​IOWA CITY — The competition to be Iowa football’s starting signal caller between Jeremy Hecklinski and Hank Brown is at the forefront of the conversation surrounding the team’s quarterback room. But it is not the only storyline at that position.Freshman Tradon Bessinger has officially joined the program.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBessinger was one of the crown jewels of Iowa’s 2026 high school recruiting class. The Kaysville, Utah, product is the highest-ranked recruit in the program’s incoming freshman class, according to the 247Sports Composite.It’s not common for Iowa to land a quarterback of Bessinger’s profile. For a passing game that is still trying to find its footing, bringing in the 11th-ranked quarterback nationally instills hope for the future.It is still very early, but Bessinger’s development at Iowa is one to follow.“Good arm, big kid,” Hecklinski said of Bessinger, who is listed at 6-foot-5 and 213 pounds. “He’s just so young, and this is such a hard offense to step into and pick it up immediately. As a quarterback room, we’re doing a lot to help him on and off the field, watching film with him and stuff like that. It’s kind of just baby steps with him at this point. Just trying to get down the plays and footwork and stuff like that because high school football is high school football — you can kind of get away with doing some of the sloppy footwork and stuff like that. But he’s doing a lot better than I think most kids would in his position.”AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMore: 90 minutes with Iowa offensive coordinator Tim LesterBessinger, who threw for nearly 11,000 yards in his high school career, was originally committed to Boise State, but changed course and landed with the Hawkeyes.“He’s an awesome kid,” Brown said of Bessinger. “I’ve loved being able to hang out with him and work with him a little bit. He’s humble. He’s been doing good so far. Just continue to encourage him. I know, obviously, what it felt like. I was in his shoes when I first got to college and you’re kind of just getting a lot of things thrown at you. So just trying to show him where I was and what it takes to grow and just encourage him through what he’s doing and what he’s going through.”While Hecklinski and Brown are battling for the starting spot, the “QB3” job is also up for grabs. Jimmy Sullivan and Ryan Fitzgerald are each entering their second season with Iowa. Now, Bessinger joins that crop of younger quarterbacks.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementOffensive coordinator Tim Lester said Sullivan established himself as the third-string quarterback by the end of spring practice, but there isn’t a guarantee that it will stay that way in the fall. The third-string role might seem trivial, but the 2024 season, in which preferred walk-on Jackson Stratton started multiple games, emphasized the importance of quarterback depth.More: Powerful influences in George Barnett’s Iowa co