Iowa Football: Questions That Need Answered During the Hawkeyes' Fall Camp

The Iowa Hawkeyes are in fall camp with eyes set on taking the next step in 2026, and that starts with a handful of things to take care of in August.

The Hawkeyes, a normally tight-lipped program, only let so much information get out during fall camp. It's how Kirk Ferentz has always been, which makes some stuff hard to glean, but on the other hand, every crumb coming out of the facilities is that much more important.

In those inevitable crumbs, there are some things I want to see from this team during fall camp.

Will Iowa be a committee in the backfield?

Kamari Moulton will be the lead back. That is no argument, but how much of the carry split does he get? In 2024, Iowa leaned on Kaleb Johnson as the bell cow to take the lion's share of carries, but 2025 was different.

Last year, Iowa saw six players tote the rock at least 28 times. Now, Mark Gronowski and Jaziun Patterson are gone, who accounted for 230 carries. How does Iowa replace that?

Kamari Moulton led Iowa with 170 carries last year. Does Iowa bump him to the 200 range? Or do we see L.J. Phillips Jr., Xavier Williams, and Nathan McNeil get more involved?

My gut says we see the latter, in large part due to Jeremy Hecklinski or Hank Brown not running the ball 130 times as Gronowski did in 2024.

Which offensive scheme can we expect from Tim Lester?

This ties into the first thing I want to find out, and it really does hinge on the quarterback competition in my eyes.

One thing Lester has shown is that he will make the offense cater to the quarterback, as opposed to sticking a square peg in a round hole, which has made him successful in two years at Iowa.

If Jeremy Hecklinski wins, do we see Iowa in more shotgun formations with quick throws, some pre-snap option reads, and more motion as we did in 2025? I think we do.

If Hank Brown wins, will this unit look more like the 2024 offense, which saw Iowa get under center more in a pro-style offense with more zone blocking schemes? That's what I would anticipate here.

I am fascinated to see how Tim Lester adapts his scheme to this quarterback battle.

Is this defense next in line to be great?

It comes down to the defensive line for this unit to be great. It is the biggest concern on that side of the ball, which hasn't been the case for a while, given how many veterans are dotted throughout this unit.

The linebacker play at Iowa, led by Jayden Montgomery, has the pieces to rotate and find the right mix of size, speed, and experience. That unit doesn't have to shoulder all of the weight; they simply have to be consistent, which is what it should be.

As for the secondary, I am particularly high on this unit, and even higher than I was a month or two ago. I think this group has the talent to carry this defense.

Zach Lutmer is the obvious star, but Deshaun Lee is a steady, consistent veteran at cornerback. What I am particularly excited to see during fall camp is how Anthony Hawkins and Tyler Brown, the transfer portal safeties, come along.

If those two, each of whome have starting experience, can grow more confident in fall camp, the Hawkeyes' secondary could be on the elite level.

How quickly can Iowa minimize special teams growing pains?

I wish we could know Iowa's special teams were going to be at an elite level, which was the case for the last decade, but the unfortunate reality is that it may not be the case in 2026.

Iowa has a new returner, punter, kicker, and special teams coordinator. The growing pains are coming, and it's a matter of when, not if.

I expect Iowa to pour a heavy amount of time and a lot of resources into this unit early on in fall camp, something Kirk Ferentz has always done.

The Hawkeyes need to work through these pains of missed blocking assignments on kicks, poor coverage on returns, and finding the next returner during fall camp. Growing on the fly when the bullets are flying during real games is a recipe for disaster on special teams, which could doom the Hawkeyes.

Add us as a preferred source on Google