The Des Moines Register's Tyler Tachman didn't write off Iowa's addition of ex-Auburn football QB Hank Brown in the transfer portal as a nothing burger. Tachman didn't overhype it by any means, but he gave credence to the idea Brown can become something in the Hawkeyes' QB room.
Tachman also put the weight on Iowa offensive coordinator Tim Lester to turn Brown's raw throwing talent into a capable starting-caliber signal-caller.
"It's still too early in Lester's tenure to judge the progress he's made with signal callers, but the hope is that Lester can help improve the position. Brown should be a fascinating case study for it," Tachman wrote.
"Brown is not the flashiest transfer portal addition, nor the most experienced, but there is long-term potential. There is also clearly still a long way to go in his development.
"This should be a test of Lester's ability to turn an unfinished product into something much more polished. Right now, time is on his side thanks to Brown's three seasons of eligibility remaining."
Brown was never much a fit under Phil Montgomery's offense in 2023. To be fair, Montgomery and Hugh Freeze couldn't get on the same page, so no one would've thrived that year per se.
Brown barely got a chance to prove himself on the Plains after one bad half against Arkansas in 2024, though, likely leading to leaving for a Big Ten opportunity. Against New Mexico, he was the answer, but even then it's not clear if he was Freeze's choice or if it was someone above him.
Regardless of what happened leading to his starting and subsequent benching, Brown is now on to opportunity No. 2 in his collegiate career.