Film Breakdown: What Iowa Quarterback Jeremy Hecklinski Has Shown

As a former college football player, albeit at Augustana College, a much smaller level than Iowa, I had a coach who uttered a saying to us once during film review that has stuck with me throughout my life.

"It's never as good as you think, and it's never as bad as you think."

It applies to the Iowa Hawkeyes and the open practice that saw Jeremy Hecklinski have a field day. Was the good really that good? Or is there more beneath the surface? It's time to dig into Iowa's quarterback battle.

FILM: Here's every Jeremy Hecklinski drop back we captured at Iowa's Kids' Day scrimmage. pic.twitter.com/LeJtZBlTjB
— KCRG Sports (@KCRG_Sports) August 15, 2026

The good from Jeremy Hecklinski

A staple of quarterback play in Iowa's offense and for head coach Kirk Ferentz is taking what the defense gives you. That's what Jeremy Hecklinski did.

On the day, Jeremy Hecklinski completed 68% of his passes, which would be the best season for an Iowa quarterback in the 2020s if he could sustain that.

Hecklinski also showed off his willingness to push the ball down the field. Twice, Hecklinski floated a ball perfectly over the shoulder to tight end DJ Vonnahme and put a back-shoulder throw on the money to Reece Vander Zee.

Even taking those shots is a step forward for Iowa's offense. Previous seasons saw a lack of threatening defenses, even if it was just to make room for the run game.

The bad from Jeremy Hecklinski

At times, Jeremy Hecklinski got a little bit erratic when the receiver was in between the hashes. He led Tony Diaz too far on a ball that would either expose Diaz to a massive hit if he tried to go up and get it, possibly tip off his hands in a dangerous part of the field, or soar to a safety waiting.

Missing over the middle of the field is a recipe for disaster and something that stood out a few times during the film of Hecklinski.

One additional thing that stood out at times was Hecklinski's feet in the pocket. He did a good job of moving from his first read to his second read, but at times, his feet would stagnate in the pocket, turning him into a statue.

It's not a big deal until it is. It can lead to Hecklinski relying solely on his arm strength without stepping into throws. In practice, that can work fine and you can get away with it, but that minuscule difference of less velocity on the ball in the Big Ten can turn an easy completion into an incompletion or a tight window throw into an interception.

One more thing...

Not quite all, but the overwhelming majority of Jeremy Hecklinski's passing attempts came from shotgun, and I am trying to decide what may be the reason for that.

First, Hecklinski is a little bit more mobile and could bring some elements from Iowa's 2025 offense into play, which Tim Lester used out of shotgun.

Or it could be more of a vision and height thing. Hecklinski is listed at 5-foot-11 on Iowa's website. I was listed at the same height when I played, knowing very well there was some generosity in that number.

It's probably a mix of both, but seeing Hecklinski operate out of the shotgun so much could be a telling sign of what to expect from Iowa's offense in 2026.

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