Passer Rating vs EPA: Which Tells You More?
Why we rank quarterbacks by EPA per dropback, and what passer rating still gets right.
Read Article →Iowa Hawkeyes Quarterbacks and Receivers
Big Ten. Starting quarterbacks by year: 2026: Hank Brown; 2025: Mark Gronowski; 2024: Cade McNamara, Brendan Sullivan, Jackson Stratton; 2023: Deacon Hill, Cade McNamara.
Iowa Starting Quarterbacks and Receivers by Season
| Season | Quarterbacks (starts) | Top receivers (targets) | Pass Yds | TD-INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Hank Brown (5) | Tony Diaz 45, DJ Vonnahme 25, Reece Vander Zee 20 | 1,047 | 6-2 |
| 2025 | Mark Gronowski (12) | Jacob Gill 40, DJ Vonnahme 39, Kaden Wetjen 26 | 1,888 | 12-8 |
| 2024 | Cade McNamara (7), Brendan Sullivan (2), Jackson Stratton (2) | Jacob Gill 29, Luke Lachey 21, Kaleb Johnson 20 | 1,518 | 9-5 |
| 2023 | Deacon Hill (8), Cade McNamara (5) | Nico Ragaini 39, Addison Ostrenga 33, Kaleb Brown 23 | 1,617 | 9-9 |
| 2022 | Spencer Petras (12) | Sam LaPorta 61, Nico Ragaini 38, Luke Lachey 30 | 1,959 | 6-6 |
| 2021 | Spencer Petras (10), Alex Padilla (3) | Sam LaPorta 63, Tyler Goodson 38, Nico Ragaini 33 | 2,289 | 11-8 |
| 2020 | Spencer Petras (8) | Sam LaPorta 44, Ihmir Smith-Marsette 36, Brandon Smith 32 | 1,536 | 10-5 |
| 2019 | Nate Stanley (12) | Nico Ragaini 71, Ihmir Smith-Marsette 70, Tyrone Tracy Jr. 61 | 2,762 | 14-7 |
| 2018 | Nate Stanley (12) | Nick Easley 67, Noah Fant 59, T.J. Hockenson 57 | 2,678 | 24-10 |
| 2017 | — | Nick Easley 74, Noah Fant 50, Matt VandeBerg 50 | 2,237 | 26-6 |
| 2016 | C.J. Beathard (12) | Riley McCarron 57, Jerminic Smith 43, Akrum Wadley 39 | 1,845 | 16-7 |
| 2015 | C.J. Beathard (13) | Matt VandeBerg 89, Tevaun Smith 54, Henry Krieger-Coble 40 | 2,653 | 15-4 |
| 2014 | Jake Rudock (11), C.J. Beathard (1) | Kevonte Martin-Manley 78, Tevaun Smith 59, Jake Duzey 49 | 2,859 | 19-6 |
| 2013 | Jake Rudock (12) | Kevonte Martin-Manley 60, Tevaun Smith 39, C.J. Fiedorowicz 33 | 2,405 | 18-13 |
| 2012 | James Vandenberg (12) | Keenan Davis 82, Kevonte Martin-Manley 72, C.J. Fiedorowicz 60 | 2,251 | 7-8 |
| 2011 | James Vandenberg (12) | Marvin McNutt 123, Keenan Davis 75, Kevonte Martin-Manley 43 | 2,837 | 23-6 |
College starts are inferred: the team's first passer in each game.
2026 Iowa Target Tree
| Player | Pos | Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tony Diaz | WR | 45 | 25 | 306 | 1 |
| DJ Vonnahme | TE | 25 | 16 | 175 | 0 |
| Reece Vander Zee | WR | 20 | 13 | 178 | 2 |
| Addison Ostrenga | TE | 11 | 7 | 70 | 1 |
| Evan James | WR | 11 | 6 | 52 | 0 |
| Kamari Moulton | RB | 10 | 8 | 33 | 0 |
| Jarriett Buie | WR | 6 | 5 | 63 | 0 |
| Xavier Williams | RB | 5 | 4 | 28 | 1 |
| Zach Ortwerth | TE | 4 | 3 | 26 | 0 |
| Nathan McNeil | RB | 4 | 3 | 37 | 0 |
| Braeden Jackson | RB | 3 | 3 | 42 | 1 |
| Mason Woods | TE | 3 | 2 | 22 | 0 |
2026 Iowa Games
| Week | Opponent | Result | Quarterback | Cmp-Att | Yds | TD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | vs NIU | W 40-0 | Hank Brown | 21-40 | 218 | 2 | 1 |
| Week 2 | vs ISU | W 16-13 | Hank Brown | 21-30 | 191 | 0 | 0 |
| Week 3 | vs northern iowa | W 55-0 | Jeremy Hecklinski | 19-24 | 218 | 2 | 0 |
| Week 4 | at MICH | W 20-19 | Hank Brown | 20-34 | 221 | 2 | 0 |
| Week 5 | vs OSU | L 14-31 | Hank Brown | 17-32 | 199 | 0 | 1 |
2026 Iowa Connections
| QB → Receiver | Tgt | Cmp | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hank Brown → Tony Diaz | 39 | 21 | 265 | 1 |
| Hank Brown → DJ Vonnahme | 21 | 14 | 156 | 0 |
| Hank Brown → Reece Vander Zee | 14 | 9 | 111 | 1 |
| Hank Brown → Addison Ostrenga | 10 | 6 | 59 | 1 |
| Hank Brown → Kamari Moulton | 10 | 8 | 33 | 0 |
| Hank Brown → Evan James | 9 | 5 | 41 | 0 |
| Jeremy Hecklinski → Reece Vander Zee | 6 | 4 | 51 | 0 |
| Jeremy Hecklinski → Tony Diaz | 6 | 4 | 41 | 0 |
QBS BLOG · PASSING QUESTIONS · MINDSET
All Posts →Understanding the Throw.
What the box score cannot tell you about the people behind the pass.
What CPOE Means, and How ACE Builds on It
Completion percentage over expected gives credit for difficult completions. Here is how ACE measures it.
Read Article →Why Sacks Belong Partly to the Quarterback
A sack is the rush, the line and the decision. Why our dropback stats count them.
Read Article →FROM THE A-GAME PODCAST
Listen to the Episode ↗10 Mind-Body Performance Recovery Tools Backed By Science
Learn the break down of ten mind-body recovery tools, each backed by science, including how and when to use them to perform at your peak.