IOWA FOOTBALL POSITION PREVIEWS 2017: THE QUARTERBACKS

Iowa’s 2017 quarterback situation is a bit murkier than it has been in recent memory. For the most part, I think we all think we know who the man is going to be this year under center. But, things can change. And the reality of the situation is we know very little. Perhaps (probably) even less than you, dear reader.

HOWEVAH, I’m the guy with a keyboard and a login, so here we are, reading the thoughts of an idiot. But for better or worse, at least I am your idiot.

Stan, the Man

Nathan Stanley (SO)
6-5, 225 lbs. Menomonie, WI (Menomonie)

I think we all saw the writing on the wall when Kirk Ferentz burned Nathan Stanley’s redshirt against North Dakota State while C.J. Beathard had to sit out a few plays. Folks were surprised that supposed second-stringer Tyler Wiegers didn’t get the nod in emergency duty, but in 18 years of Kirk, we shouldn’t really be surprised by anything at all anymore, should we?

The snaps against the Bison were the first and last meaningful ones Stanley saw the rest of the year, only seeing the field again for mop-up duties.

Then, the spring game. Neither QB looked good at all, but Wiegers may have held a slight edge over Stanley following the open practice.

Then, the notorious spring depth chart was released in late July. Stanley was listed as No. 1, with no OR designation alongside Wiegers.

THEN, another open practice and kids day. Stanley set himself apart from the pack and Ferentz stopped just short of confirming as much afterward.

Stanley is the guy with the size and the arm. He’s still young, so the decision-making might not be there, but we’ve seen big-play ability vs. conservative play in our quarterbacks before. I think we all know which type of signal-caller is preferred.

I know we have (at least) two NFL-caliber running backs and perhaps the best damn (run blocking) offensive line in the nation, but this team will go only as far as Stanley—or someone else—can carry it.

The Other Man

Tyler Wiegers (JR)
6-4, 225 lbs. Lake Orion, MI. (Detroit Country Day)

Tyler Wiegers was the best QB prospect Iowa reeled-in in a minute. Some services gave him a coveted four-star designation. I could count on one hand how many four-star QBs Iowa has had on campus. You don’t need me to tell you how any of those guys worked out in the long run.

Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

For certain, it’s unfair to put Wiegers in such a box, but I think it’s still relevant all the same. In any case, Wiegers has been outplayed by Stanley more often than not in the public eye, and that’s all this blog needs to name him the backup. People speculate that Wiegers is less of a risk-taker a la Jake Rudock vs. CJB, but I find those claims to be unsubstantiated.

In any case, Ken O’Keefe is back as the quarterbacks coach, Brian Ferentz is the new offensive coordinator and Kirk Ferentz is still the head coach. There will be more hands in the Iowa quarterback pie than usual this year.

The Stopgap

Ryan Boyle (SO)
6-1, 208 lbs. West Des Moines (Dowling Catholic)

Ryan Boyle was a quarterback. Then a wide receiver. Now he’s a quarterback again, presumably partially because of the lack of experience at the position at this time. (The same could obviously be said of wide receiver, but whatever.) I’ll admit, I was pretty surprised Boyle saw as much action as he did during kid’s day given he never attempted a pass at the open practice. But I’m reading his name more and more often, and here we are.

It’s always fun to cheer for local (ish) kids, but things would have to go pretty awry for Boyle to get any meaningful run this year. With Mansell behind him and Wiegers and Stanley ahead, I wouldn’t be surprised if Boyle was back to catching passes a year from now.

Big Texas
Peyton Mansell (FR)

6-3, 210 lbs. Belton, Texas (Belton)

I’ll admit I was surprised when Peyton Mansell got buried to No. 4 on the depth chart. He has a great first name for a quarterback and terrifying last name according to Brian Ferentz, and I think that’s enough to make defenses respect him. He has played promisingly in open settings, but didn’t get as much run as I would have suspected during kid’s day.

He’s No. 4 behind Boyle, and the redshirt looms barring any sort of catastrophe. More than one of us at The Pants became huge fans of Mansell over the past few weeks. We’ll have to keep a lid on that hype for the foreseeable future.

The Walk-Ons

Ryan Schmidt (#17, Sophomore, 6'5, 235 lbs., Linn-Mar, Marion, IA)
Tommy Herion(#7, Freshman, 6'1, 180 lbs., Loyola Academy, Chicago, IL)

Yeah ... something REALLY bad or miraculous would have to happen for either of these guys to play next year. Or the year after that. And probably the year after that, too.

The #Herion4Heisman2021 campaign starts now.