Jake Christensen Bids Us Adieu

by Hawkeye State on Jan 10, 2009 5:48 PM CST in Football Comment 32 comments

Jcsideline_medium

Color us less-than-shocked: Jake Christensen is transferring.

Iowa junior quarterback Jake Christensen has decided to transfer from the school, his father told ESPN.com this afternoon.

Christensen, who started every game in 2007 and two games this season before losing his job to Ricky Stanzi, was granted an unconditional release by head coach Kirk Ferentz. A fourth-year junior who appeared in eight games this season, Christensen is considering transferring to both FBS and FCS programs.

Four teams already have offered scholarships.

"It's wide open right now," said Christensen's father, Jeff, a former quarterback with the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns. "We're just going to go out and talk with everybody and see what's out there.

"Four [schools] have come back and said, 'Absolutely, we want him.'"

Clearly, the writing was on the wall. Dick Stanzi has established himself as the starting quarterback for the foreseeable future and, with one year of eligibility remaining (remember, he redshirted), Jake had to move if he wanted to play.*

There will be plenty of post-mortems on the Shakespearean tragedy that was Jake Christensen's time at Iowa, but we at BHGP have a bit of melancholy in our darkened editorial hearts this afternoon. Over the past year and a half, we've had Jake fend off KOK's advances (say hello to the "sexual freddy krueger" tag, Ricky Stanzi!), get really into his NCAA 2008 dynasty, go on Deal or No Deal, and lose his right arm to a bear. Jake seems like a genuinely good kid, and that made him great material for us. That, of course, doesn't even scratch the surface; there were the Democratic primary-like series of debates on BHGP and everywhere else about whether he should play, and his teammates' wholehearted defense of him against the naysayers.

From the staff of BHGP, good luck and godspeed, six-shooter.

* -- I'm not entirely certain why he's considering D-I schools, since he's already burned his redshirt year and will be a senior next year. I'm assuming he's looking for a hardship deferment or something similar, but I'll leave that to people who know the eligibility rules better than I do.

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Good luck, Jake

I never did like you as a QB, but I have a tremendous amount of respect for you as a Hawkeye and as a person. I hope you find the brighter side of things elsewhere.

by imadirtyoldman on Jan 10, 2009 6:25 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

BOOOOOOOOOOO!

Just kidding. Good luck, Jake.

by Eubanks on Jan 10, 2009 6:50 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Thanks Jake!

Sorry it didn’t work out better for you. You’re a class act, and we’re proud to call you a Hawkeye. Best of luck in whatever you do.

by Bucketochicken on Jan 10, 2009 7:07 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Jake you were fucking terrible

But you seem like a good dude, so good luck to you wherever you go. Sorry you could never live up to the unrealistic expectations people had of you when you were 19.

by NorseHawk on Jan 10, 2009 7:27 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

I have always worn my Jake Christiansen jersey with great pride

Today is no exception.

And out of respect I won’t tell everyone it’s Tim Dwight

Hell, I can get you a toe by 3 o'clock this afternoon....

by Hayden Fry's Moustache Ride on Jan 10, 2009 10:10 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Couldn't have asked for a classier guy.

I can’t name many current starting quarterbacks that would take a benching with as much class and dignity as Jake did. I will miss you as an experienced back up and hope you throw 50 touchdown passes for whatever school you end up at next year (unless they play Iowa, in that case just 40).

by Argulor on Jan 11, 2009 12:50 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

can jake get a hardship likE tyler smith?

46 sacks?
depleted 0-line?

this place smells like feet. i’ll bring a can of lysol next week.

by pfac51 on Jan 11, 2009 1:03 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

It's all KOK 's fault

his father seems to be saying. As in, KOK wanted Stanzi and Ferentz wanted Jake, and KOK won out.

If this is true, then:
a) My respect for KOK judgement just shot through the roof,
b) I now understand the Pitt second half (no Stanzi) debacle,
c) This confirms that Ferentz does let his coordinators run their units,
d) If Kirk goes to KC then JC apparently is still a pro prospect!

Best of luck Jake. You handled it like a champ.

"When you don't know that you don't know, it's a lot different than when you do know that you don't know." Bill Parcells

by StoopsMyAss on Jan 11, 2009 7:31 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

Potential National Championship contender?

So far, I’ve only heard that the defending National Champion Richmond Spiders have offered JC6 a scholarship. I only saw them play UNI in the second half of the FCS semis, but, who knows, maybe he leads the team to consecutive titles…

Regardless of where he ends up, I hope he does well. As everyone has stated above, it takes a large amount of humility to handle a benching like Jake did.

¿Quieres chiclets?

by The Mexican't on Jan 11, 2009 9:59 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

"Spiders" is a fucking awesome mascot.

by Bucketochicken on Jan 11, 2009 12:36 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I agree 100%

I don’t know why more teams don’t use that mascot. When I was a kid, I was afraid to kill a spider because I thought that if I did, he or she would scream and millions of other spiders would appear and eat me.

Anyway, that’s a cool mascot.

"They haven't played us yet."

by ReadingRambler on Jan 11, 2009 9:41 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

The only one better is DII Pittsburg State (in Kansas, naturally):

The Gorillas.

Now that’s fucking badass.

by Bucketochicken on Jan 12, 2009 8:00 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

The winningest team in DII football history

And a kickass logo to boot.

Plus, I think I read somewhere that they used to be pink and black. As Bret “The Hitman” Hart once taught me, no one fucks with the pink and black attack.

