In just three days, Iowa football will walk out of the tunnel in Kinnick Stadium to “Back In Black” in a sea of black and gold to kick off its 2025 season against Albany.

Will Iowa compete for a conference title? Can they secure a College Football Playoff bid? Or will the team crumble during the season? While only time will answer those questions, there are plenty of key storylines to take note of.

Offseason moves

As the nation’s longest-tenured head coach, Kirk Ferentz naturally approaches things from an old-school perspective. His motive is to recruit and develop players, but that didn’t stop him from being active in the transfer portal this offseason.

The biggest addition came at the quarterback position with South Dakota State transfer Mark Gronowski. One of the most sought-after players in the transfer portal, the two-time FCS champion bypassed the 2025 NFL Draft to join the Hawkeyes.

“I’m glad I found Iowa,” Gronowski said. “It’s a very similar culture to South Dakota State, which is important to me. We’re going to play tough football. We’re going to play hardworking football.”

Before Gronowski committed to Iowa, Ferentz reeled in Auburn’s Hank Brown. With Gronowski having one collegiate year left, the anticipation is for the redshirt sophomore to act as the backup this year and play for the starting spot next year.

An already-deep receiving core got even deeper with the addition of Sam Phillips. The fourth-year transfer from Chattanooga is a deep-ball threat and is currently listed as the backup slot to returning senior Seth Anderson.

Phillips was searching for a bigger opportunity and found it with the Hawkeyes in the Big Ten. He could pair well with Gronowski’s tendency to make plays downfield.

“When you have the opportunity to grow as a player, and not only the player, but a person, you got to take that leap of faith,” Phillips said. “I didn’t have a big concern about taking that leap.”

There were also a few additions on the defensive side of the ball — cornerback Shahid Barros from South Dakota, safety Ty Hudkins from Purdue, and defensive tackles Jonah Pace from Central Michigan and Bryce Hawthorne from South Dakota State.

The defensive line was already strong and only got stronger with Pace and Hawthorne.

Barros and Hudkins will add another layer of protection to the defensive back room that’s coming off a season derailed by struggling play and injuries.

Year two of  Tim Lester’s offense

The Lester-led offense proved to be the change that many fans felt should have happened years ago. In his first year as the Hawkeyes’ play-caller, Lester produced one of the best rushing attacks in the country with Kaleb Johnson, which helped make up for a lackluster passing attack.

That should change with Gronowski’s presence. A proven passer with over 10,000 yards and nearly 100 touchdowns throughout the past four years, he put in extra time with Lester to get a full grip of the offense.

“It’s very similar to the offense that I played in previously,” Gronowski said. “There’s still things that we’re adding to the offense every single day, things that I like, things that he likes.”

The expectation is to be more pass-friendly this season. This became a major factor in Phillip’s decision to join the program after Lester mentioned it during his recruiting visit.

“Iowa has not been known for throwing the ball, but when I met with them [during a visit] and sat down, I truly felt like they weren’t lying to my face,” Phillips said. “I can really trust them and know that they’re wanting to throw the ball this year.”

The adjustment will be a big one, but a shift in run-pass ratio will take some time to get used to for all the returners, and Lester knows that. He’s not trying to rush the process.

“It takes time. Time on task, time on repeating an action over muscle memory is real,” Lester said. “I think [the receivers] and the offensive line are understanding what we’re trying to get out of each play which really allows the opportunity to make a jump like we did.”

Next man up

The Hawkeyes lost over 10 players from last year’s team including Kaleb Johnson, Jay Higgins, Yahya Black, and Nick Jackson. This leaves the door open for several players to shine, including running backs Kamari Moulton and Jaz Patterson.

The two backs will likely share the workload, whereas Johnson was a three-down back for the majority of last season. Despite notching over 1,500 yards, Johnson’s rushing capabilities were limited by inconsistent quarterback play.

A boost in the passing game should keep defenses on their toes, opening more opportunities for breakout plays in the run game.

With Higgins and Jackson now in the NFL, seniors Jaden Harrell and Karson Sharar slid into the starting linebacker spots. The two came in together in 2021 and have studied those before them, patiently waiting for their opportunity.

“They’re unbelievably knowledgeable when it comes to the defense,” said assistant head coach Seth Wallace. “They’ve done things in a way in which Jay Higgins did them, a way in which Jack Campbell did them, where, when they were buying their time.”

Cornerback Xavier Nwanpka and defensive end Max Llewellyn also went through that waiting process and showed out once their opportunity arose. Both are now entrenched into leadership positions, guiding younger players like Harrell and Sharar.

“I think we have a lot of inexperienced guys that are in experienced roles now. So just learning together, all combining as one, being able to play together and play fast would be our biggest thing,” Nwanpka said.