Beyond the QB Battle: What else stood out in Iowa's week two depth chart?

IOWA CITY — The Iowa football program did not name a starting quarterback with the release of its week two depth chart on Monday. But, the Hawkeyes made a few other notable changes to the depth chart. Sep 5, 2026; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes wide receiver Evan James (8) runs the ball as Northern Illinois Huskies running back Elijah Porter (24) looks to pursue during the third quarter at Kinnick Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images Going into week one, DJ Vonnahme and Addison Ostrenga shared the starting tight end role with second-year player Thomas Meyer listed as the sole backup. This week, fourth-year tight end Zach Ortwerth is now also listed as a second-stringer alongside Meyer. Only Vonnahme and Ostrenga led the group with four receptions for 42 yards and three receptions for 20 yards, respectively. Ortwerth caught one pass for six yards, and Meyer did not record a stat, but saw the second-most snaps (39) in Saturday's 40-0 win over Northern Illinois. Vonnahme paced the group with 43 snaps, while Ortwerth finished with the least playing time of the group with 13. Second only to wide receiver Tony Diaz, running back LJ Phillips joined Iowa with plenty of fanfare after rushing for more than 1,900 yards at South Dakota last year. Phillips was the Hawkeyes' lone second-string running back last week, but was removed from the two-deep entering week two. The talented transfer only saw the field for five snaps, getting four carries for five yards, before exiting the game with an apparent injury. His removal from the depth chart appears to indicate the injury could sideline him this weekend, and potentially longer. "LJ, (we'll) probably (know more) tomorrow or the next couple of days," head coach Kirk Ferentz said during his postgame remarks. "He had a little bit of a lower leg deal." And, why would there be? The Hawkeyes dominated Northern Illinois' offense and allowed just 120 yards, with 96 coming in the second half. The Huskies did not record their first first down until late in the third quarter. Iowa's new slate of defensive contributors earned the right to go into week two with a little stability in their roles after such a strong performance. The only real note here is defensive back Tyler Brown, a James Madison transfer, remains absent from the two-deep. He's expected to be the Hawkeyes' starting strong safety, but a soft-tissue injury kept him sidelined last week. With is name still absent, Villanova transfer Anthony Hawkins is in line to start for the second week in a row. Though Kirk Ferentz indicated Iowa's punter and kicker position battles may remain up in the air last Tuesday, they remained unchanged heading into week two. Caden Buhr, Boston Everitt and Ike Speltz remain starters at kicker, punter and long snapper, respectively. North Dakota State transfer Eli Ozick handled kickoff duties and remains the backup on field goal duties. Last week, Iowa did not announce starting kick or punt returners on its depth chart, leaving uncertain the plan to replace Kaden Wetjen. Brevin Doll went back to return the game's opening kickoff, which sailed over his head for a touchback. That was the only kickoff the Huskies had in the contest. Doll remains the starter at kick returner. On punt return, wide receiver Reece Vander Zee opened as the starter and went back for five punts, recording 16 punt return yards on two returns. He fair-caught two other punts and let Northern Illinois down on the other. Evan James got the second crack at returning punts and put up 108 yards on three returns, including a 77-yard return touchdown in the third quarter. He fair-caught one other punt. Though James showed more explosiveness as a returner, Vander Zee will start against Iowa State this weekend with James as the second-string option. Up Next: The Hawkeyes host Iowa State (1-0, 0-0 Big 12) on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. in Kinnick Stadium. The Cyclones beat Southeast Missouri 38-10 to open the Jimmy Rogers Era in Ames last week. Broadcast coverage of the game will be provided by NBC and the Hawkeye Radio Network. For a list of local stations, visit hawkeyesports.com/hawkeye-radio-network.Get local news delivered to your inbox! University of Iowa Athletics Beat Reporter