Casey Beathard is a country music songwriter whose son, C.J. Beathard, has been anointed the starting quarterback at Iowa.
Among the songs Casey has co-written are "The Boys of Fall" (Kenny Chesney), "All I Ask For Anymore" (Trace Adkins) and "Comeback Song" (Darius Rucker).
Now it is time for C.J., a 6-2, 209-pound junior from Franklin, Tenn., to write his own lyrics to fit his circumstances as the Hawkeyes' signal-caller.
Some say he already looks the part of a starting Iowa quarterback. He cut his long blonde locks.
"Three years later and it was finally long enough to give to Wigs For Kids! Gonna miss the flow but glad I could help out a good cause! #noflow#cancersucks#gohawks," Beathard posted on Instagram.
After sharing playing time last season with Jake Rudock, Beathard was told by Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz in January that he would be listed as the starter on the preseason depth chart for the 2015 season. Rudock subsequently decided to transfer to Michigan.
"In my mind, I felt like I was the better athlete and I could do more things," Beathard told reporters in Iowa in April. "I think the coaches see that too. They were just waiting to prepare me and be a little more ready."
"There was a consensus that we thought it was the best thing to do, and I think there's a stronger consensus right now that we did the right thing," Ferentz said at Iowa's media day earlier this month. "And it's not necessarily going to look all that different. Quarterback obviously is a key position and every player brings his own personality."
Many of the Hawkeyes players were stunned that Rudock left.
"I thought he had just as much of a shot at the job as anybody else," senior center Austin Blythe said at the Big Ten's media days in Chicago.
Rudock had the second-best completion percentage in the Big Ten last season (61.7) and threw for 2,436 yards, 16 touchdowns and five interceptions.
But the Iowa offensive lacked explosive plays. And Ferentz wants a more mobile quarterback with a more powerful arm.
Ferentz said he understood Rudock's decision to transfer.
"It's like every player in our program, any coach wants what's best for the individual," Ferentz said. "That was Jake's decision all the way, and certainly we did all we could to cooperate and help him with whatever path he chose to take."
Iowa defensive lineman Drew Ott added: "I think we're all kind of over it, we're on to C.J. Beathard now. We've got our guy now and everyone's looking forward to the future. I don't think any of us saw that (Rudock transfer) coming. But it is what it is.
"(Michigan's) getting a smart player. He'll be in the playbook, he's going to know everything and know what to do. He's football smart. He'll do a good job for them, if they go that route."
A less risky offensive approach might be in the works with Beathard at quarterback after the Hawkeyes turned the ball over an inordinate amount last season.
"The thing I'd offer up is there's a lot of different ways to be successful and a lot of different styles of quarterbacking," Ferentz said. "We've seen that here in 15 years to be successful. The bottom line is he's got to play within his skill set and his personality. The big question mark always is where is he at in terms of preparation, and the maturity that is required when you touch the ball every play. We were confident in January that he was ready to accept that."
Beathard, the grandson of longtime NFL general manager Bobby Beathard, appeared in nine games last season (one start), completing 52 of 92 passes for 645 yards and five touchdowns. He also rushed for 156 yards on 28 carries.
"When you play quarterback, there's a lot of responsibility that goes with it," Ferenz said. "I think he's embraced it. He's excited about it. He's practiced well in three-a-days."
Iowa began the 2014 season auspiciously, winning five of its first six before dropping five of its last seven, including s 45-28 loss to Tennessee in the TaxSlayer Bowl. Iowa wound up 7-6, 4-4 in the Big Ten. It is difficult to see the Hawkeyes moving up in the Big Ten's West Division, but who knows?
"That's just part of being an Iowa football player," Blythe said. "You're not really expected to be too flashy. I guess we like it that way."
Iowa athletic director Gary Barta says he does not see a game on the 2015 schedule that the Hawkeyes should not be able to win.
No pressure, right?
f
Reason to believe: With quality depth at running back, the Hawkeyes could be in position to control the tempo of games and reduce the pressure on their quarterback. Junior LeShun Daniels and senior Jordan Canzeri possess complementary running styles that could give defenses problems.
Reason to doubt: Daniels and Canzeri have dealt with injuries in the past and Daniels was out half of last season. The Hawkeyes' receiving corps hasn't been particularly productive and is in need of a big-play performer. Senior Tevaun Smith caught 43 passes for 596 yards last season. The Hawkeyes ranked 102nd out of 125 FBS schools in turnover ratio last season.
Big hole to fill: Offensive line depth could be an issue. Iowa must replace tackles Carl Davis and Louis Trinca-Pasat. Davis was a third-round draft pick of the Ravens and Trinca-Pasat signed as a free agent with the Rams.
Breakout player: The success of C.J. Beathard might best be reflected by the overall improvement of the offense. Quarterbacks coach Greg Davis has high hopes for Beathard.
