Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz watches his team against the Minnesota Golden Gophers Oct. 25, 2025 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Iowa Looks To Flip Four-Star QB

Originally posted on Iowa Hawkeyes on SI
By Jordon Lawrenz | Last updated Oct 27, 2025 11:02 AM ET

Not only did the Iowa Hawkeyes defeat Minnesota this weekend, they dominated them. The game wasn't even close, and it was the second time in the Hawkeyes last three games where they completely obliterated their opponent.

As part of a three-game homestand, one of the main things Iowa wanted to do was impress their visitors. Women's basketball head coach Jan Jensen had a few in town, but arguably none were bigger than four-star quarterback Tradon Bessinger.

Bessinger, who committed to Boise State on May 19, has had his eyes on Iowa for quite some time. This visit has been lined up for awhile as the 6'5'' 210-pound four-star quarterback could flip to the Hawkeyes.

The State of Iowa's QB Room

2026 Boise State commit and 247Sports Composite 4⭐️ quarterback, Tradon Bessinger on his official visit to Iowa today.

Profile: https://t.co/Z0ByiWAxQt pic.twitter.com/a4KTsHnFhB
— Eliot Clough (@EliotClough) October 25, 2025

One of the top quarterbacks in the Class of 2026 could turn to Iowa after their impressive win over Minnesota. If one thing is clear, it's the fact that fifth-year senior QB Mark Gronowski is amazing. He's done everything in his power to guide this team to victory, but the all-time winningest QB in college football history has run out of eligibility.

After turning to sophomore QB Hank Brown against Indiana, Bessinger could make an immediate case to be QB1 on this team. Brown went 5/13 for just 48 yards with an interception, failing to guide the team to victory when they needed him the most.

Should Brown not be the starter next season, Iowa would look to freshman QB Jeremy Hecklinski. Hecklinski went 1/1 for 6 yards against Minnesota as he's done everything in his power to take the backup job from Brown. He also appeared in their 37-0 win over Wisconsin, completing one pass for six yards.

Hecklinski also used his legs against the Golden Gophers as he recorded his first career carry for six yards. On the depth chart, Iowa has been listing "Brown OR Hecklinski" in what is one of the key battles to keep an eye on.

Iowa's Chances Of Landing Bessinger

Boise State QB commit Tradon Bessinger on his official visit to Iowa

Bessinger is the No. 13 QB in the Rivals300.

(: @BlairASanderson)https://t.co/dhzSo61bPv pic.twitter.com/txibNtDAqs
— Rivals (@Rivals) October 25, 2025

If there was ever a game for Bessinger to attend, it was that one. Iowa ran threw Minnesota in a rivalry game that saw Kinnick Stadium energized throughout the entire 60 minutes.

Despite being committed to Boise State, 247Sports still has Iowa, Minnesota, and UCLA in contention to flip the four-star QB. Bessinger was offered by all three-schools in the past month, though Iowa is the lone he's visited with.

Should Bessinger decide to decommit from the Broncos, Iowa could be the frontrunner. Their relationship with him is well-documented, and they don't have a single QB recruit in their Class of 2026.

This article first appeared on Iowa Hawkeyes on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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