One of the more interesting position battles to watch during Iowa's spring practices is at the quarterback position.
With Mark Gronowski exhausting his eligibility after last season, the starting quarterback role is wide open, with Hank Brown and Jeremy Hecklinski vying for snaps as the projected top two options.
Both saw the field in a limited capacity last season, but by the end of the season, Hecklinski cemented himself as Gronowski's backup, and now he is showing off what he can do early in spring practices.
Hecklinski has been 'relentless' in forcing the ball downfield
Iowa's passing game struggles have been well-documented since Nate Stanley graduated in 2019, and the job of the quarterback has been mainly focused on handing the ball off to the running back and making calculated throws downfield.
Gronowski gave Iowa a new offensive dimension last season with his ability to scramble and run at a high level, and Hecklinski could take that a step further with his gunslinger approach.
Potential Iowa QB1 Jeremy Hecklinski is a gunslinger and is relentless about pushing the ball downfield according to several Iowa defenders. Has great ability to escape the pocket but always keeps his eyes open for the big play.
— David Eickholt (@DavidEickholt) March 31, 2026
Swagger was a big word today.
According to 247Sports Hawkeye Insider David Eickholt, multiple defenders commented on how relentless Hecklinski has been at forcing the ball downfield and slinging it all over the facility.
His ability to escape the pocket while keeping his eyes downfield was also on full display at practice, prompting the word "swagger" to be one of the words frequently thrown around.
While spring practices are not a barometer for how the season will go, if Hecklinski can sling the ball downfield with regularity, it will open up the running game and give the Hawkeyes a completely different look on offense.
The passing game has always been on the back burner for the Iowa offense, with the last 300-yard-plus passing output coming in 2019.
If Hecklinski is named the starter, no one is asking him to morph into Peyton Manning, but having a quarterback who isn't afraid to push the ball downfield to keep defenses honest is something Iowa has desperately needed for years.