The 2026 season isn't getting any easier for No. 20 Iowa. 

The Hawkeyes (4-1, 1-1) will make the long trek to Seattle, Washington to take on the Washington Huskies (3-2, 0-2) on Friday evening. It should be a fun game at Husky Stadium, and the Iowa players met with the local media on Tuesday to preview the matchup. 

Here are some of the top storylines that came out of media availability on Tuesday: 

Playing college football over 9,000 miles away from home can't be the easiest thing to do, but punter Boston Everitt, an Australia native, has had valuable support from one of the greatest resources a child can have - his mom. Everitt's mother, Sheree, has a job that allows her to work remotely, so she's been staying with Everitt for the first few weeks of the season to help him adjust to the United States. 

Though he jokes that having his mom around can be annoying at times, her presence has been huge for Everitt. When he's having a rough day in class or getting home from a long football practice, Sheree's jokes can instantly flip his mood from negative to positive. 

Sheree will head back to Australia soon, which will be tough on Everitt, but he's confident he'll be just fine considering he's been on his own before. 

"She's the best. It's been awesome having her here, and it'll be hard when she leaves, but I survived all the spring and summer without her. So it'll be good," Everitt said at media availability Tuesday. 

Family aside, Everitt's play has been exactly what Iowa could've asked of him and more. The second-year has tallied 23 punts for an average of 43.2 yards per punt in his first American football season so far, and it's safe to say he's enjoying it so far. 

"It's awesome. It's been so good, and this is such an unreal opportunity. I'm loving it," Everitt said. 

The million-dollar question Hawkeye fans are asking about right now is the status of quarterback Hank Brown. Brown left last weekend's loss to Ohio State in the third quarter due to an injury. He wasn't made available to the media after the game, but he was available on Tuesday. While he was asked questions about his inconsistent play against the Buckeyes, the primary focus of his media availability was his status for Friday's crucial game at Washington. 

Brown revealed his injury was an AC joint sprain that was caused because his arm was underneath his falling body while he was being sacked Buckeye defensive lineman John Walter. The injury resulted in some soreness for Brown on Sunday morning, and though he's working hard to get back, he says that his status for the Washington game is in question. 

"I'd say there's definitely still a little bit of question for sure, but I'm just trying to focus on taking it day by day and be able to just do everything I can on my part to be able to be prepared and spend as much time as I can in a training room or hyperbaric chamber or whatever that looks like to be able to be out there," Brown said. 

Highly-anticipated transfer running back L.J. Phillips Jr. has missed most of the season after leaving the Northern Illinois game very early with an ankle injury, but the South Dakota transfer is finally back on the field. Phillips tallied 16 yards on four carries against Ohio State, and though he will probably be the first one to tell you he wished it could've been in a winning effort, he's just happy to be back on the field. 

Phillips credits the training staff, especially trainer Nick Eller, for aiding his physical recovery, but that's one thing. Recovering from the injury mentally was also a challenge, considering the injury occurred on the same leg as his torn ACL that he suffered back in high school. 

While he was reflecting on the injury - caused by his ankle getting rolled up on a tackle - Phillips said there's two ways he could handle it - let it bother you, or find a positive angle. The fact that Phillips didn't have to endure another ACL injury and miss his entire first season at Iowa was the positive part, but that still doesn't make him wonder what went wrong that resulted in the injury. 

"I have to run harder. I think I got hurt because I was running soft. In my opinion, some people may say that's a little harsh, but I think I was running soft. That's the reason why I got hurt," Phillip

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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]