Summer Check-In: Iowa Quarterbacks

With the Iowa football team back on campus, it’s a good time to check in on the Hawkeye position groups and discuss the outlook this summer and answer on key question heading into fall camp.

The most talked about position on the field this spring for the Hawkeyes was quarterback. Gone are Spencer Petras, Alex Padilla, and Carson May. Arriving are Cade McNamara, Deacon Hill, and the freshman Marco Lainez.

The only holdover from the previous group is Joe Labas, who started the Music City Bowl for the Hawkeyes and completed 10 of 24 passes for 139 yards and one touchdown.

This spring, McNamara was somewhat limited in his action as he fully recovered from surgery that took place last October when he was still with Michigan. He primarily saw action in 7 on 7 drill work, but did some limited 11 on 11 snaps at the end of practice.

That left Labas and Hill to battle it out for the backup spot in the lineup. Hill transferred in from Wisconsin. He had initially committed to play at Fordham after being with the Badgers, but flipped to the Hawkeyes. Right now that is a pretty tight battle heading into the summer, but in the limited practice sessions that we saw, Hill looked to be slightly ahead of Labas.

DEPTH CHART OUTLOOK

QB: Cade McNamara, Deacon Hill/Joe Labas

PLAYER TO WATCH THIS SUMMER

Marco Lainez – There are some on the Iowa football coaching staff that believe Lainez is the best quarterback prospect that they have landed in some time. He’s big, strong, smart, tough, and a good leader, so that is an excellent starting point. He’s also a quick learner and having worked with quarterback coach Tony Racioppi, who also coached Spencer Petras, so he knows what the Hawkeye coaches want from their signal caller.

ONE BIG QUESTION

Who ends up being the backup quarterback?

We know that Cade McNamara will be the starter for the Hawkeyes. That is assuming he is healthy and he the graduate transfer is now fully cleared for quarterback duties with zero restrictions. The big question this summer is will one of the other three signal callers emerge as the clear backup to start the season?

At the end of spring ball, again, based on very limited practice views, it appeared that Deacon Hill was ahead of Joe Labas. Hill has a very strong arm and a bit more experience at the college level. But, Labas was right there too and should be able to push for the second spot. The wildcard will be Lainez. It’s happened before where a true freshman comes in and rockets up to the backup spot in fall camp. Right now I am betting on Hill, but keeping an open mind heading into camp in August.

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