Iowa Football Week 1 Depth Chart: Hawkeyes Punt On Their Biggest Decision

Oh, Iowa. You just can't make it easy on anyone, can you?

The entire offseason has been plagued by the quarterback battle between Jeremy Hecklinski and Hank Brown, yet here we are in Week 1, with a game against Northern Illinois approaching, and the water is as murky as ever.

Is Kirk Ferentz being coy and playing an old trick? Does Iowa really not know? Which is worse? With the release of Iowa's Week 1 depth chart, there are some things that immediately stand out along with the quarterback competition.

Week 1 \\ Depth Chart \\ vs. Northern Illinois pic.twitter.com/UqbaYoWQGW
— HawkeyeFBNotes (@HawkeyeFBNotes) August 31, 2026

Iowa's quarterback saga continues on

Deep down, did any of us really expect anything different than this? Of course, it is listed as Hank Brown OR Jeremy Hecklinski as the starter. Does Hank Brown being first mean anything? Or is that simply due to being first alphabetically?

All I know is Iowa is going to run out there in Week 1, giving both players snaps. It begs for a lack of rhythm, minimal continuity, and sets the stage for both quarterbacks to play afraid of making a mistake as opposed to playing freely.

The secondary sees some shuffling

It isn't overly surprising, but it appears that Tyler Brown is going to miss Week 1. He doesn't appear on the depth chart at all at safety. Sliding back to free safety is Zach Lutmer, while Anthony Hawkins, as expected, is manning the free safety position.

At cornerback, Deshaun Lee has been a lock to start all offseason, but it appears that Jaylen Watson has risen to the top to take the other starting cornerback spot. Jacob Wallace and Rashad Godfrey Jr. are listed as backups.

Special teams position battles are answered

Two position battles on the Iowa special teams unit appear to have been answered, or at least found the guy for Week 1. Caden Buhr, the second-year, beat out the North Dakota State transfer Eli Ozick for placekicking duties.

As for punting responsibilities, the Aussie Boston Everitt has the early nod as the starter ahead of Tanner Philpott.

Lots of chalk in the box

Defensively, there is a lot of chalk on the depth chart with Kenneth Merriweather and Iose Epenesa manning the defensive end spots, while Cam Buffington, Jayden Montgomery, and Landyn Van Kekerix get the nod at linebacker.

There are no surprises at running back or tight end, as Kamari Moulton and DJ Vonnahme man those spots. At wideout, it's Reece Vander Zee and Tony Diaz as expected, with Evan James expected to be in the mix.

Up front, the five are what we thought. From left to right, it's Trevor Lauck, Leighton Jones, Cael Winter, Kade Pieper, and Jack Dotzler.

Add us as a preferred source on Google