The highly-anticipated quarterback prospect enters his first year with the Hawkeyes.
Welcome back to our countdown to the 2026 Iowa football season!
Since May 28, we've been counting down the final 100 days until the Hawkeyes swarm out of the Kinnick Stadium tunnel for their season opener against Northern Illinois on Sept. 5.
Each day of the countdown has primarily featured an article profiling one of the current members of the 2026 Hawkeyes based on their jersey number. Loyal readers already know this by now, but if you're hurrying to catch your football fix, this is how this works: if a player wears No. 5 and we're five days until kickoff, that's the player that will appear on the countdown.
We've had to mix things up with innovative pieces on days that a current Hawkeye doesn't wear the number that fits the countdown, but that's not going to be a problem since we're under a week to go until the opener.
Today marks just four days until kickoff, which means it's time to take a look at the man who wears No. 4 - quarterback Tradon Bessinger.
Get to know him here.
Bio
Hometown: Kaysville, Utah
High School: Davis High School
Year: First-Year
Height: 6-foot-5
Weight: 213 pounds
Other notable players to wear No. 4: A recognizable Hawkeye to don the No. 4 jersey in recent years is former quarterback Nate Stanley. Stanley got a lot of flack from Iowa fans for his sometimes inconsistent play during his career, but he currently sits behind Chuck Long in both career passing yards (8,302) and touchdowns (68). The Hawkeyes won 27 games during Stanley's three seasons as a starter.
Bessinger's Career So Far
Bessinger is one of the most anticipated quarterback recruits in Iowa football history. Ranked as a four-star recruit and the No. 14 quarterback in the Class of 2026 by 247Sports, Bessinger wasn't even originally committed to the Hawkeyes.
The Kaysville, Utah native received mostly Group of Five offers and ultimately chose to stay closer to home and play for regional powerhouse Boise State. Bessinger made the decision ahead of his senior year of high school, but just weeks before he opened his final season, BYU became the first major program to offer him.
BYU would soon be joined by UCLA, Minnesota, and Iowa later that year, and sure enough, Bessinger announced the would withdrawal from Boise in October, and he finished his senior season of high school with 4,313 passing yards and 53 touchdowns. The Hawkeyes became his new college destination on Nov. 8 - just hours before their showdown with No. 9 Oregon at Kinnick Stadium.
Iowa lost that game on the field, but the recruiting win was major for offensive coordinator Tim Lester and Co. Bessinger likely won't see a ton, if any, playing time in 2026, but he did show flashes during the Kids' Day open practice on Aug. 15.
A season of developing in Lester's system is far from the worst thing to happen to Bessinger this year. Here's a recent scouting report from 247Sports' Director of Scouting Andrew Ivins.
"Tall pocket passer with no shortage of live game reps as he exits high school with just over 1,000 career pass attempts and a little over 10,000 career passing yards Generates some serious torque with an effortless 3/4 release and that velocity allows him to throw darts right into the teeth of a defense. Got the ball out fast while playing in a single-back spread attack, but also showcased the ability to come off his primary target and work through his reads. Will find a rhythm and assault the short-to-intermediate parts of the field, but can also attack defenses vertically with impressive touch on deep shots. Seems to sense pressure well and can extend plays as the pocket heats up with his mobility and durability. Must continue to improve footwork and processing skills, but natural arm talent is there and he managed to cut down on the turnovers as a senior. Should be viewed as an ascending signal caller with a promising set of tools that could fit into both an up-tempo or balanced system. Might need a developmental year, but experience could have him in the mix sooner rather than later."
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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]
