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The Deuce is loose. It’s been a common phrase thrown around by Hawkeye fans hoping that head coach Kirk Ferentz and offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz would turn to the former four star quarterback from Texas as the next option at quarterback. On Tuesday, the phrase took on a new meaning as Hogan’s name officially appeared in the NCAA transfer portal.
2020 4-star QB Deuce Hogan has entered the transfer portal after playing in one game during his two seasons at Iowa @rivalsmike @BlairRIVALS https://t.co/j42xBCmBdW
— NCAA Transfer Portal (@RivalsPortal) November 30, 2021
The news comes as the Hawkeyes are preparing to face off with the Michigan Wolverines in the Big Ten Championship Game on Saturday and less than a week after head coach Kirk Ferentz raised some eyebrows with comments on Hogan following Iowa’s win over Nebraska on Black Friday.
After a flu bug impacted a number of Hawkeye players last week, including both first and second string quarterbacks Alex Padilla and Spencer Petras, Ferentz commented to the effect that Iowa would be in real trouble if forced to play last Friday’s game with Deuce Hogan under center. Of course, his phraseology was perhaps not so kind.
Spencer Petras and Alex Padilla both had the flu this week.
— John Steppe (@JSteppe1) November 27, 2021
Kirk Ferentz (joking) on the starter if they were out: “If it was Deuce, with all due respect to Duece, I might’ve stayed in Iowa City."
The comment spurred immediate speculation among Iowa fans, though this move has been rumored to be coming since mid-season. While the timing is a bit curious with the opportunity to be on the sidelines for the Big Ten Championship Game this weekend, the fact that Hogan is looking to move on is not all that surprising.
With both Padilla and Petras starting games this year, Iowa has their starter all but locked in for next season whether it be the former or the latter. Even if one were to transfer out, Hogan was looking at being a backup at best in what would be his redshirt sophomore season at Iowa. If Padilla were to be the guy, Hogan wouldn’t have a real shot at being Iowa’s starter until his redshirt senior year.
And there are reports that true freshman Joey Labas had seriously closed the gap between himself and Hogan. Beyond Labas, Iowa has a verbal commitment from Oklahoma quarterback Carson May, who despite being a three star prospect absolutely lit up the box scores as a senior this year. Competition for Iowa’s next starter after Petras and Padilla will be stiff with time for the youngsters to manage the learning curve before a competition takes place.
Hogan leaves Iowa having seen action in just one game. After a redshirt year in 2020, Hogan appeared in Iowa’s 51-14 thrashing of Maryland earlier this season. He completed his only pass attempt as a Hawkeye finishing with a perfect completion percentage and two yards passing with no rushing attempts.