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It's natural.
The quarterback battle is going to command the attention of every headline and conversation about the Iowa Hawkeyes entering 2026.
Is it going to be Hank Brown or Jeremy Hecklinski starting in Week 1? That battle, which is the flagship storyline, is shadowing some other points of conversation that we need to discuss before Iowa gets its 2026 campaign underway.
Kicker cannot be overlooked Drew Stevens held things down for the last four years incredibly well.
He was consistent, made big kicks, and won Iowa its fair share of games with his right leg.
He's gone.
And kicker is a massively important position in Iowa's style of play.
Eli Ozick and Caden Buhr are set to compete during training camp, with my gut telling me that Ozick, the North Dakota State transfer and FCS All-American, has the inside edge from playing in big games.
Unlike a lot of teams, kicker cannot be an afterthought for Iowa.
This has to be a position of importance and immediate success.
How quickly do the new offensive linemen get on the same page? Trevor Lauck and Kade Pieper are two studs.
They are going to make this line go, but they can't do it by themselves.
The other three spots are going to see players earning their first considerable action.
Iowa is going to be built upon the run game this year, and that means whatever combination of Leighton Jones, Jack Dotzler, and Trent Wilson is slotted into the lineup needs to be on the same page right away to make life easier on an offense entering a new, slightly scary era.
The safeties are going to be new to all of us Iowa fans have been blessed with continuity on the back end of the defense with Quinn Schulte, Koen Entringer and Xavier Nwankpa in recent years.
Nwankpa graduated and Entringer shockingly transferred out of Iowa.
Phil Parker went to the transfer portal and landed Anthony Hawkins and Tyler Brown, two starters at their previous schools, to plug in.
Iowa asks its safeties to do a lot, and like Iowa fans seeing them for the first time, it will be a quick introduction once the first snap is taken.
Can Evan James be the secret weapon on offense? DJ Vonnahme, Kamari Moulton, and Reece Vander Zee figure to be staples at the skill positions, but where is the extra juice going to come from? This is where I think Tim Lester can get creative.
James comes to Iowa from Furman, where he posted 796 yards and 7 touchdowns last year as a freshman.
At 5-foot-11 and 170 pounds, he isn't an imposing presence, but at Furman, touches were manufactured for him.
Could Tim Lester get James involved via screens, motion, handoffs, and some shot plays? Evan James plays bigger and faster than his size, which could open up Iowa's offense.
Is this the last ride for Kirk Ferentz? It's not talked about, but it doesn't mean it still isn't a possibility, and a more realistic one each passing year.
When the season starts, Ferentz will be 71.
How long does he want to do this for? His contract runs through the 2029 season, but that doesn't mean he has to stay until then.
Only Kirk knows when that time will be, as it should be, but if Iowa can get him a College Football Playoff appearance, does he ride off into the sunset? Riley Donald, a former NCAA student-athlete, played four years of college football and was a team captain at Augustana College.
He has spent nearly five years at USA TODAY Sports covering Iowa football, Iowa mens basketball, and Iowa womens basketball, along with a broader coverage focusing primarily on Big Ten football and basketball.
Began covering the Dallas Cowboys.
Radio guest on several ESPN stations discussing Iowa football, the NFL draft, and more.
Follow rileydonald7.