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.