The first game of the 2026 Iowa football season has already come and gone.

The No. 22 Hawkeyes looked the part on Saturday, scoring early and often in a 40-0 victory over Northern Illinois at Kinnick Stadium. 

I just graduated college this spring, so I'm now taking the opportunity to be on the other side of things by being a professor. 

Here are my grades for every Iowa position group, including the quarterbacks: 

The major storyline surrounding this Iowa team basically from day one of the offseason has been the quarterback position. We've heard about how close this competition has been in practice, but now it was time for Hank Brown and Jeremy Hecklinski to show what they can do in a game situation. 

Brown earned the chance to lead the offense first, and it was clear he was more comfortable under center. He completed 12 of his 20 passing attempts for 129 yards and a touchdown, with most of his success coming on the his three drives - all of which ended in Hawkeye touchdowns. 

Brown's numbers would've been even better had he played most of the game, but he had to concede his starting spot to Hecklinski after the first three series. Hecklinski was probably the fans' choice to become the starter, but some viewpoints may change after Hecklinski's performance. 

His final stat line - 7-for-16 for 76 yards, one score, and one interception - left a lot to be desired. The plays were there for him, but Hecklinski looked uncomfortable in the pocket at times, which led to poor decision making. The interception in the end zone on fourth and goal was a great example of that. 

We'll see how the Hawkeyes handle the quarterback situation from here, but a B grade feels right. 

Iowa didn't get great all-around contributions from its receiver room on Saturday, but the reason why it gets a B+ here is because of Tony Diaz. The Texas Rio Grande Valley transfer received plenty of hype in the offseason, but hype is one thing - proving it is another. 

Diaz will still have to prove he can play with the big dogs, but the Hawkeyes will definitely take these numbers: seven catches, 84 yards, one touchdown on 13 targets. Diaz was all over the field and truly looked like a potential No. 1 receiver. 

The rest of the room didn't get much attention, but Reece Vander Zee (2 catches, 32 yards) and Jarriett Buie (2 catches, 22 yards) were involved as well. Diaz's performance certainly sweetens this grade. 

Iowa couldn't asked much more from its ground game on Saturday. The Hawkeyes ended the day with 289 rushing yards, and 183 of them came from veteran back Kamari Moulton. The fourth-year is the most experienced back in the room, and he showed why against an inexperienced Husky defense. Moulton averaged 16.6 yards on only 11 carries, which was helped by two long touchdown runs of 50 and 34 yards, respectively. 

Though Moulton was the highlight of the room, second-year Braeden Jackson also stood out. He only registered 30 yards on three carries, but the best play he made didn't even count. It was a shifty 27-yard scamper in the third quarter that saw him glide through the NIU secondary, but it was called back due to a holding penalty. Nevertheless, it still was a great play to put on film. 

Moulton's performance undoubtedly was A worthy. There shouldn't be much concern with this group right now. 

Another note: L.J. Phillips, who figures to be a lead back alongside Moulton, went down with what Kirk Ferentz later called a "lower leg injury" early in the first half. They'll evaluate his injury over the next few days. 

Wide receivers don't normally earn a heavy workload at Iowa, but Diaz's strong outing resulted in some of the traditional tight end opportunities being taken away. DJ Vonnahme (4 catches 42 yards) and Addison Ostrenga (3 catches 20 yards) had respectable games, but the play that prevents this grade from being higher is because of Vonnahme's dropped touchdown in the third quarter. Brown's pass did force the third-year to twist and turn in the Iowa sunshine, but the ball still landed right in Vonnahme's hands. 

He'll certainly want that one back, but considering the small workload the tight ends received on Saturday, a B- feels like the right grade to hand out. 

What more could you have asked for from this defense? This unit underwent a lot of turnover in the offseason, but you wouldn't have known it based on their performance on Saturday. Northern Illinois couldn't move the football if Iowa had only 10 defenders on the field because they played that well. The Hawkeyes didn't allow a first down until the third quarter, and allowed just 120 total yards (24 in the first half). 

The takeaways were there, too. Deshaun Lee jumped in front of a pass for an interception in the first half, and Joseph Anderson forced a fumble in the third to cap the day. We'll still need to see more from this group against a better offense like Iowa State next week, but Phil Parker's young crew is off to a good start. 

Evan James' 77-yard punt return touchdown in the second half saves this grade, because Iowa's kicking game looked very problematic on Saturday. Second-year walk-on Caden Buhr earned the start, but his performance was mixed. He missed a 53-yarder badly in the first half, but that wasn't even the worst part because he also shanked an extra point after the Hawkeyes' first touchdown. 

He did respond nicely after that with makes from 45 and 34 yards, so you can probably chalk the early struggles up to first game jitters. Either way, it's still something to monitor. 

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HawkeyeRoundtable publisher Brad Schultz has covered the Iowa Hawkeyes since 2023. To send him story ideas, scoops, or criticize his writing, reach him at [email protected]