QB recruiting

SCHawkeye2

SCHawkeye2

Well-Known Member
Let’s review our recent HS QB recruits.

Hogan
Padilla
Mansell
Lainez
Labas

None of these recruits saw any appreciable game minutes, despite very poor play by the starting QBs over the last few years..

My question is:
Are Kirk/Staff very poor judges of HS QB talent?
or
Is this disappointing level of QB talent the only talent willing to come to Iowa?
 
Last edited:
......or inability to properly develop QB talent.

I suppose one should really revisit the recruiting stars they came in with. If mainly 3, than I think your 2nd question may be true. If they come in well rated, than I think it points to a development issue.

I looked up their rankings and I think all were pretty much a 3* coming in, maybe a couple fringing to the 4*.
This day and age a team has got to have a legit QB threat (higher ranking) to build from, IMO.
 
Last edited:
SCHawkeye2 said:
Let’s review our recent QB recruits.
HS recruits
Hogan
Padilla
Mansell
Lainez
Labas

None of these recruits saw any appreciable game minutes, despite very poor play by the starting QB.
My question is:
Are Kirk/Staff very poor judges of HS QB talent?
or
Is this disappointing level of QB talent the only talent willing to come to Iowa?
Click to expand...

I think you meant Carson May instead of Mansell. The QB progression went thusly:

2017: Mansell
2018: Petras
2019: Padilla
2020: Hogan
2021: Labas
2022: May
2023: Lainez

I think clearly a few misses in talent ID, but it's not like Iowa was taking flyers on guys no one else wanted. Padilla had an offer from Georgia, along with a bunch of lower-tier schools. Hogan had 6 other P5 offers. Things kind of go down hill for the next 2: Labas was mostly MAC offers, and May just had a couple of lower-tier offers. Lainez represents an upswing, he had at least 5 other P5 offers.

Padilla and Hogan had opportunities to go other places and perform, and they both crapped out. So, those were probably just talent-misses.

It will be interesting to see how Petras does at Utah State. I am going to reserve judgement, other than to say Iowa certainly did not put him in the best position to be successful.

Labas is hard for us to know, we got to see him in 1 game (looked decent), and besides that he has been a ghost.

For Lainez, it is just too early.

Maybe we need to reconsider out strategy of identifying a QB early in the class, and then sticking with that 1 guy. It is such an important position, it would sure be nice to have options if your guy doesn't pan out. If you recruit more athletic QBs, that also gives you the option of moving a guy to a different position if someone else takes the reins (ala McNutt or AJ Derby).

Beyond that, not having an experienced QB coach on staff since Greg Davis was KF's biggest mistake over the past 7 years. The guys Davis brought in and tutored were successful, either here or elsewhere (Ruddock, Sokol, Beathard, Shimonek, Weigers, and Stanley). We would have killed for any one of those guys over the past 3 years.
 
Wasn't Brian also the quarterbacks coach essentially? If so, that might be a tough evaluation for him. I do know some of that time, O'Keefe was there. But I think Lester, being a quarterback himself, will be a better evaluator of talent at that position.

We hear that the offense is very difficult to grasp for an incoming quarterback. Maybe it is? Maybe it is more coach speak. I am hoping with Lester now as OC, we can recruit the appropriate players for that position.
 
What's even kind of crazier, is that Iowa had a nice run of dudes who were above average and at least drank a cup of coffee in the NFL before Petras

Stanzi
Rudock
CJ Beathard
Stanley

I mean, that's a pretty good run, and they were on the heels of Banks, Tate, Chandler, who were either above average or good enough. What we have now, I don't know what to call it besides, shit.
 
In a hypothetical, non-portal world, who would have been the Iowa QB last season - without McNamara or Hill?
Would we still have gone 10-4?
 
SCHawkeye2 said:
In a hypothetical, non-portal world, who would have been the Iowa QB last season - without McNamara or Hill?
Would we still have gone 10-4?
Click to expand...
We would have went at least that you'd think since we essentially started Bernie from Weekend At Bernies this season
 
InGoodCo said:
What's even kind of crazier, is that Iowa had a nice run of dudes who were above average and at least drank a cup of coffee in the NFL before Petras

Stanzi
Rudock
CJ Beathard
Stanley

I mean, that's a pretty good run, and they were on the heels of Banks, Tate, Chandler, who were either above average or good enough. What we have now, I don't know what to call it besides, shit.
Click to expand...
Well and Tate had a respectful career in the CFL.
 
