Iowa’s quarterback room is starting to look a lot different than the one Hawkeye fans have grown used to.
Under Tim Lester, there’s a growing sense that the position may be moving away from yearly uncertainty and toward something more stable. It’s not settled yet, but the trend line is clear enough to notice. Hank Brown and Jeremy Hecklinski remain the clear top options, but Jimmy Sullivan is no longer being treated like a name you only pull out in an emergency.
The bigger sign of progress is where Sullivan is getting his work. Iowa is giving him snaps with the first-string offense, a move that suggests the staff wants him ready if his number is called this season or next.
“Jimmy has gotten most of the ones today-at least the first ones today. And then it's a split between Fitz and Tradon, and so we kind of have an early on like, walk-through individual try to just keep our guys fresh, throwing routes on air," Lester said of the bye-week quarterback reps.
Lester said Sullivan has stacked together a couple of strong weeks, and the game is beginning to slow down for him. That progression got tested last week when Brown was hurt and Sullivan was pushed into real reps.
"Jimmy's had a couple of really good weeks in a row. Like, the games starting to slow down for him. Having Hank get hurt and having kind of thrust into reps last week was a tough week for him because all of a sudden it was real, you weren't going against the scout defense anymore.
"And so, we go into last week and all of a sudden he's seeing three safeties, and he's seeing a new defense, and it was great for him to go through all the ups and downs of-you have to be a two before you're a one, so he got all the two reps last week," said Lester.
That kind of jump is often where young quarterbacks either stall or start to separate themselves. Sullivan appears to be on the latter path, and Iowa is making sure he keeps getting chances to grow.
Lester also said Brown is expected back, which sends Sullivan back to the threes for now. Even so, the staff plans to keep feeding him reps because the physical tools are there and the development is real.
"Now obviously, or we assume Hank's going to be back, so he's really going to be back with the threes. But he'll get a ton of reps this week, and he's really developing.
He's got tons of talent. He can run, he can throw.
"He just has to get through the mental side of the timing of it; when he starts thinking too much, his feet slow down, that's never a good thing. And so, we're working on that with him," added Tim Lester.
The future picture gets even more interesting with Tradon Bessinger in the mix. Iowa brought in the former four-star recruit with the kind of pedigree that gives fans a reason to look ahead, and he’s starting to settle in alongside Ryan Fitzgerald.
Lester said Bessinger is coming along and that Fitzgerald continues to earn trust by handling the pocket well and grasping the system from top to bottom. Iowa even took Fitzgerald to Washington, just in case, because of how dependable he can be.
"Tradon's coming along. I got to see him today for the first time in a couple weeks, so it's fun.
He threw a couple of really good balls out there. Fitz does a great job of working the pocket and understanding the whole thing top to bottom.
"We brought Fitz to Washington with us, just in case. He can operate.
He's a super smart football player and can get us in and out of plays and can always make sure we're in the right one. So, it'll be fun" said Lester of the younger quarterbacks.
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