5 things to watch in Iowa football’s 2025 open spring practice

IOWA CITY — Iowa’s three coordinators expressed plenty of optimism when talking with reporters earlier this week.

Offensive coordinator Tim Lester is “cautiously excited about where we’re at” while also acknowledging “we have a long way to go.”

Defensive coordinator Phil Parker, mentioning the different position groups, is “pleased with their growth.”

Special teams coordinator LeVar Woods has seen “a lot of progress, a lot of good work from guys.”

That optimism will be put to the test on Saturday as the Hawkeyes have their annual open spring football practice at Kinnick Stadium. With the usual caveat Saturday marks only one of 15 spring practices and represents a small sample size, here are five things to watch at Kinnick:

How ready are Iowa’s linebackers for the spotlight?

Iowa’s linebacker corps has a much different look in 2025 after Jay Higgins, Nick Jackson and Kyler Fisher exhausted their college eligibility.

Iowa’s first-teamers on the 2025 spring depth chart are Jaden Harrell at middle linebacker, Karson Sharar at weakside linebacker and Jaxon Rexroth at Leo.

Those three played a combined 171 defensive snaps for the Hawkeyes in 2024 and 34 defensive snaps in 2023, according to Pro Football Focus. (For perspective, when Higgins had to fill the void left by Jack Campbell in 2023, Higgins had the benefit of 213 defensive snaps in 2022.)

While there is no substitute for in-game experience, how ready the Hawkeyes’ linebackers are for dramatically larger roles will be a major key for Phil Parker’s defense in 2025.

What do we see at left tackle?

Left tackle was one of the most interesting position battles going into this year’s spring practices.

With Mason Richman graduated, it appeared to be a two-way race between Jack Dotzler and Trevor Lauck. Neither of the options have substantial in-game experience at this point in their careers.

The dynamics of Iowa’s competition at left tackle changes after adding former Ferris State offensive lineman (and Division II All-American) Bryce George via the transfer portal.

“When he shows up, it’s going to be a third amigo in that battle,” Lester said this week. “They’re all getting better.”

Iowa’s Kids’ Day open practice in August will theoretically be the first chance to see all three compete in the public eye, but in the meantime, Iowa fans can see at least two of the three compete in a vital position battle.

How does Hank Brown look?

Saturday’s open practice should give Hawkeye fans their first extended look at Auburn transfer Hank Brown.

Brown transferred to Iowa before the Music City Bowl and was able to practice with the team during bowl prep. He then ascended the spring pecking order as Mark Gronowski remains out until June and after Brendan Sullivan entered the transfer portal.

Given that Gronowski will be in his final year of eligibility (and Jackson Stratton will be in his penultimate year of eligibility), Brown’s development under Lester’s tutelage could have big long-term implications for the Hawkeyes’ offense in 2026 or 2027.

Iowa’s receiving corps vs. secondary

Iowa’s secondary has often held the advantage over its counterparts at wide receiver.

After all, the Hawkeyes ranked 42nd nationally in defensive passing efficiency and 104th in offensive passing efficiency in 2024. That was a relatively down year for Iowa’s defense, too.

Lester has expressed some optimism about his 2025 receivers, though, while Iowa’s secondary has to replace multiyear starters Jermari Harris, Quinn Schulte and Sebastian Castro.

“I’m excited with where they’re at,” Lester said. “We have a long way to go, but they are just more confident. And we’re able to make nuances, adjustments really quick. They can go out there on the next route, it’s fixed.”

Saturday’s open practice may be an indicator of whether Lester’s comments were simply the typical spring optimism or a possible sign of the Hawkeyes flipping the script.

Who stands out on Iowa’s second-team offensive line?

Iowa is returning three starters from last year’s offensive line in 2025, and the aforementioned George presents the Hawkeyes with a fourth experienced option in the position group.

Looking farther ahead, 2026 could be a much different story. George, Logan Jones, Beau Stephens and Gennings Dunker all are in their final seasons of eligibility in 2025. (That means the Hawkeyes could potentially be replacing four of five starters in 2026.)

Second-team offensive linemen on Saturday such as Leighton Jones, Cael Winter, Cannon Leonard and others could potentially offer a sneak peek of what Hawkeye fans might see from the position group in 2026 and beyond.

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com

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