By Hawk Fanatic

IOWA CITY, Iowa – For those who believe that Jeremy Hecklinski should be the Iowa football team’s starting quarterback, Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz now feels the same way.

Ferentz said Tuesday in his weekly press conference that Hecklinski would start against Minnesota on Saturday in Minneapolis.

Ferentz said he made the decision this past weekend with Iowa coming off a bye week.

“We’ll just play it by situation, but our plan now is to start Jeremy and just see where things go,” Ferentz said. “It’s good to know we have two guys that have proven themselves when they’ve been out there.

“But neither of them have ten years, either. So there’s a lot out there to be had. So we’ll just play it by ear. Again, we just feel real good about both, and obviously, you can only start one.”

The Iowa depth chart has Hank Brown’s name listed first at quarterback, but with the word or between his name and Hecklinski’s name, which usually means they’re both considered equal.

Ferentz apparently wasn’t aware when he met with the media on Tuesday that Brown’s name and Hecklinski’s name were separated by the word or on the depth chart.

“I wasn’t trying to be coy with the either or bit,” Kirk Ferentz said. “For clarification there, Jeremy will start and we’ll just go from there.”

Hecklinski made his first career start in the 41-24 win at Washington on Oct. 9, passing for 202 yards and three touchdowns.

Brown was available for the Washington game, but he was also dealing with a shoulder injury, which he suffered late in the third quarter of the 31-14 loss to Ohio State on Oct. 3 at Kinnick Stadium.

Brown started the first five games, leading Iowa to a 4-1 record, including a 20-19 come-from-behind win at Michigan in which Brown threw two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter, the second coming as time expired.

“Jeremy played really well the last time out,” Ferentz said of the Washington game. “But then do you discount a quarterback bringing us back for two touchdowns in a tough and hostile environment against a very good defensive football team?

“So you can build a case for both players because they’re both really good guys. They’re both, I think, potentially really good quarterbacks. And we’ve seen our team have success with both guys.  So at this point, we just feel it’s the best thing to do moving forward and have  confidence that we have two really good players there.”

Iowa offensive coordinator Tim Lester said last Tuesday that Hecklinski and Brown both would take meaningful snaps during the second half of the regular season.

“We’ll handle that as we go,” Ferentz said. “It’s a pretty consistent message, really since the start of the season it’s been really even. I think the good news for us is they’ve both done good jobs and won on the road in tough circumstances.”

Hecklinski was among nine Iowa players that met with the media on Tuesday, and about two hours before Ferentz’s press conference.

Brown was not made available on Tuesday since he didn’t play in the previous game.

Hecklinski gave no indication when speaking with the media that he would start against Minnesota.

“We have no idea,” Hecklinski said when asked what the plan is for Minnesota. “I’m sure KF (Kirk Ferentz) will let us know throughout the week or whatever it is.”

Hecklinski, who is from Marietta, Georgia, certainly knows by now that he will start against the Gophers on Saturday. He also probably knew it when he met with the media on Tuesday, but he apparently didn’t want to share that information before his head coach had confirmed it.

Hecklinski and Brown both are in their second season at Iowa after transferring from Wake Forest and Auburn, respectively, in 2025. Hecklinski is in his third season overall, while Brown is in his fourth season.

The competition between the two was so close that they both were listed as co-starters throughout preseason practice and through the first two games.

But when Brown played the entire game against Iowa State in week two, it appeared that the competition had been settled.

Brown, who is from Nashville, Tennessee, also played the entire game against Michigan and he played the first three quarters against Ohio State before being injured.

The 5-foot-11, 202-pound Hecklinski replaced Brown in the fourth quarter against Ohio State and completed all five of his passes for 67 yards.

Ferentz said Tuesday that Brown has fully recovered from the shoulder injury.

“He’s one-hundred percent, fine,” Ferentz said of the 6-4, 218-pound Brown. “He could have played that last game in an emergency. But I don’t think it would have been a smart way to play him. It probably would have not endangered him, or they wouldn’t have cleared him. But it probably would have set him back for a while.

“So he’s perfectly healthy, a little sore last week, but having that (bye) week really came at a good time.”

As for what was the determining factor in choosing Hecklinski as the current starter, Ferentz said:

“It’s kind of like the first time; it’s not a coin toss, but it’s awfully close. You can make arguments either way that make sense. We just gave it thought and decided that was the best thing at this time to do.”

Hecklinski started gaining support from fans when he clearly outperformed Brown at the Kids Day practice in mid-August, throwing four touchdown passes.

But that wasn’t enough to make Hecklinski the starter as Ferentz chose to start Brown in the season opener against Northern Illinois.

Brown then had the upper hand until his injury against Ohio State.

Hecklinski provided a spark in the fourth quarter, and then played well against Washington, giving him momentum.

And now the starting position is his to either hold on to or to lose with Brown waiting for his next chance.

Hecklinski is known for his swagger and moxie, while Brown seems more laid back and reserved.

Both are described as great teammates who want the same thing, which is to be Iowa’s starting quarterback.

“I think I just play loose, ” Hecklinski said. “I just love being out there with the guys, being able to execute on all cylinders in the run game and passing game. It’s fun when everything is cooking.”