It's telling that Iowa didn't even consider going into the portal for a QB this winter. They have a lot of confidence in Heck's ability. He's going to be a good one.
Is it a big gamble to go into next season without a very experienced QB?
- Thread starter uihawk82
- Start date
I get the feeling they like what they have on the O Line too and at LB.
This. Whoever is the guy they'll be drilling it into his head not to try to do too much.All the QB has to do is hand off the ball and not get sacked
Banks had a full season starting at Hinds Community College before transferring to Iowa, so decent experience before becoming the starter at Iowa.Yes, but counting on him to be a #1 QB from the get-go after only having TWO pass attempts prior is a huge risk. We've seen this story before where a guy apparently crushes it at practice but then craps the bed in the games. Then they stick with said quarterback hoping he improves throughout the season, sacrificing multiple losses in the process. And then there you have it, another season resulting in the Hawkeyes out of post-season significance.
Brad Banks seemingly came out of nowhere in 2002 and I certainly had that thought/opinion but he had 68 pass attempts during the 2001 season.
Two pass attempts?
Here's to hoping he's truly ready to take the reigns of a Big Ten football team!
So, yes, it is more risky to bank on Heck. OTOH, he will be a third-year guy in his second year with Lester. It's not like asking a true freshman to come in as the starter. (But, we've also seen many posters complain that other teams start true freshman QBs while we don't. A lot of fans discount experience.)
2027 would be one of Kirk’s most all around, experienced teams. (If everyone stays) Tough road games but could win all home games.
Plus Banks had a lot of playing time in 2001 sharing with McCann. Banks started at Wisky iirc and may have started another game but he also came off the bench for a lot of minutes. That really helped him in 2002
Risky?! It is not like the game of football just evolved and is now about letting someone else develop all of a teams players. Absurd. It is riskier to constantly try to "hire" the next greatest QB for a college team spending a huge chunk of NIL budgets for one player. Lester can and should recruit, evaluate and coach players he can develop. Use NIL to bolster where recruiting has fallen short. Every team at the level of Iowa will end up with shortcomings.
Even Chuck Long, Drew Tate, Ricky Stanzi and CJ Beathard all started as inexperienced and questionable QB's at first...
In 2003, Drew Tate was 6-11 for 55 yds before winning the starting job in 2004 and leading us to a B1G title.
In 2007, Ricky Stanzi was 0-4 with a pick going into the 2008 season where he split reps with JC before eventually winning the job.
There's obviously been others, but the point being that there's often times not a correlation between experience and ability.
In 2007, Ricky Stanzi was 0-4 with a pick going into the 2008 season where he split reps with JC before eventually winning the job.
There's obviously been others, but the point being that there's often times not a correlation between experience and ability.
Tim Lester played QB in college and briefly in the XFL. He has served as the QB coach under multiple coaches for multiple teams. He has been an offensive coordinator for multiple teams, and an offensive analyst in the NFL. And he has been a HC...
If anyone is going to know who can play quarterback, it is going to be Tim Lester. And I trust Lester vs all these armchair QBs.
We will have 5 QBs for 2026. All but 4-Star recruit Tradon Bessinger will have at least a year under their belt in our current offensive system. Lester likes 6 QBs in the room. If anything, we will pick up one for depth. Flip a coin on whether that will happen...
If anyone is going to know who can play quarterback, it is going to be Tim Lester. And I trust Lester vs all these armchair QBs.
We will have 5 QBs for 2026. All but 4-Star recruit Tradon Bessinger will have at least a year under their belt in our current offensive system. Lester likes 6 QBs in the room. If anything, we will pick up one for depth. Flip a coin on whether that will happen...
Lester wants 6, but Barnes told him he can only have 5. So 5 is where we'll land.Tim Lester played QB in college and briefly in the XFL. He has served as the QB coach under multiple coaches for multiple teams. He has been an offensive coordinator for multiple teams, and an offensive analyst in the NFL. And he has been a HC...
If anyone is going to know who can play quarterback, it is going to be Tim Lester. And I trust Lester vs all these armchair QBs.
We will have 5 QBs for 2026. All but 4-Star recruit Tradon Bessinger will have at least a year under their belt in our current offensive system. Lester likes 6 QBs in the room. If anything, we will pick up one for depth. Flip a coin on whether that will happen...
