Hank Brown bringing SEC experience to Iowa’s quarterback room

IOWA CITY, Ia. — After competing in a room full of talent throughout spring ball, the sophomore gunslinger believes he’s making an immediate impact in a short amount of time with the Hawkeyes’ offense.

Hank Brown made the most out of his opportunities in practice over the past three weeks, and even rushed for a touchdown in the final spring scrimmage. The former Auburn quarterback believes he’s having a smooth transition into Tim Lester’s offense, and isn’t thinking twice about his decision to come to Iowa City.

The southern boy is getting a taste of the midwest culture, and enjoys learning the blue-collar style of football that Lester is establishing with the Hawkeyes.

“There’s a lot of impressive things that sold me about this place, but I think Coach Lester and his system is a great fit for my skill set as a pro-style quarterback,” Brown said. “It’s been great, there’s a lot of room for improvement and various things I can learn from.”

Brown also has ties to Lester off the field, considering his parents attended high school with the Offensive Coordinator. He was able to get a head start on the playbook when Iowa prepped for Missouri in last year’s bowl game. It all paid off for Brown as he shared reps with Jackson Stratton and Jimmy Sullivan in the final practice last Saturday. Now Brown feels he’s just starting to crack the surface, and has ambitions of executing at a high level.

“There’s a lot of things I can learn from, some two-minute stuff that I struggle with, but overall I’ve progressed over the 15 practices,” he said. “I’m starting to learn, and get a better grasp of what we’re trying to do with this system.”

Although he backed up Payton Throne last season, Brown started two of the Tigers’ first four games. The 6-foot-4, 208-pounder completed three of his five passes for 96 yards and two touchdowns in Auburn’s opening win over Alabama A&M. Brown even threw for a career-high, 235 yards and a jaw-dropping, four touchdowns in his first-ever start against New Mexico.

Brown couldn’t keep the success going in SEC play though, and suffered three interceptions against Arkansas. However, Iowa has been a fresh start for Brown to redeem himself, and a home away from home. The more he learns, the more comfortable he gets, and Lester is bringing out the best in him.

“There’s a lot of room for improvement, and to think I would be led by Coach Lester, he has such a good idea of areas that I need to work on,” the Tennessee native said. “Areas that I can get better at, and how to actively pursue those areas.”

Iowa fans are expecting Mark Gronowski to take over the position once he gets fully healthy, but with no depth chart currently set in place, the position is still wide open approaching summer workouts. Brown is confident that he’s making a positive impression on the coaching staff early in his Hawkeye career.

Nothing is going to come easy in a room with fierce competition, and Brown still has his work cut out for him. It helps that he played in the SEC, which packs speed, physicality and elite coaching. Meanwhile Stratton has started two Big Ten games in Lester’s system. Sullivan is a true freshman, but is picking up everything fast, and Gronowski is the headliner, with all the accolades.

Despite Brown playing in a new scheme for a second-straight season, he’s becoming a natural at adjusting on the fly. At the end of the day, quality play in the quarterback room is a good problem for the Hawkeyes to have on offense. Not to mention it’s still up in the air on which signal-caller is going to emerge on top as the starter. Which is why Brown is making it a priority to remain in the mix once fall camp rolls around.