Not long ago, Tim Lester walked into Kirk Ferentz’s office with a plan that sounded a little unconventional for Iowa’s offensive staff. Lester had just taken over as the Hawkeyes’ offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, but he believed the long-term setup should look different. In his mind, those jobs needed to be split.
That idea is now reality in Iowa City.
With the NCAA rule change removing restrictions on how many staff members can provide instruction during practice and games, Lester’s vision became possible. He told Ferentz straight up what he expected the future to look like.
“I went into coach Ferentz’s office, and I told him, I said, hey, I’m just going to put this out here right now: This is eventually going to be built,” Lester said. “Colleges are eventually going to be built like the NFL.”
Roughly two years later, Iowa is set up that way. Lester is now the offensive coordinator only, and Billy VandeMerkt holds the program’s quarterbacks coach title as the Hawkeyes head toward the 2026 season.
That matters now more than ever, with Hank Brown and Jeremy Hecklinski locked in a quarterback battle that has drawn plenty of attention. The position is under the microscope, and Iowa has a new voice in the room helping shape it.
After working last season as an offensive analyst, VandeMerkt was promoted ahead of 2026. Tradon Bessinger didn’t hesitate when describing him.
“He’s a genius when it comes to football,” first-year Iowa quarterback Tradon Bessinger said of VandeMerkt.
The connection between Lester and VandeMerkt goes back a long way. Lester once recruited VandeMerkt to Elmhurst in Illinios, though VandeMerkt chose Saint Joseph’s College in Indiana instead.
There, he piled up more than 6,400 passing yards. Mike LaFleur, now the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals, was on that staff while VandeMerkt played quarterback, and Saint Joseph’s ran the Shanahan-style offense Iowa uses under Lester.
That background gave VandeMerkt a head start once he got into coaching.
“(It was) really cool to learn it at such as young age,” VandeMerkt. “Putting myself in these guys' shoes (now at Iowa).
I lived that. How heavy this offense can be at times.
It’s been really good from that standpoint, leading into my coaching career.”
Lester’s view is simple.
“He has an unbelievable knowledge of what we’re doing.”
After his playing career ended, VandeMerkt had originally planned to coach high school football and teach, but he was talked into staying in college football. His path included stops at Western Michigan, where he worked under Lester, and later with the New York Jets. During that NFL stretch, he watched Iowa from afar and kept tabs on Lester’s offense.
“I was like, ‘Oh, let’s see what Tim’s running and everything like that,’” VandeMerkt said. “I didn’t know how the New York (Jets) thing was going to end up.
I called him (Lester), I was like, hey, I don't know what's going on here. If you’ve got anything, awesome.
If not, could you just put my name out there for other people.”
Iowa came calling soon after.
“The fact that Tim’s here, yes,” VandeMerkt said of what drew him to Iowa. “Coach Ferentz, obviously, his track record speaks for itself.
This program’s track record speaks for itself. But also, the big thing was like, taking an offense that I’d been in, obviously as a player, and then the last four years as a coach with the Jets.
They were running dang near the same thing here. So, it was an easy transition for myself and also for coach Lester, just being around him.”
Last season, VandeMerkt worked mostly with the tight ends while helping with game planning. That role will still be part of his job in 2026, but the biggest change is what he now does in the quarterbacks room. Lester still coaches that position group, but VandeMerkt gives the quarterbacks another set of eyes and another voice.
“They’re getting helped and getting developed at all times,” Lester said. “Because as a coordinator, I’m running all over the place and I’m game-planning and I’m meeting with the short-yardage guy. If one of the quarterbacks needs something and needs to watch film and I’m in meeting after meeting after meeting, they have Billy that they can grab.”
For Iowa, that extra help arrives at a time when quarterback play has been a problem spot in recent years. Mark Gronowski gave the position some momentum in 2025, but the passing game still has a long way to go.
The Hawkeyes are hoping VandeMerkt can help push things forward.
“He’s added a lot,” second-year quarterback Ryan Fitzgerald said. “Yeah, he’s awesome.
Just a lot of knowledge coming from the NFL. He knows a lot of things.
He knows the right tempo, right speed, right footwork and he helps us out a ton with that. He kind of brings a sense of humor and joy into our room.
He’s hilarious. We love him on the field, off the field, meeting room, everywhere.”
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