Season is a success if ... The Hawkeyes win more of the close games that they lost last season such as Wisconsin (26-24) and Nebraska (37-34 OT) and advance to a third straight January bowl game.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sport...view-cj-beathard-spt-0824-20150823-story.html
Among the songs Casey has co-written are "The Boys of Fall" (Kenny Chesney), "All I Ask For Anymore" (Trace Adkins) and "Comeback Song" (Darius Rucker).
Now it is time for C.J., a 6-2, 209-pound junior from Franklin, Tenn., to write his own lyrics to fit his circumstances as the Hawkeyes' signal-caller.
Some say he already looks the part of a starting Iowa quarterback. He cut his long blonde locks.
"Three years later and it was finally long enough to give to Wigs For Kids! Gonna miss the flow but glad I could help out a good cause! #noflow#cancersucks#gohawks," Beathard posted on Instagram.
After sharing playing time last season with Jake Rudock, Beathard was told by Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz in January that he would be listed as the starter on the preseason depth chart for the 2015 season. Rudock subsequently decided to transfer to Michigan.
"In my mind, I felt like I was the better athlete and I could do more things," Beathard told reporters in Iowa in April. "I think the coaches see that too. They were just waiting to prepare me and be a little more ready."
"There was a consensus that we thought it was the best thing to do, and I think there's a stronger consensus right now that we did the right thing," Ferentz said at Iowa's media day earlier this month. "And it's not necessarily going to look all that different. Quarterback obviously is a key position and every player brings his own personality."
Many of the Hawkeyes players were stunned that Rudock left.
"I thought he had just as much of a shot at the job as anybody else," senior center Austin Blythe said at the Big Ten's media days in Chicago.
Rudock had the second-best completion percentage in the Big Ten last season (61.7) and threw for 2,436 yards, 16 touchdowns and five interceptions.
But the Iowa offensive lacked explosive plays. And Ferentz wants a more mobile quarterback with a more powerful arm.
Ferentz said he understood Rudock's decision to transfer.
"It's like every player in our program, any coach wants what's best for the individual," Ferentz said. "That was Jake's decision all the way, and certainly we did all we could to cooperate and help him with whatever path he chose to take."
Iowa defensive lineman Drew Ott added: "I think we're all kind of over it, we're on to C.J. Beathard now. We've got our guy now and everyone's looking forward to the future. I don't think any of us saw that (Rudock transfer) coming. But it is what it is.
"(Michigan's) getting a smart player. He'll be in the playbook, he's going to know everything and know what to do. He's football smart. He'll do a good job for them, if they go that route."
A less risky offensive approach might be in the works with Beathard at quarterback after the Hawkeyes turned the ball over an inordinate amount last season.
"The thing I'd offer up is there's a lot of different ways to be successful and a lot of different styles of quarterbacking," Ferentz said. "We've seen that here in 15 years to be successful. The bottom line is he's got to play within his skill set and his personality. The big question mark always is where is he at in terms of preparation, and the maturity that is required when you touch the ball every play. We were confident in January that he was ready to accept that."
Beathard, the grandson of longtime NFL general manager Bobby Beathard, appeared in nine games last season (one start), completing 52 of 92 passes for 645 yards and five touchdowns. He also rushed for 156 yards on 28 carries.
"When you play quarterback, there's a lot of responsibility that goes with it," Ferenz said. "I think he's embraced it. He's excited about it. He's practiced well in three-a-days."
Iowa began the 2014 season auspiciously, winning five of its first six before dropping five of its last seven, including s 45-28 loss to Tennessee in the TaxSlayer Bowl. Iowa wound up 7-6, 4-4 in the Big Ten. It is difficult to see the Hawkeyes moving up in the Big Ten's West Division, but who knows?
"That's just part of being an Iowa football player," Blythe said. "You're not really expected to be too flashy. I guess we like it that way."
Iowa athletic director Gary Barta says he does not see a game on the 2015 schedule that the Hawkeyes should not be able to win.
No pressure, right?
f
Reason to believe: With quality depth at running back, the Hawkeyes could be in position to control the tempo of games and reduce the pressure on their quarterback. Junior LeShun Daniels and senior Jordan Canzeri possess complementary running styles that could give defenses problems.
Reason to doubt: Daniels and Canzeri have dealt with injuries in the past and Daniels was out half of last season. The Hawkeyes' receiving corps hasn't been particularly productive and is in need of a big-play performer. Senior Tevaun Smith caught 43 passes for 596 yards last season. The Hawkeyes ranked 102nd out of 125 FBS schools in turnover ratio last season.
Big hole to fill: Offensive line depth could be an issue. Iowa must replace tackles Carl Davis and Louis Trinca-Pasat. Davis was a third-round draft pick of the Ravens and Trinca-Pasat signed as a free agent with the Rams.
Breakout player: The success of C.J. Beathard might best be reflected by the overall improvement of the offense. Quarterbacks coach Greg Davis has high hopes for Beathard.
Season is a success if ... The Hawkeyes win more of the close games that they lost last season such as Wisconsin (26-24) and Nebraska (37-34 OT) and advance to a third straight January bowl game.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sport...view-cj-beathard-spt-0824-20150823-story.html
