Iowa’s quarterback situation is suddenly one of the biggest question marks in the Big Ten, and that’s the kind of development Nebraska has to love hearing about.
The Hawkeyes have long held the upper hand in the rivalry, but their offense is entering 2026 with real uncertainty under center. That became clear Tuesday at Big Ten Media Days, when Kirk Ferentz said Iowa still doesn’t know who its starting quarterback will be when the season begins - and even that answer may not hold for long.
“First question obviously is going to be the quarterback position. Bottom line is this: right now we don't know the answer.
I can only tell you we'll know the answer when we know it. Hopefully sometime in August that will become apparent.
It may be in-season. Can't rule out any possibilities.”
Ferentz wasn’t responding to a direct question about the job. He volunteered that information in his opening remarks, which says plenty about how unsettled things are in Iowa City right now. He also made it clear the player who opens the season as the starter might not be the one still running the offense later in the fall.
“The bottom line is we don't really know who our starter is at this point, but we're really pleased with the guys that are competing and the growth they've shown in the program now a year-plus. That part's good.”
That sounds a lot like coach-speak for a battle that hasn’t produced a clear front-runner yet. Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule will certainly take that, especially after what Iowa quarterback Mark Gronowski did to the Huskers last season. In Iowa’s 40-16 win, Gronowski threw for 166 yards and a touchdown and added 64 rushing yards and two more scores on 13 carries.
Gronowski is gone now, and Ferentz still doesn’t have a name attached to the replacement.
The competition includes Hank Brown, a transfer from Auburn last year, along with Jeremy Hecklinski, Jimmy Sullivan and Ryan Fitzgerald. Entering spring, the expectation was that Brown would likely be the guy when Nebraska and Iowa meet in November. For now, though, that picture looks much less settled.
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