Five Big Questions for Iowa Football and Kirk Ferentz at Big Ten Media Days

It's not truly the start of college football season, but Big Ten Media Days do ring in a sense that it is upon us.

With the Big Ten Media Days approaching from July 28 to July 30 in Chicago, the Iowa Hawkeyes are slated to meet with the media on Tuesday, July 28, as part of the first group of teams.

Every team has questions, but a few of Iowa's may ring louder than others, and the answers may not be on the surface level.

Iowa's Big Ten Media Day Representatives

Iowa is sticking true to itself, sending a group of veteran leaders to Big Ten Media Days this year. Representing Iowa are a trio of:

Zach Lutmer, DB
Jayden Montgomery, LB
Addison Ostrenga, TE

These three will be alongside head coach Kirk Ferentz as Iowa discusses the largest questions facing them in 2026.

What decides the QB battle?

It's bound to be a topic of discussion, which it should be, but expecting any concrete answer from Ferentz about who may start is delusional.

Instead, figuring out what decides the battle and what is the most important trait could give some insight into training camp expectations.

Is it a preference towards play-making throws and pushing the ball downfield? Or do the Hawkeyes want to manage the game and try not to lose the game on offense? This could tell us where Iowa is leaning.

How will the defense look with so many new players?

The floor for this unit is high, but the potential for regression is there. Iowa has three new defensive linemen, a new linebacker, and two or three new defensive backs, depending on the personnel.

Even for the great Phil Parker, that is a lot of production to replace and new talent to usher in. Don't expect Iowa to look drastically different. They play the scheme they know, but what tweaks could help this unit early on?

Who are some under the radar names to watch?

Iowa played around in the portal this offseason, bolstering the offensive line with Trent Wilson, the former James Madison talent, and some skill-position upgrades in running back L.J. Phillips and wideouts Tony Diaz and Evan James.

Those names are expected to see some significant time, but who is flying under the radar now that is making noise inside the facility that could force their way onto the field?

Injury updates entering training camp

Fortunately, Iowa is relatively healthy entering fall camp, which couldn't have been said about prior years. Maintaining this is crucial for Iowa.

The reality of the situation is that Iowa is bound to sustain a few injuries during camp, putting some starters into question for Week 1, but knowing how fully healthy this team is, which should be quite healthy, will be telling.

What can we expect from offensive coordinator Tim Lester?

Entering his third year with Iowa, Tim Lester has more than earned the full trust of Ferentz with the offensive play-calling. What does that look like in 2026, though?

Ferentz will undoubtedly have a say in the aggressiveness and scheme Iowa takes into each game, but is that going to be seeing a run-first team like 2024? Or a more spread-out, motion-oriented, shotgun-based scheme like 2025?

Iowa has both in its arsenal and could very well use both, but what can we expect to see from Lester?

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