SCHawkeye2 said:
In a hypothetical, non-portal world, who would have been the Iowa QB last season - without McNamara or Hill?
Would we still have gone 10-4?
Click to expand...
Yes. I think Iowa has proven the last 3 years at least it didn't really matter who they put under center. Results were pretty much the same.
 
SCHawkeye2 said:
In a hypothetical, non-portal world, who would have been the Iowa QB last season - without McNamara or Hill?
Would we still have gone 10-4?
Click to expand...
Padilla probably would have stuck around if McNamara was not recruited, so he would have started the bowl game instead of Labas. So Padilla would have been the starter at QB in 2023. Iowa probably goes 11-3 with Padilla as starter.
 
You're right, it still starts in the trenches. Not sure how much it would have helped Hill, but I think Petras would have been much more serviceable if he would have time to throw, I think he would have been above average. That could be said for many quarterbacks though.

I think (if healthy) and our line improves, McNamara could carve up defenses. Lot of "IF's"
 
HawkPowerlifter said:
You're right, it still starts in the trenches. Not sure how much it would have helped Hill, but I think Petras would have been much more serviceable if he would have time to throw, I think he would have been above average. That could be said for many quarterbacks though.

I think (if healthy) and our line improves, McNamara could carve up defenses. Lot of "IF's"
Click to expand...
Just look at some of the situations in the NFL when some QB's on some teams really aren't that good, than they move to a different team with a better OL. Just the extra 1.5-2 seconds really helps them find the receivers, especially when not having to run for their lives.
 
my speculation - keep an eye on Jake Rubly, KSU. Why? Background He was recruited by Iowa, liked KF very much, talked with KoK at length...but Brian and his offense repelled him. per a family member whom i talked with last summer
 
InGoodCo said:
What's even kind of crazier, is that Iowa had a nice run of dudes who were above average and at least drank a cup of coffee in the NFL before Petras

Stanzi
Rudock
CJ Beathard
Stanley

I mean, that's a pretty good run, and they were on the heels of Banks, Tate, Chandler, who were either above average or good enough. What we have now, I don't know what to call it besides, shit.
Click to expand...
Even that tatted up kid that went to TT who was with us did too. I'm trying to remember his name damn it.... But he was 3rd behind JR and CJB while they were together for a yr or two. I don't think he ever saw the field for us though
 
NCHawker said:
my speculation - keep an eye on Jake Rubly, KSU. Why? Background He was recruited by Iowa, liked KF very much, talked with KoK at length...but Brian and his offense repelled him. per a family member whom i talked with last summer
Click to expand...

Good intel. Where did he play HS at?
 
okeefe4prez said:
QB gets the blame but the regression on the line is the whole story of our offensive woes. We just haven't had an "Iowa line" in years.
Click to expand...
Two things can be true at once. I agree that the OL has regressed during the BF as OC era. There have been some amazing individual players, but not a full OL. Couple that with a QB coach who doesn't know how to develop QBs, AND recruiting QBs that come to campus with concrete blocks on their feet, and you just have a recipe for shit offense.

We need a reset. The new OC should cause improvements in the QB room given his background, and the OL WILL be better this year given Proctor and the experience returning. The offense will be better. Good? Probably not. But better.
 
NorthKCHawk said:
Two things can be true at once. I agree that the OL has regressed during the BF as OC era. There have been some amazing individual players, but not a full OL. Couple that with a QB coach who doesn't know how to develop QBs, AND recruiting QBs that come to campus with concrete blocks on their feet, and you just have a recipe for shit offense.

We need a reset. The new OC should cause improvements in the QB room given his background, and the OL WILL be better this year given Proctor and the experience returning. The offense will be better. Good? Probably not. But better.
Click to expand...

I don't mind if a guy has concrete blocks on his feet, but he better have a golden arm, which none of our guys have had.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Share this page

Top