Iowa Football QB Competition: Who Has More of the Necessary Traits?

It's the question all Iowa fans are stuck on: who is going to be the Week 1 starting quarterback?

It's a battle between Jeremy Hecklinski and Hank Brown that is going to carry on through August. Hecklinski was believed to have the inside track, but word out of Iowa City is that Hank Brown closed the gap during spring ball.

The two are different quarterbacks who provide unique traits to Iowa's offense. Does it automatically mean the quarterback with more of the traits is going to be the starter? Let's dig into what the tale of the tape looks like.

Size

Looking at the raw height and weight of the two quarterbacks, this isn't a particularly close one.

Hank Brown stands a towering 6-foot-4 and weighs 215 pounds, which is the appearance of a true, pocket-commanding quarterback. Jeremy Hecklinski is a more modern build of a quarterback at 5-foot-11 and 188 pounds.

Winner: Hank Brown

Experience

Neither of the two has played a ton of football in their careers, but Hank Brown does have the edge over Hecklinski in sheer snaps played and passes thrown.

Brown has appeared in seven games at Iowa and Auburn, going 43-72 for 642 yards, with seven touchdowns and four interceptions. Hecklinski has appeared in just two college games, going 2-2 for eight yards with Iowa last year.

Winner: Hank Brown

HANK BROWN 2 YARD TOUCHDOWN PASS TO KJ PARKER pic.twitter.com/M1UwldHqg2
— SuperHawkeyeFan (@superhawkeyefan) September 14, 2025

Arm Talent

At 6-foot-4, Hank Brown can sling it. He has the size and vision to get the ball out to his wideouts. That said, even though Jeremy Hecklinski is smaller than Brown, he has a very live arm that sees the football jump out of his hand with ease.

It's a bit of a blessing and a curse. Hecklinski knows he can make tight-window throws, which has caused him to find himself making some risky passes.

Winner: Jeremy Hecklinski

Mobility

This one is tilted drastically towards Jeremy Hecklinski. If you look at the stats, there isn't much to go off of, but Hank Brown has six rushes for seven yards over three collegiate seasons.

Jeremy Hecklinski can use his legs to get out and be mobile in the run game or extend plays. He flashed this for Iowa last year when he found the end zone in limited action.

Winner: Jeremy Hecklinski

Iowa is ready to celebrate with Floyd.

Backup QB Jeremy Hecklinski keeps it to make it 41-3.

📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/7XcS6t0hGB
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) October 25, 2025

Fit in Iowa's scheme

This is a tricky one. What part of Iowa's scheme decides this more?

If it's Tim Lester's scheme we saw with Mark Gronowski last year, Hecklinski's mobility and combination of talent fit the mold better. It would see Iowa in shotgun more and some extra creativity.

If it's Kirk Ferentz's scheme of avoiding risk, Hank Brown fits the mold. That's no knock. Brown could be more of an under-center quarterback utilizing heavy play-action with Iowa's strong ground game, giving Iowa a more traditional look.

Winner: Push

Decision-Making

It was discussed during spring ball that Jeremy Hecklinski was working on eliminating some of the riskier throws he was making downfield when trying to find the big play. It exposed him to interceptions.

On one hand, that's problematic, but if you are Iowa and may have a legitimate group of pass catchers, do you take the good with the bad?

Hank Brown is going to be a bit of the opposite. He is going to take the check down, complete the pass, throw it away, and live to fight another down. With Iowa's defensive history, who could argue against avoiding the backbreaking turnover?

Winner: Hank Brown, based on Iowa's defensive prowess

Riley Donald's Prediction

This is going to be closer than people think, and I wouldn't be shocked if both are repping during the non-conference slate, as bothersome as that is.

My gut says Jeremy Hecklinski gets the nod from a few splash plays downfield in the passing game, paired with just enough mobility to keep plays alive and turn losses into gains.

Winner: Jeremy Hecklinski

Add us as a preferred source on Google