Iowa football has three potential starting quarterbacks this week. How its preparing for all three.

IOWA CITY — Wide receiver Sam Phillips has said since preseason that the receiver room is always the last unit off the practice field every day.

Whether it be running specific routes the receivers want to drill into their heads more, or if a quarterback asks to throw a few extra passes — that’s how the practice session wraps up.

“We try to take pride in being the last ones on the field,” Phillips said. “We’re always getting catches in after practice with quarterbacks … working on releases and stuff, as well.”

They’ve made it clear, too, that it’s not just with one quarterback. Sounds almost logical, but it’s important to get to know how a backup quarterback plays with starters, just in case.

Well, this just-in-case situation arrived ahead of the annual Heartland Trophy matchup set in Madison, Wis.

It’s anyone’s guess as to who starts at quarterback Saturday, and that goes for both teams — between the Hawkeye and Badger quarterback status being in limbo, how the respective offenses evolve based on which signal caller is in the pocket, and how it impacts the defense’s prep work shifting.

Welcome to the balancing act that’s taken over Iowa football (3-2, 1-1 Big Ten) and Wisconsin (2-3, 0-2 Big Ten) this week.

“Just kind of go in the direction with whatever that particular player's skill set may be and try to emphasize that if that player's in the game,” Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said. “We're not banking on anything. We've had nothing but unknowns.”

For the offense, the Hawkeyes have delved into a competition with all three quarterbacks: Mark Gronowski, Hank Brown and Jeremy Hecklinski. Gronowski is named Iowa’s starter on the depth chart, but he was just cleared for practices on Monday.

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Ferentz said Gronowski’s confidence, and how his knee feels throughout the course of the week, will dictate whether or not the Hawkeyes have their starter in the shotgun or not.

“It's a matter of what he can do effectively,” Ferentz said. “That's going to be the number one conversation at the end of the week, that you can go out there and play well, play effectively, not be thinking about it, not trying to protect yourself, that type of deal.”

So what happens if Gronowski isn’t available? That’s where offensive coordinator Tim Lester’s files come into the picture.

Every quarterback plays the game slightly differently, and Lester knows how each of his three QBs operate in their unique ways. Part of the bye week was getting Brown and Hecklinski significant snaps to prepare for Wisconsin.

That way, the other 10 players on the offense have the chance to coordinate with the two other QBs and work through different plays together.

“They all got different touches on the ball,” Phillips said. “It's definitely a different playing style. But once you're kind of out there being with them for a couple of days throughout practice, you kind of get a feel for it.”

Between the trio of QBs, Phillips said there’s little nuances each quarterback has in throwing the ball. He described it as having more “touch on the ball.”

The football still gets to Phillips and the other receivers when needed, but how it gets there slightly varies.

“Maybe when he throws, he's more on the line,” Phillips explained. “Maybe puts a little more arc on the ball. Or I'm running across the middle, he's throwing on the line. Or maybe he's lobbing.”

Then, on the coaching side, all the planning continues. There’s back-up plans for back-up plans, knowing there’s a chance it all doesn’t get touched or completely thrown out the window.

“These guys are getting a ton of reps this week,” Lester said during the bye week, “and just to see the improvement we're going to need if he's in the game.”

Ferentz said a decision on who the starting quarterback will be against Wisconsin won’t be made until Friday. He’s been pleased with how Gronwoski’s progressed with his injury, but also how Brown and Hecklinski are managing the front-loaded work.

Then it’ll be whoever walks onto the field first at Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday night.

“In season, it's tough to give three guys reps. It's hard to do,” Ferentz said. “With the bye week, that gave us a chance for all the guys to compete ... You just never know. We’ll see how it shakes out.”

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