In Lester we trust? Can Cade finally stay healthy? If not, will there finally be signs of QB development?
Story from today from the Des Moines Register:
Tyler Tachman
Des Moines Register
April 15, 2024
IOWA CITY — As expected, the aura surrounding Iowa football’s offense has been substantially more positive this spring. Players on both sides of the ball have spoken highly of the progress Iowa’s much-maligned offense has made.
“Offense took a big jump,” defensive back Deshaun Lee said. “I’m loving it.”
“Yeah, it’s definitely wide receiver-friendly,” receiver Kaleb Brown said. “Like I said, it goes well with our personnel and everything like that with the guys we have.”
Maybe that sentiment will be reflected in the results of the 2024 season, but it's also worth pointing out that these kinds of comments are frequently heard at this point in the calendar year.
There’s a lot of positive buzz without enough evidence to make a fair judgment about its validity. Saturday’s open practice at Kinnick Stadium will give a slightly larger window into the state of the offense, but making definitive conclusions still would be unwise.
When you dig past the fluff, there are obvious questions surrounding the offensive unit, with the quarterbacks room being chiefly among them.
Right now, presumably, Iowa’s top three options for that position are as follows: a player who has suffered season-ending injuries the last two years, another player who had eight interceptions and five passing touchdowns last season, and another who has attempted seven passes in his college career.
Cade McNamara (12) throws a pass during practice Thursday April 11, 2024
That begs the question: How concerning is the current state of the Hawkeye quarterbacks room?
Last season was an absolute disaster at that position. Cade McNamara played banged-up early on and then suffered a season-ending ACL injury against Michigan State. Deacon Hill, who hadn’t even attempted a pass in college prior to last season, struggled mightily and Iowa was reluctant to make a change. Only late in the Citrus Bowl against Tennessee did Iowa give Marco Lainez a chance.
Iowa averaged 118.6 passing yards per game last season, which was nearly last in the FBS.
In terms of player personnel, Iowa has not yet made major moves this offseason to address the issue. Iowa retained McNamara, Hill and Lainez. Incoming true freshman James Resar will be joining the unit. Joe Labas transferred out. Iowa tried to get Oregon transfer Ty Thompson on campus for a visit in January, but it didn't pan out.
Iowa could still try to add firepower at quarterback. The transfer portal opens up again on Tuesday. Speaking to reporters in March, head coach Kirk Ferentz left the door open to the possibility of going to the portal, though he spoke generally and didn’t disclose specific position groups Iowa could target.
“We'll know more about our team at the end of spring and then — I mean, we're always going to look at it and always consider, and if there's a glaring weakness or a place we think we can make our team better, absolutely,” Ferentz said in March. “Some of the guys I've mentioned that have come here (Nick Jackson, Rusty Feth, Erick All, etc.) have really helped our team become better.”
But if Iowa rolls with what it has, there’s a risk of running into the same reality that last season brought.
Tommy Poholsky (19) throws a pass in practice Thursday April 11, 2024
When healthy, McNamara is exactly the caliber of quarterback that Iowa needs. In 2021, he helped lead Michigan to a Big Ten championship and a berth in the College Football Playoff semifinals. But since then, staying on the field has been a problem.
Can McNamara not only get healthy but also stay healthy for an entire season?
Behind him, a lot is unproven.
Hill gained meaningful experience last season but was mostly not even close to being adequate. Lainez possesses dual-threat capabilities, but because of Iowa’s unwillingness to put him in game action last season, it’s still sort of a mystery how he would perform under the bright lights.
“Deacon has the benefit of he played the most last year of any of our guys, so certainly he's got more experience, but an awful lot of things he can work on,” Ferentz said. “Marco has got a different set of circumstances and different things to work on, but every player on the team has got things they need to get better at.”
“That's what this time period is really good. It gives us a chance to articulate those things, show them on film, and then hopefully put them in situations where they can demonstrate that they are learning and improving.”
By investing in what it already had at quarterback, Iowa has banked on 1) McNamara’s health and 2) internal development.
This is an area where new offensive coordinator Tim Lester can be a factor. Lester wasn’t a flashy hire this offseason, but one of the bright spots on his resume was that he appeared more equipped to coach quarterbacks than his predecessor, Brian Ferentz. Lester, a quarterback himself in college, has coached the position at multiple stops, including Purdue, where he mentored David Blough to a season of 3,352 passing yards.
Though Iowa’s dismal offensive showing over the last several seasons has not resulted solely from poor quarterback play, it has been a major factor. Quarterback development is something that Iowa lacked with Brian Ferentz as that group's position coach. The Hawkeyes haven’t had an individual pass for more than 2,000 yards in a single season since Nate Stanley accumulated 2,951 in 2019, and that was when the position group was still coached by Ken O'Keefe.
Last season was a clear indication of the repercussions if your backup plans don’t cut it. On paper, Iowa could be in the same spot again. But that is discounting the possibility that Hill or Lainez could make major strides leading up to the 2024 season.
Perhaps under the instruction of Lester, one of those two could perform at a level that would work just fine for Iowa: competent ball control and avoiding turnovers. Because of Iowa's defensive dominance, the Hawkeyes don’t need a gunslinger to be successful. They just need someone who can consistently make the right plays and eliminate costly mistakes.
“He’s pretty intense," Hill said of Lester. "But it’s a good intense. He’s very positive a lot of the time … You love him, because he’s really personable, as well.”
Maybe Iowa is actually in a better spot than it might appear on the surface. Maybe not.
One way or another, the Hawkeyes need to figure it out. Or else the offense could be headed for dangerous waters yet again.
Story from today from the Des Moines Register:
How concerned should fans be about Iowa football's quarterbacks room?
