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Last season, Iowa got its best quarterback play this decade from Mark Gronowski.
The South Dakota State transfer revitalized the Hawkeyes' offense with his combination of mobility and arm talent. It wasn’t always perfect, but Iowa’s offense took a step forward with him at the helm.
With Gronowski off to the NFL, the search is on for Iowa’s next starting quarterback. The battle is between Hank Brown and Jeremy Hecklinski. Both guys bring something different to the table and have fought hard for the starting job this offseason.
That battle will continue over the next month. On Wednesday, fans got a chance to hear from one of the contenders. Hecklinski spoke to the media about a wide variety of topics, beginning with what he focused on the most over the summer.
"For me, it's really about maintaining my weight and continuing to work on my feet in the pocket," Hecklinski said. "Just keeping my feet live at all times. Sometimes I'll get some dead feet, so keeping them live is what I've been working on."
Hecklinski talked about how the position battle is going between himself and Brown.
"Camp will tell the tale in that nature. I'm the type of player I am and Hank's the type of player he is. I think it just comes down to the decision of who they want to go with," Hecklinski said.
Iowa showed a lot of faith in both quarterbacks by choosing not to add one in the transfer portal this offseason. Hecklinski talked about what that meant to him.
"I was excited, I felt like I had paid my dues early on when I got here in June. For that to come to fruition, and to see my hard work pay off, is really nice," Hecklinski said.
The Hawkeyes want to be an explosive offense under Tim Lester. Hecklinski broke down how he's evolved his style of play to ensure that the explosives don't come at the expense of playing clean football.
"I feel like I'm a very aggressive quarterback, I like to take shots. Since spring ball and even in the winter phase, we've been working on things. I feel like I've honed in on completions and taking what they're giving me," Hecklinski said.
Building off that, Hecklinski talked about some of the goals Lester set for him this summer.
"Mine was taking care of the ball more and take less aggressive shots. Take shots when they're there, but not all the time. I've gotten better on that since last year and my numbers from the spring really show it," Hecklinski said.
While he's aiming to take care of the ball more this season, don't mistake that with him and the offense playing it safe.
"We threw the (expletive) out of the ball in the spring," Hecklinski said.
The quarterback battle will continue over the next few weeks as the regular season fast approaches. Kirk Ferentz and the coaching staff will have a big decision to make soon.
Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Zach on X: @zach_hiney
This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa football QB Jeremy Hecklinski talks offseason, position battle
Continue reading...
The South Dakota State transfer revitalized the Hawkeyes' offense with his combination of mobility and arm talent. It wasn’t always perfect, but Iowa’s offense took a step forward with him at the helm.
With Gronowski off to the NFL, the search is on for Iowa’s next starting quarterback. The battle is between Hank Brown and Jeremy Hecklinski. Both guys bring something different to the table and have fought hard for the starting job this offseason.
That battle will continue over the next month. On Wednesday, fans got a chance to hear from one of the contenders. Hecklinski spoke to the media about a wide variety of topics, beginning with what he focused on the most over the summer.
"For me, it's really about maintaining my weight and continuing to work on my feet in the pocket," Hecklinski said. "Just keeping my feet live at all times. Sometimes I'll get some dead feet, so keeping them live is what I've been working on."
Hecklinski talked about how the position battle is going between himself and Brown.
"Camp will tell the tale in that nature. I'm the type of player I am and Hank's the type of player he is. I think it just comes down to the decision of who they want to go with," Hecklinski said.
Iowa showed a lot of faith in both quarterbacks by choosing not to add one in the transfer portal this offseason. Hecklinski talked about what that meant to him.
"I was excited, I felt like I had paid my dues early on when I got here in June. For that to come to fruition, and to see my hard work pay off, is really nice," Hecklinski said.
The Hawkeyes want to be an explosive offense under Tim Lester. Hecklinski broke down how he's evolved his style of play to ensure that the explosives don't come at the expense of playing clean football.
"I feel like I'm a very aggressive quarterback, I like to take shots. Since spring ball and even in the winter phase, we've been working on things. I feel like I've honed in on completions and taking what they're giving me," Hecklinski said.
Building off that, Hecklinski talked about some of the goals Lester set for him this summer.
"Mine was taking care of the ball more and take less aggressive shots. Take shots when they're there, but not all the time. I've gotten better on that since last year and my numbers from the spring really show it," Hecklinski said.
While he's aiming to take care of the ball more this season, don't mistake that with him and the offense playing it safe.
"We threw the (expletive) out of the ball in the spring," Hecklinski said.
The quarterback battle will continue over the next few weeks as the regular season fast approaches. Kirk Ferentz and the coaching staff will have a big decision to make soon.
Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Zach on X: @zach_hiney
This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa football QB Jeremy Hecklinski talks offseason, position battle
Continue reading...
