It's officially game week in Iowa City, and the first Monday of the season is always an interesting one. 

No, it's not because you all are dreading one more week of work before Iowa's season opener against Northern Illinois, it's because that's when Kirk Ferentz will release his Week 1 depth chart. 

It could be announced in the morning, or it could come out while you're driving home from work, but the bottom line is that the depth chart will inevitably be released on Monday. 

Every Hawkeye fan across the globe is anxious to see if there's any clarity on the ongoing quarterback battle between Jeremy Hecklinski and Hank Brown, but there's also plenty of other positions that needed to be decided between now and kickoff. 

Here's my projection. 

NOTE: OR means that there is no clear-cut starter and that two players will likely rotate snaps in that role. Comma between two names means the first name is the starter while the second is the backup. 

No. 1: Jeremy Hecklinski 

No. 2: Hank Brown 

No. 3: Jimmy Sullivan OR Tradon Bessinger 

Don't be surprised if you see a big OR in between Hecklinski and Brown's names, but I do think Hecklinski will ultimately take the first snap on Saturday. That doesn't mean he's  going to take every snap, though. Iowa should have no problem getting out to a big lead against an overmatched Northern Illinois squad, and Ferentz will likely want Brown and the other backups to get valuable reps.

No. 1: Kamari Moulton 

No. 2: L.J. Phillips Jr. 

No. 3: Nathan McNeil OR Xavier Williams 

This feels like the exact order we're going to see on Monday. Phillips comes in with a ton of hype after a record-setting season at South Dakota last year, but Moulton will get the starting nod due to his experience. If the Hawkeyes are leading big at halftime, expect McNeil and Williams to get plenty of carries. 

X Receiver: Reece Vander Zee 

Slot Receiver: Dayton Howard

Z Receiver: Tony Diaz 

There's simply too many wide receivers that have a chance to produce in this offense, so I'm just going to talk about some of them here instead. I think Vander Zee and Diaz are locks to be with the No. 1s, but the slot receiver is up for grabs. We'll go with Howard due to his previous experience and media appearances during the summer (yes, that matters), but keep an eye out for guys like Jarriett Buie, Evan James, and KJ Parker to see the field, too. 

No. 1: DJ Vonnahme 

No. 2: Addison Ostrenga OR Thomas Meyer 

Vonnahme is clearly the No. 1 tight end, but who will be No. 2? Ostrenga is a likely pick because he's a veteran, but it's worth mentioning that he is coming off a brutal Achilles injury that forced him to miss almost the entire 2025 season. Meyer hasn't played much so far, but he's got the hype and raw talent to potentially ascend to the No. 2 spot. Either way, expect both Ostrenga and Meyer to see some snaps behind Vonnahme. 

Left tackle: Trevor Lauck 

Left guard: Leighton Jones, Michael Myslinski 

Center: Cael Winter 

Right guard: Kade Pieper, Lucas Allgeyer 

Right tackle: Jack Dotzler 

Pieper, Lauck and Winter are all but entrenched in their respective positions, but there's still questions at right tackle and left guard. Dotzler competed with Lauck for the left tackle spot before Lauck ultimately won that job, and I think he's a likely name to take over at right tackle this year. The left guard is an interesting spot, too, but I'm giving the nod to Jones, who seems primed to take a big step this year. Myslinski can easily find a role as well, so keep an eye on this position. 

Everything is up for grabs! 

We really have no idea what Iowa is going to do on the defensive line until game day, but that doesn't mean there aren't nobodies in this room. Bryce Hawthorne is probably going to be the alpha in this room from Day 1 alongside the other returner Kenneth Merrieweather, but Elon transfer Kahmari Brown, Holy Cross transfer Brice Stevenson, and highly-anticipated freshman Iose Epenesa are other names to watch. 

Middle linebacker: Jayden Montgomery 

Weak-side linebacker: Cam Buffington 

CASH: Jacob Wallace 

There doesn't need to be much thought about this one. Montgomery is the only man in this room with starting experience, and Buffington's received a lot of praise from his teammates and coaches. Ferentz told us last Wednesday that Tyler Brown's injury will push Jacob Wallce to cash, which is Iowa's hybrid linebacker/cornerback position. Wallace is also a guy with a big hype train behind him, so this could be his chance to make an immediate impact. 

Cornerbacks: Deshaun Lee, Jaylen Watson

Free Safety: Zach Lutmer 

Strong Safety: Anthony Hawkins 

Brown would've likely been a lock to take one of the safety spots, but his lingering soft tissue injury will shift the versatile Lutmer to free safety. Hawkins will take the other safety spot, and Deshaun Lee and Jaylen Watson will hold down the fort at corner. We'll see how the Hawkeyes shake this group up when Brown returns to the field. 

Kicker: Eli Ozick OR Caden Buhr 

Punter: Tanner Philpott OR Boston Everitt 

Special teams coordinator Chris Polizzi has been quick to hint that the open position battles at kicker and punter will go into the season, so it's only fitting to have both with an OR in between them. Iowa doesn't list kick and punt returners on its depth charts, but Lutmer is going to take over at punt returner, but I doubt the Hawkeyes will throw him back there for kickoffs. We'll be sure to get clarification on who could be returning kicks during Ferentz's Tuesday presser. 

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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]