By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Assuming you had realistic expectations about Tim Lester’s search for a quarterback in the transfer portal, Hank Brown is about as good as you should have expected.

He isn’t among the most sought after quarterbacks in the portal, nor is he a proven commodity at the FBS level, having started just two games for Auburn over two seasons.

But he was good enough to play for an SEC team, and to start two games as a redshirt freshman.

So, it isn’t as if Lester is scraping from the bottom of the barrel.

And in fairness to Lester, he doesn’t have a lot to work with right now from a selling standpoint given the state of the Iowa passing offense and Iowa’s recent history of quarterback failures.

Iowa also has limitations from an NIL money standpoint compared to some other programs.

There is a risk in taking a quarterback that still is mostly unproven at this level.

There is also a possible reward, too, as Illinois head coach Bret Bielema could verify since he took a similar gamble on Luke Altmyer, who was riding the bench at for Ole Miss when he entered the portal and then signed with Illinois in 2023.

Altmyer has steadily improved as a two-year starter for Illinois. He has played as well or better than any Big Ten quarterback, with exception to Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel, while leading Illinois to a 9-3 record in the regular season.

Iowa would be very fortunate if the 6-foot-4, 208-pound Brown were come close to duplicating what Altmyer has accomplished for Illinois.

Brown passed for 403 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions this season. He also passed for 132 yards in a loss to Maryland in the 2023 Music City Bowl as a true freshman.

It seems unlikely with Brendan Sullivan on the roster that Tim Lester would have promised Brown the starting position for next season.

Brown will have the opportunity to compete with Sullivan, and with whomever else is playing quarterback, for the starting position next season.

The job could be Sullivan’s to lose at this point, just like it was Cade McNamara’s job to lose heading into this season.

McNamara started the first eight games this season, but he has since entered the transfer portal, along with former Iowa quarterbacks Marco Lainez and James Resar, though Resar had switched to receiver midway through this season.

Sullivan is currently the only quarterback on the Iowa roster who is on scholarship.

Sophomore walk-on Jackson Stratton started the final two regular-season games at quarterback against Maryland and Nebraska when Sullivan was injured, leading Iowa to wins in both games.

But Stratton also passed for fewer than 100 yards in both games due partly to his lack of experience.

So it’s easy to see why Brown, having three seasons of eligibility, would think that Iowa is a place where he could ultimately start for two or maybe even three seasons.

Those wondering why Lester didn’t aim higher aren’t being realistic under the circumstances.

Iowa football has plenty to offer a recruit, including strong fan support, coaching stability and sustained success under Kirk Ferentz, who is one victory from tying the legendary Woody Hayes as the Big Ten’s all-time winningest head coach.

But when it comes to developing quarterbacks, Iowa’s recent track record leaves much to be desired under Kirk Ferentz.

Lester, a former college quarterback and a former college head coach, was hired as the offensive coordinator to fix that problem.

Time and performance will ultimately determine if Hank Brown is part of the fix.