Tyler TachmanDes Moines Register
April 15, 2024
IOWA CITY — As expected, the aura surrounding Iowa football’s offense has been substantially more positive this spring. Players on both sides of the ball have spoken highly of the progress Iowa’s much-maligned offense has made.
“Offense took a big jump,” defensive back Deshaun Lee said. “I’m loving it.”
“Yeah, it’s definitely wide receiver-friendly,” receiver Kaleb Brown said. “Like I said, it goes well with our personnel and everything like that with the guys we have.”
Maybe that sentiment will be reflected in the results of the 2024 season, but it's also worth pointing out that these kinds of comments are frequently heard at this point in the calendar year.
There’s a lot of positive buzz without enough evidence to make a fair judgment about its validity. Saturday’s open practice at Kinnick Stadium will give a slightly larger window into the state of the offense, but making definitive conclusions still would be unwise.
When you dig past the fluff, there are obvious questions surrounding the offensive unit, with the quarterbacks room being chiefly among them.
Right now, presumably, Iowa’s top three options for that position are as follows: a player who has suffered season-ending injuries the last two years, another player who had eight interceptions and five passing touchdowns last season, and another who has attempted seven passes in his college career.
Cade McNamara (12) throws a pass during practice Thursday April 11, 2024
That begs the question: How concerning is the current state of the Hawkeye quarterbacks room?
Last season was an absolute disaster at that position. Cade McNamara played banged-up early on and then suffered a season-ending ACL injury against Michigan State. Deacon Hill, who hadn’t even attempted a pass in college prior to last season, struggled mightily and Iowa was reluctant to make a change. Only late in the Citrus Bowl against Tennessee did Iowa give Marco Lainez a chance.
Iowa averaged 118.6 passing yards per game last season, which was nearly last in the FBS.
In terms of player personnel, Iowa has not yet made major moves this offseason to address the issue. Iowa retained McNamara, Hill and Lainez. Incoming true freshman James Resar will be joining the unit. Joe Labas transferred out. Iowa tried to get Oregon transfer Ty Thompson on campus for a visit in January, but it didn't pan out.
Iowa could still try to add firepower at quarterback. The transfer portal opens up again on Tuesday. Speaking to reporters in March, head coach Kirk Ferentz left the door open to the possibility of going to the portal, though he spoke generally and didn’t disclose specific position groups Iowa could target.
“We'll know more about our team at the end of spring and then — I mean, we're always going to look at it and always consider, and if there's a glaring weakness or a place we think we can make our team better, absolutely,” Ferentz said in March. “Some of the guys I've mentioned that have come here (Nick Jackson, Rusty Feth, Erick All, etc.) have really helped our team become better.”
But if Iowa rolls with what it has, there’s a risk of running into the same reality that last season brought.
Tommy Poholsky (19) throws a pass in practice Thursday April 11, 2024
When healthy, McNamara is exactly the caliber of quarterback that Iowa needs. In 2021, he helped lead Michigan to a Big Ten championship and a berth in the College Football Playoff semifinals. But since then, staying on the field has been a problem.
Can McNamara not only get healthy but also stay healthy for an entire season?
Behind him, a lot is unproven.
Hill gained meaningful experience last season but was mostly not even close to being adequate. Lainez possesses dual-threat capabilities, but because of Iowa’s unwillingness to put him in game action last season, it’s still sort of a mystery how he would perform under the bright lights.
“Deacon has the benefit of he played the most last year of any of our guys, so certainly he's got more experience, but an awful lot of things he can work on,” Ferentz said. “Marco has got a different set of circumstances and different things to work on, but every player on the team has got things they need to get better at.”
“That's what this time period is really good. It gives us a chance to articulate those things, show them on film, and then hopefully put them in situations where they can demonstrate that they are learning and improving.”
By investing in what it already had at quarterback, Iowa has banked on 1) McNamara’s health and 2) internal development.
This is an area where new offensive coordinator Tim Lester can be a factor. Lester wasn’t a flashy hire this offseason, but one of the bright spots on his resume was that he appeared more equipped to coach quarterbacks than his predecessor, Brian Ferentz. Lester, a quarterback himself in college, has coached the position at multiple stops, including Purdue, where he mentored David Blough to a season of 3,352 passing yards.
Though Iowa’s dismal offensive showing over the last several seasons has not resulted solely from poor quarterback play, it has been a major factor. Quarterback development is something that Iowa lacked with Brian Ferentz as that group's position coach. The Hawkeyes haven’t had an individual pass for more than 2,000 yards in a single season since Nate Stanley accumulated 2,951 in 2019, and that was when the position group was still coached by Ken O'Keefe.
Last season was a clear indication of the repercussions if your backup plans don’t cut it. On paper, Iowa could be in the same spot again. But that is discounting the possibility that Hill or Lainez could make major strides leading up to the 2024 season.
Perhaps under the instruction of Lester, one of those two could perform at a level that would work just fine for Iowa: competent ball control and avoiding turnovers. Because of Iowa's defensive dominance, the Hawkeyes don’t need a gunslinger to be successful. They just need someone who can consistently make the right plays and eliminate costly mistakes.
“He’s pretty intense," Hill said of Lester. "But it’s a good intense. He’s very positive a lot of the time … You love him, because he’s really personable, as well.”
Maybe Iowa is actually in a better spot than it might appear on the surface. Maybe not.
One way or another, the Hawkeyes need to figure it out. Or else the offense could be headed for dangerous waters yet again.
How concerned should fans be about Iowa football's quarterbacks room?
Iowa football's quarterback play was a disaster last season. Is the team equipped to show improvement this season?
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