The quarterbacks 2010

Will the leash on incumbent Ricky Stanzi be shorter this year?  Will all the quarterbacks on the roster stay on the team?  Will all the quarterbacks listed on the roster be quarterbacks when they graduate?  These questions and more will be answered in the summer quarterback preview.

Ricky Stanzi -SR- All the guy does is win, in games he has started in the last two seasons, Iowa is 19-4.  He has all the tools of an NFL quarterback, 6'4" 230 pounds, can make all the throws, but the one thing he has to improve on is his decision making.  In 2009 he threw 15 int's, 4 of which were returned for touchdowns and countless other times where he passed up the sure throw to try for the more difficult one.  He won't wow you with his stats and you won't see him high on the all time Iowa passing records, but he wins games.  He has all the weapons around him to not have any excuses for not winning this season.  There is no denying that he is the #1 quarterback on this team, but the gap has closed some between him and the #2, James Vandenberg.

James Vandenberg -SO- We got a glimpse of how good a quarterback James is last year when he went in to Ohio State, one of the toughest places to play in the nation, and nearly pulled off the upset.  You could argue that he is the better pure passer of the top two Iowa signal callers for 2010, but the quarterback at Iowa isn't routinely asked to be the star.  What he has to work on is his leadership and ability to lead the team to wins, even when he doesn't have good games.  The gap has closed, but I think that even if Ricky Stanzi throws 5 int's in a game, see Indiana last season, you will see Kirk Ferentz stick with Ricky.  It was apparent at the end of the season that Vandenberg was the clear cut #2 and John Weinke was the #3.

John Weinke -SO- We have yet to see John get any reps, but one can assume that since both Vandenberg and Weinke were listed as the co-backups most of last season that they were at about the same level.  Nobody outside of the football program knows what made Vandenberg get the backup reps last year and Weinke sit, but the highly touted recruit will have a big decision to make after this season.  Stanzi will be graduating and the air-apparent is Vandenberg.  Weinke can either stay and battle Vandenberg for the starting job or he can transfer.  All Hawk fans should be hoping for Weinke to take a page out of the Jason Manson play book as after Weinke, the quarterbacks on the roster get pretty limited.

Wyatt Suess - RS FR- Wyatt spent last season operating the scout team and barring a rash of injuries will probably be doing the same this season.  The Cedar Rapids native is the son of former Hawk Phil Suess.  He has some talent as he was a 1st team Elite All-State as a senior.  He will gain some valuable experience in the off-season as well as the fall camp and make a move for the back-up role next spring.  He wouldn't be the first Iowa player to go from obscurity to the two deep roster.

A.J. Derby - FR-  Will he or won't he, that is the question.  A.J. isn't traveling far from home for his college experience, the Iowa City native came to the Hawks as a quarterback, but will he stay?  Dallas Clark or Chad Greenway, take you pick of which former Hawk A.J. reminds you of, both former high school quarterbacks that are now cashing big NFL paychecks at different positions.  Derby played some DB in high school and has the body and athleticism to play either TE or LB in college.  Right now he is 6'4" 225 lbs and he has yet to work with the Iowa Strength and Conditioning team, so who knows where he ends up.  This spring I attended an event where Norm Parker stated that every time he sees Derby he asks him if he wants to come play LB.  I don't think he was joking, either.  So it will be interesting to see what decision A.J. makes as the Iowa coaching staff has a long history of suggesting position changes that really benefit the player as well as the team.

While the list is not long of names, there are some very talented players in the bunch, this is a position that if an injury happens, the wheels won't fall off of the season.  Vandenberg has proven that he can handle the pressures of being a starting quarterback in the Big Ten and Weinke is itching for his chance to shine.  That's all that is on the roster for quarterbacks and with one running out of eligibility this fall, look for Iowa to take one if not two quarterbacks in this next recruiting class. 

2011 Schedule

As the calendar continues to turn and the year inches closer and closer to the beginning of the college football season, let’s take a look at the schedule for the reigning Orange Bowl Champion, Iowa Hawkeyes.

