Iowa Football Week 10 Depth Chart Takeaways: Consistency is Key vs. Northwestern

So many times we see change for the sake of change, without any real benefit. The Iowa Hawkeyes were victims of this throughout the first half of the season, with a flip-flopping quarterback situation between Hank Brown and Jeremy Hecklinski.

That dilemma seems to have been firmly put to bed (we hope) moving forward. With that lack of change, the Iowa Hawkeyes are rolling with the same lineup they used against Wisconsin, which worked quite well last week.

Iowa's consistency is going to be key against Northwestern, and it starts with the depth chart.

Week 10 \\ Depth Chart \\ at Northwestern pic.twitter.com/GjeeOgHx9A
— HawkeyeFBNotes (@HawkeyeFBNotes) November 2, 2026

Consistency is key on offense

Iowa is rolling with the same starting lineup across the board offensively against Northwestern. There are no changes along the offensive line. The wideouts are holding steady. DJ Vonnahme is slotted in at the tight end position. And the running backs remain in the same pecking order.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. And nothing at all was broken against Wisconsin last weekend when the Hawkeyes dominated the game in all three phases from start to finish. It's going to take that against a good Northwestern team that also sits with a 6-2 record.

Do we trust the running back depth chart?

While there are no changes in the order of Xavier Williams starting, with Nathan McNeil or Braeden Jackson listed as backups, I don't know how much I trust that. First, there is no L.J. Phillips Jr. for the second week in a row. We know he's getting carries. It's a matter of how many.

What I do wonder is whether Nathan McNeil or Braeden Jackson will get more work due to some recent fumbling issues that have plagued the entire group. While none have been guilt-free, Williams put two on the ground last weekend, which could get him the wrong attention from Kirk Ferentz.

Landyn Van Kekerix is a name to watch this week

Northwestern likes to run the ball. They do it pretty dang well, too. Ranking 24th in the country with 200.8 rushing yards per game at 5.12 yards per carry, the Wildcats are going to put stress on the Hawkeyes' run defense.

I think Iowa could come out in more three-linebacker looks than we have seen due to this. That thrusts Landyin Van Kekerix onto the field more as Iowa's starting Leo alongside Jayden Montgomery and Cam Buffington. His play could come up big in defending the strong Wildcat ground attack.

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