It took until October, but the Iowa football team has released a preseason depth chart.

Head coach Kirk Ferentz released his team’s first depth chart of the season on Thursday. The Hawkeyes take on Purdue Oct. 24 to open their 2020 season, which at one point was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here are some highlights from the first edition of the depth chart:

Quarterback

No surprises here. Spencer Petras has been penciled in as Iowa’s starter since Nate Stanley’s departure. Alex Padilla will act as Petras’ backup.

Skill positions

Tyler Goodson will be Iowa’s featured back this season. Mekhi Sargent and Ivory Kelly-Martin will act as backup options out of the backfield and should still see plenty of touches this season. Monte Pottebaum will block for them as the team’s starting fullback.

Wide receiver is a deep position for the Hawkeyes this season and that is evident on the depth chart. Again, there aren’t any early surprises. Brandon Smith, Ihmir Smith-Marsette, Nico Ragaini, and Tyrone Tracy all had significant touches in the passing game last season and that should continue this season.

Sam LaPorta has elevated to Iowa’s starting tight end this season, and Shaun Beyer will be in on two tight end sets.

Offensive line

Alaric Jackson at left tackle and Tyler Linderbaum at center were locks to start this season. This first depth chart gives the first look at who will line up next to them.

Injuries on the offensive line forced Kyler Schott into the lineup early last season. He played guard throughout 2019, but an injury of his own forced him to miss time. Schott is currently Iowa’s starter at right guard and Cody Ince is the starter at left guard. The backup guards are Noah Fenske and Luke Empen.

Mark Kallenberger is listed as the starting right tackle on the depth chart, but offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz said Coy Cronk is currently the starter for the Hawkeyes.

Jack Plumb is backing up Jackson and Justin Britt is behind Linderbaum. Senior Cole Banwart, who is coming off a knee surgery, is not listed on the two-deeps, but should be, Ferentz said. Banwart is competing for playing time but was mistakenly left off the depth chart.

Defensive line

Chauncey Golston is the only returning starter on the defensive line from last season and he will line up as left end this season as Iowa’s top pass rusher. Zach VanValkenburg is currently the starter at right end. On the interior of the defensive line, Daviyon Nixon and Austin Schulte are the new starters.

Logan Lee and Joe Evans are listed as second-team defensive ends. Noah Shannon, John Waggoner, and Northern Illinois transfer Jack Heflin are also listed on the two-deep as backups on the interior of the line. Depending on how deep Iowa’s rotation goes, all these players could see significant snaps this season.

Linebacker

Defensive coordinator Phil Parker said Thursday that he think linebackers are the defense’s strength at the moment.

Jack Campbell is the starter at middle linebacker and Nick Niemann will be the team’s weakside linebacker in 2020. When Iowa is in a 4-3 base defense, Barrington Wade is the starter at “Leo.” Seth Benson and Jestin Jacobs are also competing for snaps.

Defensive backs

Matt Hankins is Iowa’s top cornerback this season and he is currently set to line up on the left side of the field. Riley Moss is currently Iowa’s starting right corner. Julius Brents and Terry Roberts are the backups at both spots.

Jack Koerner worked his way into the defensive backfield last season and is there to stay. He will continue to be Iowa’s starting free safety in 2020. Dane Belton, who is also playing the cash position in subpackages, is the starter at strong safety. Kaevon Merriweather has been taking snaps in practice at both safety positions, cash, and even some cornerback, Parker said.

Special teams

Keith Duncan is Iowa’s kicker after his record-breaking junior season. Tory Taylor, a freshman from Australia, is Iowa’s starter at punter. Austin Spiewak will act as the team’s new starting long snapper.

Ihmir Smith-Marsette, the all-time leader in kick return average in the Big Ten, will again handle those responsibilities for the Hawkeyes. Max Cooper will take punt returns for Iowa.