Though there's only four days until the season opener against Northern Illinois, Kirk Ferentz and the Iowa Hawkeyes still have no idea who their starting quarterback is going to be. 

Coaches always prefer entering a new season with a clear-cut starter, but all signs point towards Iowa opening its 2026 campaign with two quarterbacks sharing starting reps. 

Call it a baseball pitch count, if you will. 

Those were Ferentz's exact words. Nothing is set in stone at this point, but the likely plan is to have an opening quarterback named by Friday afternoon, with the secondary quarterback coming out of the bullpen. 

"If you have a three-and-out, try to give a guy an opportunity to get his feet on the ground and play a little bit," Ferentz said during his press conference Tuesday afternoon. "I could envision something like that where we script something out and keep everything flexible, but just see how it all plays out as we go." 

Some of these quarterback competitions feature a slight leader, but that's not even remotely the case in Iowa City right now. Ferentz said that it would be "unfair" to say that one has performed better than the other because the race has been that close. 

Saturday's game should create a clearer picture, but if it remains tight, Iowa may continue this race into its primetime rivalry clash against Iowa State next weekend. 

"[I'm] pleased with their progress and their improvement. It's been really close," Ferentz said. 

Ferentz and his coaching staff clearly has a brighter vision for Saturday's contest, but what do the men competing for the elusive starting job - Hank Brown and Jeremy Hecklinski - think of sharing snaps? 

Their answers were similar: the focus right now is performing well in tomorrow's practice. Worrying about Saturday won't happen until later in the week. 

"We're gonna continue to split reps throughout the week, and then they'll [the coaching staff] make the call when that time comes," Hecklinski said. "It's different, but we trust in Coach Ferentz and Coach Lester and what they're doing."

"One of our standards is win the day, and that's something that stuck with me because what that means to me is that we're gonna win each and every day," Brown said. "We're not gonna focus on, you know, the next day or the past day." 

Though Hecklinski competed with Brown for the backup quarterback spot last season (he would win the job midway through the season) this is the first time he's ever entered a football game uncertain about what role he's going to play.

Hecklinski was quick to admit the uncertainty is a strange feeling for him, but he has embraced sharing reps with Brown. 

"I haven't really had any problems with it because when I'll go, I do my plays and then I'll step out and I'll watch and I'll take mental reps from him [Brown]," Hecklinski said. 

There's been some ups-and-downs throughout fall camp, but when the moment was bright, Hecklinski delivered a stellar outing at Kids' Day on Aug. 15. 

The strong performance certainly boosted Hecklinski's confidence, but at the end of the day, it's only one practice. When he's not throwing darts on the field, Hecklinski is staying late analyzing film, one of the new skills this competition has taught him. 

Aside from the film room, Hecklinski is taking advantage of his resources. He's been in touch with Mark Gronowski and old teammates from his previous stint at Wake Forest. 

Gronowski's advice was simple - just be yourself. Hecklinski plans to do just that when he takes the field in front of 70,000 raucous Hawkeye fans on Saturday. 

"I think football is the ultimate competition, so you have to be a competitor to play the sport. And in a quarterback competition, it's fun," Hecklinski said. "Definitely have to put your best foot forward each day." 

While Hecklinski stole the show at Kids' Day, Brown struggled, completing just 9-of-21 passing attempts for only 42 yards. It certainly wasn't the performance Brown wanted to have in front of the fans, especially considering his other appearance at Kinnick Stadium wasn't a good one, either. 

Brown entered the 2025 season as Gronowski's backup and was forced to enter a tie game against eventual national champion Indiana in the fourth quarter. The Hawkeyes were one first down away from winning the game, but Brown's screen pass fell incomplete and Iowa suffered an agonizing defeat. 

Though he admits these two performances were disappointing, Brown is proud of the way he's responded since then. He's enjoyed competing with Hecklinski and learning Tim Lester's robust offense, but the primary thing Brown has learned through this process is overcoming the constant pressure that comes with playing quarterback at the Power Four level. 

"It doesn't help yourself when you're just constantly comparing yourself to another guy, just focusing on what what I can do each and every day, and improving what I can do," Brown said. "It gives me the ability to play free and not worry about what other people do and just go out and put my best foot forward one point at a time." 

Brown lost his backup role to Hecklinski after the failed outing against Indiana, so Saturday will be the first time he's taken a snap since then. 

How is he mentally preparing himself for the NIU game? By trusting his teammates. 

"We're prepared and ready to roll, and there's no other reason not to go out there and play with confidence knowing that we're just going to focus on one play at a time," Brown said. 

Don't miss out on our Roundtable community and the latest news! It's completely FREE to join.

Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members in the community section! Download the FREE Roundtable APP and stay even more connected!

Click here to join the fun and potentially win some FREE Hawkeye swag!