The official beginning of summer is still just under a month away, but today marks a significant date for Iowa football fans. 

One hundred days from now, the Hawkeyes will kick off their 2026 season against Northern Illinois at Kinnick Stadium on Sept. 5. 

That seems like a long time, but it's really not. Every house along Melrose Ave. will soon feature tailgates, and "Back in Black" will usher the Iowa players and coaches out of the tunnel. 

To get you ready for the 2026 campaign, HawkeyeRoundtable.com will have a daily countdown for each day closer until Iowa football. We will accomplish that goal by writing about each player on the roster, with the subsequent article being based on their jersey number. 

That's not always possible, however. College football players aren't allowed to wear a No. 100 jersey, so this first article will give you a refresher of some of Iowa's top summer storylines. The Hawkeyes don't have anyone currently wearing a jersey number for some of the days in our countdown, so expect to see a former player or a historical moment in Hawkeye history to fill that space. 

Without further adieu, here's some of your 2026 Iowa football summer storylines.

Don't expect Iowa's quarterback battle to be resolved anytime soon. The Hawkeyes will go with either Jeremy Hecklinski or Hank Brown under center this season, but Kirk Ferentz and the coaching staff told us in the spring that they have no idea who will win the job. Hecklinski or Brown could pull away in the race and land the job this summer, but this battle will likely go deep into fall camp, and it's even possible that we won't know who gets the job until Iowa runs out of the tunnel on Sept. 5. 

FanDuel and DraftKings released some early betting lines for Iowa's first two games of the season - Northern Illinois and Iowa State. The Hawkeyes are heavy home favorites in both. Draft Kings has Iowa as a 29.5-point favorite over NIU in the season opener, and FanDuel pegged the Hawkeyes as a 12.5-point favorite over new-look Iowa State in Week 2. 

Iowa lost talent in many key positions in the offseason, but graduation dealt the biggest blow to the defensive line. Aaron Graves, Ethan Hurkett, and Max Llewellyn all exhausted their eligibility last season, leaving defensive line coach Kelvin Bell with a clean slate in 2026. Kenneth Merrieweather, Bryce Hawthorne, and legacy Hawkeye Iose Epenesa are returning, but the Hawkeyes also added Kahmari Brown (Elon) and Brice Stevenson (Holy Cross) in the transfer portal. 

There's definitely talent in this group, but how will they mesh together? Iowa ranked 11th in the Big Ten in sacks (26) last season with an experienced core, so it will be intriguing to see what this group can do in 2026. 

While positions like defensive line feature a massive restructure, most positions return the same position coach. That's not the case for the special teams unit, as longtime coordinator LeVar Woods departed for Big Ten rival Michigan State in the offseason. 

Ferentz promoted analyst Chris Polizzi to the position, and he's got some work to do to maintain the high standards Woods set during his tenure. Kaden Wetjen is gone, leaving a massive void in the return game, and so is four-year kicker Drew Stevens. 

Polizzi said that every position on his unit is open, and it will be interesting to see what unfolds as the summer progresses. North Dakota State transfer Eli Ozick is probably the frontrunner to take over at kicker, but Polizzi mentioned defensive backs Zach Lutmer and Jaylen Watson, running back Brevin Doll, and wideouts KJ Parker and Reece VanderZee as potential names to take over Wetjen's role. 

Looking for some cool Hawkeye swag to wear during the summer months? Look no further! HawkeyeRoundtable.com will be giving away prizes to lucky members throughout the summer and all you have to enter is follow these very easy and quick (under a minute) instructions to join. 

Click here to join the contest! 

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]