Though they can’t play in the bowl game, Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz revealed on Friday that new quarterbacks Hank Brown and Jimmy Sullivan will get their feet wet with the Hawkeyes before the 2024 season ends.
Brown joined Iowa as a transfer portal addition from Auburn, while Sullivan is the lone quarterback in Iowa’s 2025 signing class.
“Preparation-wise, we have a couple new players joining us actually tonight I think it is. They’ll be on the field as I understand it tomorrow. Two new quarterbacks joining us. Hank Brown coming from Auburn University. He’s going to transfer. Played his high school football in Nashville, coincidentally.
“Jimmy Sullivan is going to be joining us also, a high school midyear graduate. He’ll start classes here in January. He’s able to practice with us here for whatever it is, five days before the game. Great to have those guys both join us. Obviously they’re not going to be playing, but get them indoctrinated,” Ferentz said.
Though it will be abbreviated, getting Brown and Sullivan into the mix right now does afford Iowa’s staff an early look at the duo before this spring.
“It’s new for us, yeah. At least we’ll get eyes on these guys, get them out there. Tim will have them totally confused by Monday. They can travel with us to the bowl game but they can’t play,” Ferentz said.
Brown joins the Hawkeyes after spending two years with Auburn. The 6-foot-4, 210 pound quarterback appeared in three games with the Tigers this season, completing 27-of-43 passes (62.7%) for 403 yards with six touchdowns against three interceptions.
Brown saw action against Alabama A&M, New Mexico and Arkansas during the 2024 season. The Nashville, Tenn., product also played in the Tigers’ bowl game to end the 2023 season versus Maryland.
Brown completed 7-of-9 passes for 132 yards against the Terps.
Out of Lipscomb Academy, Brown was a three-star signee per the 247Sports Composite rankings. Brown was ranked as the No. 60 quarterback and as the No. 34 player from Tennessee according to 247Sports in the class of 2023.
247Sports ranked Brown as a three-star transfer, as its No. 41 quarterback and as the 266th-ranked player nationally.
A three-star signee, Jimmy Sullivan arrives in Iowa out of Carroll High School in Indiana. Sullivan is ranked as the No. 64 quarterback and as the No. 21 player from Indiana per 247Sports in the 2025 signing class.
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