Film and yes the Indiana game count. There is a “winner” factor there. The best qbs are going to deliver a win there. No excuses. Especially when given multiple drives to deliver and with the low bar of completing a simple screen pass.
Last edited:
I have a bunch of faith in Lester. I think he has earned his respect from KF and he is getting more control of the offense every month. Moved from 130 in total offense to around 60......and I think it will climb. I can see us as a top 35-40 offensive team simply because:
- We keep the same guy running the defense
- Offense continues to improve and spends more time on the field, which means the defense is on the field less
Need the special tams leadership to not slip backwards. Like we have two punters coming in. Is Eli the Guy?? Hope so. Nice numbers leading into this year.
- We keep the same guy running the defense
- Offense continues to improve and spends more time on the field, which means the defense is on the field less
Need the special tams leadership to not slip backwards. Like we have two punters coming in. Is Eli the Guy?? Hope so. Nice numbers leading into this year.
It is a risk, but QB eats up so much of your cash these days that if Iowa thinks they can develop who they have then spend on other areas. Because spending on QB has not gotten Iowa to the CFP yet.
They were making up ground from having a dearth of talent left by the previous OC. No excuses going forward.
During much of last season, people complained about spending $$ on Gronowski instead of using the QBs already on the roster and allocating the money for other positions of need. Now people complain about not signing a QB. Damned if you do...
I would say that Kirk and the staff made a conscious decision to change direction given the approach they took to the portal this time. I very much questioned bringing in Gronowski given the shoulder injury and early in the season he didn't seem fully ready to go and it cost us IMO.
At the same time I feel happy that Mark worked really hard and shined in the Shrine Bowl and impressed the scouts. He made the most of his time here and in the process we made the decision to develop the QBs we have in the program. The situation worked out well no matter how you look at it.
We once had a season where we relied on an aging veteran coming off an injury and a backup of deacon hill. I’ll take whatever is behind door #2.
It’s Hecklinski os bust. Iowa seems okay with riding that coat tail … it’s a big risk for a guy who hasn’t seen many slaps. However, many, many teams bring out first-year starters. I have confidence Lester likes what he’s seen from Heck. I’m excited for the high school kid coming in from Utah. I think he is the future. But Heck has to be the guy next year … and if he doesn’t produce it’s going to be a tough season.
Usually the QB is only as good as the offensive line!!!!Yes, but counting on him to be a #1 QB from the get-go after only having TWO pass attempts prior is a huge risk. We've seen this story before where a guy apparently crushes it at practice but then craps the bed in the games. Then they stick with said quarterback hoping he improves throughout the season, sacrificing multiple losses in the process. And then there you have it, another season resulting in the Hawkeyes out of post-season significance.
Brad Banks seemingly came out of nowhere in 2002 and I certainly had that thought/opinion but he had 68 pass attempts during the 2001 season.
Two pass attempts?
Here's to hoping he's truly ready to take the reigns of a Big Ten football team!
I am fine with this decision and I started this thread to see what people think. I will say though that if the hawks could have got a proven, healthy Gronowski type it might have been to bring him on.
Heck and Hank, the Mack and Meier of College QB teamates, I think will be definitely better than a Deacon Hill. Heck is looking like the next starter and he has been in the system for a year, he must be reading defenses and throwing the ball well and making the right decisions to have Lester make him the next #1. Plus he seems to be able to run above avg
One stat that has me being a true believer in Lester, is the number of punts. Tory Taylor's last season he punt 93 times NINETY-THREE!
This past season Dakin only punted 42 times. THAT says a lot about the progress of our offense... Less than half the number of punts in two years.
I think Special Teams is a part of KF's culture. It is in the team's blood. If you do not like playing special teams, being a Hawkeye is not for you.
I do not see a drop off. I really like the kickers and punters we have coming in. Long snapper should get figured out this spring... Wetjen will be hard to replace. But I think we have someone out there that can do an above average job.
True. But we were dang close to it this year... Had Gronowski had a full spring(or even a full summer!), he would have started the year off better.
I trust Lester has what he thinks will win for the Hawks, in the QB room for 2026 and beyond.
It's always a gamble, for any QB to attempt anything other than a handoff
I kind of liked the idea of going after Colton Joseph who ended up at Wisconsin. He reminds me of MG.