By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – My initial plan for the Iowa football team’s weekly press conference on Tuesday was to write about the ongoing quarterback competition because you can never get enough of that kind of drama, right?

Well, sometimes, plans change, as in this case.

The quarterback competition between Hank Brown and Jeremy Hecklinski hasn’t really changed much from last week as both are still sharing reps in practice and listed as co-starters on the depth chart heading into Saturday’s game against Iowa State at Kinnick Stadium.

Both quarterbacks said on Tuesday that they wish they had some throws back from the 40-0 victory over Northern Illinois in the season opener last Saturday, but for the most part, they were pleased with how things turned out.

They both also said on Tuesday that they hadn’t been told who will start against Iowa State, or what the process will be.

So since there isn’t really much new going on with the quarterbacks, and since there is no rule that says you have to write about the quarterbacks, I went searching for another story angle, and I’m happy to say that I found one in third-year defensive tackle Devan Kennedy, who’s listed as a backup on this week’s depth chart.

Kennedy has been waiting patiently for his chance to contribute, and now that time has finally come for the Arizona native, who is the son of former Penn State defensive lineman Jimmy Kennedy, who also played in the NFL.

Devan Kennedy had members of the media highly entertained on Tuesday as he talked about growing up as the son of an NFL player, about his evolution as a football player and about his relationship with Iowa defensive line coach Kelvin Bell.

Basketball was Devan Kennedy’s first love, but he ultimately shifted his allegiance to football for a reason that you don’t often hear in the ego-driven world of sports.

“Honestly, it was just the team aspect,” Devan Kennedy said when asked why he picked football over basketball. “I think in basketball, it’s easy to see one guy take over the game; this guy had 25 points in the third and fourth quarter, or whatever the case may be. He took over the game. This guy’s the MVP or whatever.

“In football, I got to see and hearing it from my dad as well, everybody matters. Everybody on the field matters. If one guy is in the wrong spot, boom, exposed, especially defensively. It’s offensively as well.

“And I think just seeing the team aspect of the game and how different it was from basketball; it’s night and day. And I think that being on a team that is also bigger in terms of numbers is just the ultimate team game. And I fell in love with that at a young age.”

Football became Kennedy’s primary focus as a junior in high school.

And like always, his father, who was named the Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year in 2002, was there to help, but not just because it was football.

“My dad was always big on not forcing me to do anything I didn’t want to do,” Devan Kennedy said. “I was big on basketball, and if I was ready to play basketball, he was there with me every step of the way. So if my main focus was basketball, which it was, he was going to be there for basketball.

“And eventually as I started to transition, I was like, ‘hey, I think I want to play football.’ He was right there with me. He got to be a little more hands on because he knew exactly what the game was.

“So that was big, and I think overall, he’s been super supportive of me throughout the whole process, no matter what it is. Whether it be relationship-wise, whether it be just game-wise, he’s been through it before. So it’s been good having him on my side.”

Devan Kennedy came to Iowa in 2024 as a three-star recruit.

He also came to Iowa City with a very limited wardrobe that caused former Iowa defensive tackle Yahya Black to give Kennedy the nickname, “Unc,” which was short for uncle.

Kennedy had attended a private high school in Arizona that had a strict dress code.

“We had a dress code, so I just had a button-down shirt and shorts all the time, and that’s all I had in terms of clothes when I got here,” Kennedy said. “So I came in first day, first couple weeks really, I just had a button-down shirt and some shorts and everybody was like, you’re so formal. You dress like an uncle.

“Yahya Black, sure enough, calls me out in the media talking about we call him, Unc. It is what it is.”

Kennedy figured the nickname would eventually fade after Black finished playing for Iowa, but Kelvin Bell and fellow defensive line coach Jay Niemann apparently have kept it going.

Kennedy has since expanded his wardrobe with an emphasis on being comfortable.

“Now I’m just a little more free, a little more youthful I feel like,” Devan Kennedy said. “I just try to be more comfortable, but also respectful of the people around me.”

Kennedy had two tackles in the win over Northern Illinois while rotating at one of the defensive tackle positions.

“My dad always preached to me just be ready, continue to improve and be ready for whenever an opportunity comes, and not be complacent ” Devan Kennedy said. “Always have a good demeanor and whatever role you have on the team, be ready to contribute to that.”

Kennedy credits Kelvin Bell for helping to pave the way for Kennedy to become a Hawkeye.

Iowa doesn’t usually recruit much in the state of Arizona, but made an exception with Kennedy, who attended one of Iowa’s summer camps prior to his senior year of high school.

“Camp was the biggest thing, and he (coach Bell) was telling my dad, and he was telling me afterwards at the camp, he was just like, ‘yeah, I love when kids come to camp because they can really see how I coach and you can really see how I am as a person,”‘ Kennedy said of Kelvin Bell. “And from that day in camp, even until now, there hasn’t been a difference. He’s been consistent on that.

“And that’s what I love about Iowa; they were always honest to me about how they were going to be, about how they were going to operate, and ultimately, the biggest goal here when it comes to getting on the field is maximizing our potential We say it all the time. And I think I’m in the right place to do that.”