The 2024 season is here, but Iowa's season opener is still less than two weeks away. There are still lots of questions with every single college football team whether it is who the starters will be, how will coaches perform, or how certain players will perform.
Iowa is coming off a season where their offense was the worst in the Big Ten and even one of the worst in college football. Even with their offensive struggles, the Hawkeyes found a way to make it to the Big Ten Championship but ran into the buzzsaw that was the Michigan Wolverines.
However, the 2023 season is in the books and we are about to start a whole new season where everyone has a fresh start. What happened last season doesn't matter anymore, all that matters is what is ahead. There are a lot of questions about what will happen ahead though.
Iowa has its struggles, so here are three questions Iowa faces heading into the 2024 season.
Can Cade McNamara perform?
This is one of the biggest questions for the offense this season. Cade McNamara was a big transfer from Michigan that Iowa was able to land, but he hasn't performed how fans would have hoped.
No one can blame McNamara for getting injured last season, that was just a cruel twist of the whole story, but in seasons before, he didn't before when he was healthy. McNaama showed he has what it takes to perform at a high level at Michigan, and yes the players around you matter as well, but a good quarterback can change the whole dynamic of an offense.
After the offensive performance of Iowa last season, McNamara will have to have the performance he did at Michigan in order to keep the starting role if he is officially named the starter soon.
Can the offense improve?
With such a poor offensive performance last season, it seems like it can't get much worse right? Well, that is not always the case. The only bright spot for Iowa's offense this season right now is the running back position where they are stacked with Leshon Williams and Kaleb Johnson. The other position the Hawkeyes aren't necessarily worried about is the tight end position. The only question is how Luke Lachey will perform after the injury he sustained last season.
The rest of the offense is a big fat question mark. As discussed earlier Cade McNamara will need to perform much better than he has in the past, the wide receiver core needs to step up big time, but is all starts with the offensive line.
If the offensive line has been one of the roughest parts of the offense for Iowa. It seemed like they would get a pickup in the offseason with the commitment of Kadyn Proctor, but he chose to re-enter the transfer portal. If the offensive line can't protect McNamara and give him time to run an efficient offense, nothing else matters.
Can Iowa's defense be as dominant as they always have been?
If there is one thing that is evident in the Iowa football program, it is that Phil Parker knows how to run an effective defense. From making the innovative CASH position to the dominance the Iowa defense had in 2023, Parker has proved himself time and time again.
The biggest question, however, is can he sustain success? The Hawkeyes lost Cooper DeJean to the NFL, but they didn't have him for part of last season anyway. They lost quite a few defensive players to the draft, so can Parker find their replacements?
Sebastian Castro will probably end up being the biggest leader on this defense and he is coming in looking to up his draft stock for next season. Parker is dealing with some of his own issues after sustaining an injury in fall camp, so what happens if he can't be on the sideline?
The defense has always been Iowa's biggest asset, it is what got them to the Big Ten Championship last season. They need to keep that dominance in order to help take the pressure off their offense this season as well.