Bold denotes 2009 Bowl Team
(Game location, 2009 record, returning starters, before and after game)

Eastern Illinois (Home, 8-4, 7 Off, 8 Def, -,Central Arkansas)- Should be nothing more than a tune up game to get quality reps and timing down in the offensive line, but after last seasons dramatic opener, better just get through the game with a win.

Iowa State (Home, 7-6, 8 Off, 4 Def, Northern Illinois, KSU @Kansas City)- The annual rivalry game will once again be a good game, even though ISU has not scored a touchdown in 14 quarters. The Cyclones know that if they want to make a bowl with the Big 12 schedule, they need to sneak out of Iowa City with a win.

Arizona (Away, 8-5, 7 Off, 4 Def, Citadel/California)- Every Iowa fan remembers the last time that the Hawkeyes were in Arizona to play a night game, pretty sure that Andrew Walter still watches that game replay as a personal highlight reel. Similar to the 2003 Orange Bowl, look for Kirk Ferentz to learn from his mistakes and have his team ready to go in the Arizona heat.

Ball State (Home, 2-10, 9 Off, 7 Def, @Purdue/@Central Michigan- This should be a game that the Hawks can lick their wounds from the duel in the desert and prepare for their Big Ten title run.

Penn State (Home, 11-2, 7 Off, 5 Def, Temple/Illinois)- Penn State will be taking their second road trip of the season to their personal house of horrors. Iowa is 7-1 in their last 8 games with Penn State including three straight wins inside Kinnick Stadium. Penn State will have this game circled on their schedule and look for a similar finish to the 2008 thriller.

Michigan (Away, 5-7, 7 Off, 7 Def, Michigan State/@ Penn State)- Classic trap game, Penn State the week before and Wisconsin the week after for the Hawks, however Michigan will be coming off their rivalry game with Michigan State and looking down the barrel of a trip to Happy Valley. The Big House isn’t what it used to be, but Rich Rodriguez has talent on the roster and if they can put it together on the field they will be tough.

Wisconsin (Home, 10-3, 10 Off, 5 Def, Ohio State/@ Purdue)- This game will be old-school Big Ten football, the battle in the trenches could be epic. Wisconsin will come to Iowa City with possibly the best offensive line in the nation to go up against possibly the nation’s best defensive line in the Iowa front four. Iowa is 6-2 in the last 8 against Wisconsin and this game could play a huge role in what team is playing in Pasadena.

Michigan State (Home, 6-7, 5 Off, 7 Def, @Northwestern/Minnesota)- Don’t think for a minute that the Spartans have forgotten how Iowa snatched victory out of the hands of defeat last year. Their defensive back seven will be one of the better in the Big Ten, but with most of the offensive skilled positions being new, they will have to keep opponents’ scores down.

Indiana (Away, 4-8, 7 Off, 3 Def, Northwestern/@Wisconsin)- The “pistol” offense will be prolific this season as Indiana has a bevy of talented receivers and a quarterback, Ben Chappell, to get them the ball. They will have to score a lot of points to win games however as they will replace 8 starters on defense, six of which are in the back seven.

Northwestern (Away, 8-5, 6 Off, 6 Def, @Penn State/Illinois @ Chicago)- Iowa will have to exercise their own demons as they have lost four of the last five to the Wildcats. Even though they will be replacing almost all of their starting skilled position players, coach Pat Fitzgerald will have his team ready for the Hawkeyes.

Ohio State (Home, 11-2, 8 Off, 6 Def, Penn State/Michigan)- The Klash at Kinnick or whatever witty name that the talking heads will dub this game could be the biggest game ever at Kinnick Stadium or it could just be another game, the first 10 games of the season will determine that. Iowa won too many close games last year to count on being undefeated for this game. If both teams are unscathed at this point, this game will pit two top 5 teams and have National Championship implications.

Minnesota (Away, 6-7, 9 Off, 2 Def, @Illinois/-)- Will the new TCF Bank Stadium prove to be Kinnick North like its predecessor did? Iowa has won three of the last four in Minnesota and 8 of the last 9 overall against the Gophers. Nobody knows what kind of team Brewster will put on the field as they have changed their offense twice in his three years at the helm.