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Trevor Lauck was a new starter last season on an Iowa offensive line with a proud lineage. He held down the left tackle job alongside three future NFL Draft picks for a unit that won the Joe Moore Award, which recognizes the most outstanding offensive line in college football.
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Just one year later, Lauck has become one of the veterans in that room. He and right guard Kade Pieper are the only two returning starters up front for the Hawkeyes. But despite that turnover, offensive line play remains a strength for No. 21 Iowa (1-0) in part because of the stability that has become a hallmark under longtime head coach Kirk Ferentz.
The Hawkeyes are a developmental program that augments its roster through the transfer portal rather than relying on it. Case in point, they started three new transfers on offense and defense in their 40-0 season-opening win against Northern Illinois despite ranking near the bottom of the FBS in returning production.
“I think we recruit the right type of people — guys who know they might not start their first or second year,” Lauck told Athlon Sports last week. “Around the country, that seems to be treated like the end of the world. If guys aren’t playing their first two years, they transfer. But that’s not the case here.”
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Lauck embodies that approach. He was a three-star prospect in the class of 2023 who didn’t see the field as a freshman. He appeared in just three games as a sophomore. When he finally became a full-time starter in 2025, he earned All-Big Ten honors. Now, he’s an Athlon preseason All-American, and he and Pieper are both projected first-round picks in 2027.
“It’s really about the culture and the type of guys we recruit — knowing that early on it’s about learning, and then in your third, fourth, fifth year is when you start to blossom into a really good player,” Lauck said. “That’s what I’ve been fortunate to do: I learned for two years under really great players, finally got to start my third year last year, and now I’m just trying to carry on the O-line tradition at Iowa.”
That line played about as well as it could have against the Huskies. Lauck and Co. created rushing lanes for star running back Kamari Moulton to rack up 183 yards and two touchdowns on just 11 carries. Iowa finished with 289 rushing yards as a team and averaged 7.6 yards per carry.
The Hawkeyes also didn’t allow a sack. Hank Brown got the start under center, but that doesn’t seem to be the end of the quarterback battle in Iowa City. Jeremy Hecklinski also saw plenty of action. And with the game in hand, third-stringer Jimmy Sullivan saw the field in the fourth quarter, too.
Lauck expressed confidence in both Brown and Hecklinski and said any difference in playing style between the two has little bearing on the job of the offensive line. Brown is more of a traditional pocket passer, which he demonstrated by completing 12-of-20 passes for 129 yards and a touchdown. Hecklinski is more mobile, though he didn’t necessarily show that side of his game against NIU. He completed 7-of-16 passes for 76 yards, a score and an interception.
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“If we have to pass it 60 times one game, that’s fine,” Lauck said. “If we have to run it 60 times, we’ve got to be ready for that, too.”
Traditionally, Iowa offenses have leaned toward the latter. But it’s perhaps telling that in a game the Hawkeyes won so convincingly, they had more passes (40) than rush attempts (38).
Iowa has a knack for being a tough out, even in defeat. Lauck attributes that to Ferentz, who has been coaching the Hawkeyes since before any of his players were born.
“We know we’re not going to have a bunch of five-star guys, so we know we have to show up every single day and every single game and give it our all,” Lauck said.
Ferentz became the Big Ten’s all-time wins leader in 2025, and his teams are rarely far off in defeat. The Hawkeyes lost four games last season, all by five points or fewer. That included a two-point loss to Oregon and a five-point defeat to eventual national champion Indiana. Only Ohio State and Penn State played the Hoosiers tighter.
Iowa also lost to rival Iowa State for the third time in four years. The Cy-Hawk trophy is up for grabs again this weekend at Kinnick Stadium, where the Hawkeyes are a 14-point favorite against a Cyclones team largely reliant on transfers.
Off the field, Lauck is staying busy with a partnership with Casey’s centered around providing tailgating fans with pizza promotions on early game days. Big Ten fans, and Iowa supporters specifically, are used to noon kickoffs, but the Hawkeyes are in prime time (7:30 p.m. ET on NBC) against Iowa State.
Lauck, who hasn’t been on the winning side of this rivalry since he was a freshman, is hopeful the home-field advantage can help turn the tide of the series.
“The fans are one of one,” Lauck said. “We’ve got tight sidelines, so it feels like they’re right on top of us. Super loud. They bring it every single game — it feels like every game’s been sold out since I’ve been here.”
Saturday’s game marks Kinnick Stadium’s 29th consecutive sellout.
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This story was originally published September 11, 2026 at 5:15 AM.