¿Quieres chiclets?

by The Mexican't on Jan 12, 2009 12:53 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

As Bret Hart taught me, script your promos

especially when your jorts are cutting off circulation to your injured leg:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVbSgyw2Mx8

storminspank: "Or we could join you can take our pants off."

by Hawkeye State on Jan 12, 2009 1:30 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I knew the university should have retired tim dwights jersey after he left. thanks jake for the image of now anything other than timmy d when I look at my #6 iowa jersey!

Im sure he is a great person outside of football. in the football world he sucked. good riddance

by kinnickcolt on Jan 11, 2009 11:23 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

Eat a bowl of shit and die of AIDS you assgoblin

I got more rhymes than Wade Lookingbill's got dunks

by Oops Pow Surprise on Jan 11, 2009 11:33 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

maybe he'll transfer to Bama and play baseball w/ Smelley Cock?

High school honors – - Earned all-American recognition from USA Today, SuperPrep, Rivals.com and Parade Magazine . . . named Illinois Player of the Year by Champaign News-Gazette . . .

was first team all-state and all-conference as a senior . . . earned first team all-conference, all-area and all-state honors as a junior after leading prep team to second straight Class 8A state title . . .

Career – - career totals include 404-774 for 6,555 yards and 69 touchdowns . . . completed 178-317 attempts as a senior for 2,874 yards and 36 touchdowns as a senior, with 11 interceptions . . . passed for 3,681 yards and 33 touchdowns, with five interceptions as a junior, completing 226-457 pass attempts . . .

earned three letters in football and three letters as baseball outfielder.

this place smells like feet. i’ll bring a can of lysol next week.

by pfac51 on Jan 11, 2009 2:39 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Jake Christensen's dad pisses me off.....

He acts like he’s Jake’s agent. Face the facts, Jeff. You raised a good kid who isn’t as good at football as you thought he was. Big deal…it’s not a right to be a starting QB in D1.

"I'm not doing any good back here."

by Hawkaloogie on Jan 11, 2009 12:36 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

was jake's dad even a good QB for the Bungals? maybe he got pissed throwing a few grand for the DeBerg QB camp?

this place smells like feet. i’ll bring a can of lysol next week.

by pfac51 on Jan 11, 2009 2:36 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Not sure how he was as a QB

But as a host of American Gladiators, he was sublime.

I ate the blue ones ... they taste like burning.

by HoyaGoon on Jan 11, 2009 4:12 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Nope

He only played in one game with them, and it was just to take a knee. The only real NFL playing time he got was as a scab player for the Browns during the strike.

He does seem like a bit of an attention whore though. It seems like every story about Jake includes a bunch of quotes from him, like he’s desperate to make himself part of the story. At least he didn’t rub off on Jake.

by NorseHawk on Jan 11, 2009 7:17 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

"At least he didn’t rub off on Jake."

Dude, gross.

I got more rhymes than Wade Lookingbill's got dunks

by Oops Pow Surprise on Jan 11, 2009 9:27 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Easy, guys.

This won’t be a forum for people to take nasty shots at Jake as a person. We’re going to show respect for all the players, past and present, successful and unsuccessful, at BHGP.

Unless they get kicked off the team and eat money, of course.

I got more rhymes than Wade Lookingbill's got dunks

by Oops Pow Surprise on Jan 11, 2009 9:06 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Why aren't we allowed to say that a bad player is/was bad?

I don’t really see any attacks on his character, unless you deleted one or something?

by NorseHawk on Jan 11, 2009 9:43 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

One comment was deleted. I do not remember whose it was

Although, I have a feeling he’s still around and has already forgotten that he’s a jackass. But I’m willing to bet he’ll continue to make himself look foolish anyway.

¿Quieres chiclets?

by The Mexican't on Jan 11, 2009 10:38 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Shonn Greene is on the front page of

www.collegefootballnews.com

they tout him & King for All Big Ten (the full season & the Bowl game)…

this place smells like feet. i’ll bring a can of lysol next week.

by pfac51 on Jan 12, 2009 12:52 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

I wish Jake all the best

I hope he finds a place where he can have a good senior season.

Three thoughts:
1) Will Jake have to go to FCS, since he would have to sit a year at an FBS school?
2) I wish Jake’s dad would keep his mouth shut. For some reason the things he is saying have me a little worried, especially the KOK vs. KF over Stanzi thing.
3) I don’t know that JC6 was really a “viable” No. 2 QB option in case something happens to Stanzi, but at least he didn’t always screw the pooch (Iowa State). We could have put him in if Stanzi was hurt and I wouldn’t have killed myself with Jack Daniels… right away. Who do we have now? Who is going to be the back up this season.

Good luck JC6.

by shada's revenge on Jan 13, 2009 2:39 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

I bet Wienke gets it

Or McNutt. Or that Vandenburg kid from Keokuk. Or HFMR.

by Duez I say on Jan 13, 2009 3:13 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

HFMR also stands for

Hurls Frozen Motherfucking Rope

No self-respecting man from Iowa goes anywhere without beer

by Hayden Fry's Moustache Ride on Jan 13, 2009 8:12 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Rumors during the season

were that Vandenberg had become the top QB in waiting, and may even challenge Stanzi next year. I do think the shift to WR for McNutt will stick. I do not imagine QB being a worry for the Hawkeyes over the next few years.

¿Quieres chiclets?

by The Mexican't on Jan 14, 2009 12:50 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Good Luck Wild Thing

Honestly, I wish the kid well in life and I hope he plowed through his share of coeds. He earned that right but I will shocked if he ever starts a game again in division 1.

What? They don't have TV in the D-League? Don't watch me, watch TV.

by Mac G on Jan 13, 2009 3:36 PM CST reply actions 0 recs