Spring football position series, Part 5; Quarterbacks
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Last spring, C.J. Beathard represented hope and a new direction for the Iowa football team.
He had only started one game for the Hawkeyes, but he had a powerful right arm and the support of fans, who had been clamoring for Beathard to replace Jake Rudock at quarterback.
Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz finally pulled the plug on Rudock shortly after the 2014 season, and the rest is history that still is being written with perhaps the best chapter yet to come.
But it certainly won’t be easy, considering how high the bar currently sits after last season.
For Beathard to improve on what he and the Iowa football team accomplished last season, he’d have to make first team all-Big Ten and Iowa would have to win at least 13 games, and the Big Ten Championship.
Should that happen, Beathard would become a Hawkeye legend despite only starting for two seasons. The Franklin, Tenn., native would share a special place on a grand stage with just a handful of Iowa players, names like Duke Slater, Nile Kinnick, Chuck Long and Tim Dwight.
“C.J. has had a heck of a spring,” Iowa offensive coordinator Greg Davis said Wednesday. “You can tell he’s totally in charge in terms of what’s going on, decisions that he has to make.”
Beathard didn’t accumulate eye-popping statistics as a fourth-year junior last season. Not once did he throw for 300 yards in a game, and he had two games in which he threw for fewer than 100 yards.
But he compensated by making game-changing plays with his arm and legs. He showed an uncanny ability of knowing when to run or throw.
But mostly, Beathard helped Iowa win games, his record now 13-2 as a starter.
Davis was asked Wednesday what Beathard has to do to take his performance to the next level.
“The things that you’re looking for are quicker decisions, not just making the right decision; making the right decision quicker,” Davis said. “And then second is where you put the ball. Not just where it is; it went to the right place, and we caught it; did it go to the right place and we had a chance to run with it after the catch."
Beathard has earned the trust of the Iowa coaches. And with that trust comes more freedom and self-reliance.
“We’ve opened some things up to give him even more flexibility at the line of scrimmage,” Davis said. “Where before, he had a package of things they can go to. He has a little bit more variety of things now that he can go to, if he sees something that he would like to try to take advantage of, and that’s because we trust his decision making.”
Accuracy is another part of Beathard’s game that is being worked on this spring. He completed 61.6 percent of his passes for 2,809 yards and 17 touchdowns last season. But there is room for improvement.
“Every day he works on accuracy,” Davis said. “And this summer, a big part is going to be deep ball accuracy. All of the intermediate things, he’s doing a pretty good job of, but if you get a chance for the home run, you don’t want to miss it. I mean, you don’t just want a long foul ball, as Phil would say. You’d like for it to be a home run.”
Probably the biggest concern with Beathard is whether he can still healthy for an entire season? He limped and grimaced his way through the second half of last season with multiple injuries.
Beathard had sports hernia surgery in January, but has participated in every practice this spring.
But just in case, sophomore Tyler Wiegers has to be ready.
The bright side to Beathard being injured so much last season is that Wiegers gained valuable experience by practicing with the No. 1 offense.
“There were times when he was banged up so I got a lot of reps with the first team,” said Wiegers, who completed 3-of-4 passes for 32 yards while appearing in four games last season. “There were some days there where we weren’t sure if C.J. could go on Saturday or not.
“So those weeks definitely got me ready and prepared me to go in there.”
Freshmen quarterbacks Ryan Boyle and Drew Cook also will be in the mix after both were redshirted this past season.
They’ve been listed as equals on the depth since joining the team and still are this spring.
“It’s a little bit early,” Davis said. “It’s hard to tell because when they play with the third group, things don’t normally work as smoothly as you would like. So it’s kind of hard to judge.
“So you’re looking at a lot of drill tape. You’re looking at a lot seven-on-seven. But I’m pleased mentally where they are at.”
The 6-1, 208-pound Boyle might find a way to get on the field without having to play quarterback. His athleticism has the Iowa coaches thinking of different ways to use the former West Des Moines Dowling standout.
“We know that part of what Ryan can do is there,” Davis said. “Ryan is a heck of an athlete. We actually worked him some on special teams in, I guess starting in about practice eight or nine, because we’re trying to find a way to get our best athletes on the field.”
Iowa will add another quarterback on scholarship when incoming freshman and Wisconsin native Nathan Stanley joins the team next season as a true freshman.
Iowa quarterbacks
C.J. Beathard, 6-2, 215, Sr., Franklin, Tenn.
Tyler Wiegers, 6-4, 225, Soph., Lake Orion, Mich.
Ryan Boyle, 6-1, 208, Fr., West Des Moines, Iowa
Drew Cook, 6-5, 230, Fr., Iowa City, Iowa
Ryan Schmidt, 6-5, 230, Fr., Marion, Iowa
Note: Redshirt freshman Ryan Boyle and Drew Cook are listed in alphabetical order.