An Optimist’s Guide for the 2026 Football Season.

· Yahoo Sports

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Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No! It’s Iowa pass catchers flying through the air. There is so much to love about the upcoming 2026 campaign for the Hawks. Iowa has been flying so far under the radar (thank you, Kyle Whittingham) that it can’t help but make you feel like Odysseus in that wooden horse. Kirk Ferentz is Matt Damon trying to get his Hawkeyes back to national glory. It took Damon 20 years, and Kirk is trying to get back to the heights reached in 2010. Does Kirk have the horses to pull off an epic conclusion to an immaculate career? I absolutely believe in the 2026 Hawks’ chances to sneak their way to their first playoff berth.

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Let me be absolutely clear: there’s a plethora of things that need to go Iowa’s way for there to be a shot at making the big dance. It really comes down to the development of the younger guys coming to fruition. All Hawk fans hear about is development, which can be scary after an offseason. On paper, this is a 7- or 8-win team, but it feels like we have some flowers to bloom fully. There are some guys I’m buying all the available stock on this year that will boom in a gargantuan way.

The non-negotiable, most crucial domino to fall is Jeremy Hecklinski beating out Hank Brown and staying healthy. I have nothing against Hanky Ballgame, but the talent Hecklinski possesses is intoxicating. Hecklinski is Moxie personified. He has a personality that gives me more hope than the more laid-back personality of Brown. The concern about Hecklinski’s size is certainly valid. I stood next to the guy at an establishment that rhymes with Mothers in Iowa City, and yikes.

I stand at 5 feet 9 inches on a great day, and I was eye to eye with Hecklinski. Not the best feeling when your quarterback is the same size as you. He’s 1 million times more athletic than me, who is currently sipping on a sea salt caramel Cold brew right now (so delicious). For the record, I usually roll with straight black coffee, but I caved.

Despite the size concerns, Hecklinski put on a clinic at Kids Day at Kinnick. Hecklinski went 17-for-25 for 205 yards, 5 touchdowns, and 0 picks, according to David Eickholt. After watching the tape, it’s an even more impressive stat line because those incompletions were mostly really good decisions to avoid a negative play. Hecklinski is avoiding big hits and getting the ball to his skill players, which will be key in getting the Hawks to where they need to go.

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In all seriousness, there is going to be a lot of weight placed on whoever wins out of fall camp. Pressure is a privilege, especially for the 26 season. Whoever wins out will have the deepest arsenal of weapons an Iowa quarterback has seen since COVID. For as bad as Cade McNamara was, the skill positions might have been equally as weak.

There was a time we were so desperate for dynamism, we threw Cooper Dejean on offense for a few snaps. I love Dejean as much as the next guy, but that was an indicator of a dark time for Iowa’s offense. I feel really good about the 7 pass catchers the Hawks can throw out there. SEVEN WEAPONS! A few years ago, it was unthinkable we could recover from the BF disaster.

The tight ends are spectacular. DJ Vonnahme is going to win the Mackey Award this year. I do not doubt that what I saw against Vanderbilt (146 yards) was the anointing of the next great Iowa tight end. If Vonnohme doesn’t win the Mackey, I’d at least pencil him in for making an All-American team. What separates this TE room from past ones is that we have four starting-caliber guys that will all see the field this year. Talking about the TE’s is burying the lead of what is different from past Hawkeye squads.

There’s a chance I have died, and I’m living in a dream-like state where Iowa has fixed the wide receiver position. Brian Ferentz did everything he could to ruin the reputation of the Iowa offense.

Side note: it bugs the crap out of me that his stink still lingers around Iowa. National talking heads and casual social media CFB fans will still make jokes about Iowa not being able to score. Hahahhaha, it’s hilarious, @CFBLover11! It’s so true that Iowa can’t score. Whatever. It’s the fastest way to expose yourself as a fraud of a college football fan.

Luckily, players have taken notice of the marvelous turnaround Iowa has made. Frankly, I’m still baffled that Tony Diaz, a WR transfer from UTRGV, chose the Hawks over Alabama. Somebody pinch me! All the reports indicate that Tony Diaz is the freak athlete he was billed to be. Diaz is paired with Vander Zee, who is a jump ball demon that complements Diaz’s skill set. Throwing in towering Dayton Howard and the quick Evan James to do impressions of the top guys is promising.

On the other side of the ball, It’s Phil Parker we trust. This won’t be the most stacked Iowa defense of the past 10 years, but it will be right in the middle of the pack. The defense has an interesting mix of veterans and young talents who are ready to perform. Zach Lutmer, Jayden Montgomery, and Deshaun Lee will be back to usher in the next era of Iowa defense. On the defensive line, the Hawks should be greatly improved. The lack of a pass rush was addressed in the transfer portal, bringing in Khamri Brown from Elon.

You can roll your eyes at Elon, but Brown is a gifted athlete. Racking up 12 sacks in 2025 earned Brown a spot on Bruce Feldman’s annual freaks list. When you go on the opposite side of the freak, you have Iose Epesnesa. I haven’t been this excited since they brought back the snack wrap at McDonald’s. Iose’s big bro brought me so much joy in my life; I smile at the fact that we’ll get to see that last name rush the passer again. A better pass rush should help all levels that should be at the same level is not better than last year.

True freshman Marcello Vitti is a name that has generated a ton of buzz in both spring and fall camp. Vitti could be the rare true freshman that makes a big impact on defense. Definitely something to monitor when entering the season.

All the aforementioned optimism pales in comparison to the real reason the Hawks will make their first playoff berth. It’s Tim MFing Lester.

The offense has improved exponentially since he arrived in 2024, and there are no signs of slowing down growth in 2026. Lester finally has the guys he needs to complete his masterpiece of a rebuild. I love Mark Gronowski with my whole heart, but he was a bridge. Gronowski was a vital bridge; don’t get me wrong, but he wasn’t the destination. The destination is a complex system of quick passing and decision-making. Hecklinski looked as smooth as a Husker fan’s brain on Kids Day.

A lot of the time, simply getting it out quickly will be all that is asked. The playmakers are finally a strength, and Tim Lester knows that. Getting the ball to the fast and strong guys as quickly as possible seems to be the name of the game. The system is going to hum to the likes we haven’t seen in a decade. Watch out, Big Ten: Iowa has an excellent offensive attack.

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There’s no reason you- yes, you- shouldn’t be thinking playoffs. It’s right there for the taking. Win ⅔ of @Washington, Vs Ohio State, @Michigan, and we’re staring at the big dance. Get vocal at your water cooler and let your annoying Michigan grad coworker know that we’re coming for blood in the Big House. It’s time to throw cautious optimism out the window.

Life is about experiencing big feelings and making momentous memories that shape our experience. Lift your walls and let both the waves of agony and elation wash over you. Why be cautious in your belief? Be belligerently hopeful that 2026 is the year of the Hawkeyes.

In Kirk we trust. Godspeed.

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