Indianapolis Colts and later as an offensive consultant with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during their Super Bowl run with Tom Brady.
In other words, he knows quarterbacks.
Both Hecklinski and Brown have already felt that impact in the room. Brown described what Moore has brought to the group this spring: "It's super fun to have him in our room this spring, just sitting in, sharing his wisdom and knowledge.
Then, also, he has a ton of different stories about old times with Peyton Manning, the Colts, and all the different QBs he's been with." Obviously, with Baker Mayfield and the Bucs, it's been fun to hear, for sure," Hank Brown said of Tom Moore.
Hecklinski had a similar reaction to being around someone with Moore’s résumé. "He sits in on our quarterback meetings.
He gives his tips and his tricks of the trade, stuff like that. He's been wonderful."
Having some of the legends that he worked with and having him coach us is unreal. He coached Tom Brady, he's been with Baker Mayfield, Peyton Manning.
You don't think about it, but why is he coaching me when he's coached all of these great guys? It's awesome," Jeremy Hecklinski added.
Ferentz is expected to lean on Moore’s perspective throughout training camp, and there’s no issue with that. The Iowa coach is not too proud to ask for help, especially from someone with this kind of quarterback background.
Moore’s value may not be in reshaping Tim Lester’s offense. It’s more about the finer points that can decide a quarterback competition: handling the huddle, dealing with adversity, recovering after a turnover and staying ready if the backup is called upon.
And with this race likely to stretch well beyond Week 1, that kind of steady voice could matter a lot once things get tight.
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