Iowa Quarterbacks since 2000 include Ricky Stanzi, C.J. Beathard, Drew Tate, Jake Rudock, Nahan Stanley, Brad Banks, and Kyle McCann.
The Hawkeyes are 6-1 in overall record and 3-1 in conference in the 2023 campaign. Their only defeat was against the #7 ranked Penn State Nittany Lions on September 24.
It is the 25th year of head coach Kirk Ferentz, who has been handling the football program since 1999. He holds the 204-137 win-loss record. His bowl record is 10-9.
Under his command, the team won two Big Ten titles in 2002 and 2004.
The Kirk Ferentz era has seen numerous signal callers. The Michigan Wolverines transferee, Cade McNamara, and the Wisconsin Badgers transferee, Deacon Hill, are the two latest QBs for the team.
Cade was the starting QB in five matches before sustaining a season-ending knee injury. He made 505 passing yards for four TDs in a 4-1 record.
The injury-driven McNamara opened the door for Hill to play as the primary signal caller.
Iowa Quarterbacks By Year
Iowa Hawkeyes Quarterbacks by year is given in the table below:
| QB | Year |
| Scott Mullen | 2000 |
| Kyle McCann | 2000 to 2001 |
| Brad Banks | 2002 |
| Nathan Chandler | 2003 |
| Drew Tate | 2004 to 2006 |
| Jake Christensen | 2007 to 2008 |
| Ricky Stanzi | 2008 to 2010 |
| James Vandenburg | 2011 to 2012 |
| Jake Rudock | 2013 to 2014 |
| C.J. Beathard | 2015 to 2016 |
| Nate Stanley | 2017 to 2019 |
| Spencer Petras | 2020 to 2022 |
| Alex Padilla | 2021 |
| Cade McNamara | 2023 |
| Deacon Hill | 2023 |
Drew Tate
Tate was with the team from 2003 to 2006. He was the go-to signal caller for Iowa from 2004 to 2006.
He threw 8,292 passing yards as a starter, the third-highest passing yards thrown by a QB. His 665 passes found his teammates at an astonishing completion rate of 61 percent for 61 TDs.
His impactful performance helped him get the 2004 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year trophy and the title.
Jake Christensen
Christensen is an Illinois native who attended the Lockport Township High School.
His chance was limited to four games in 2006. He made 23 complete passes in 35 attempts for 285 yards. They resulted in two TDs.
In 2017, the number rose to 198 complete passes in 370 tries. TDs skyrocketed to 17.
C.J. Beathard
The 29-year-old was with the Hawkeyes from 2012 to 2016. He became a regular starter in 2015 and reserved the starting position in 2016.
He helped the team win all twelve regular campaign games in his first year as a starting QB. The 12-0 record was their first since 1991.
During his collegiate career, Beathard completed 447 passes in 759 tries. The 5,507 passing yards were accompanied by 40 passing TDs and 10 rushing TDs. His overall record for the school was 21-7.
Spencer Petras
Spencer arrived at the University of Iowa as a four-star recruit from Marin Catholic High School. He redshirted the 2018 and 2019 seasons.
When he was ready, the coach instantly made him the starting QB in 2020. He was 6-2 that year.
Throughout his collegiate career, he recorded 4,463 passing yards for 21 TDs. He found the end zone eight times while rushing.
Presently, he serves as the Offensive Assistant for the Hawkeyes.
Iowa Quarterbacks History
Best Iowa QB covers 1. Chuck Long, 2. Randy Duncan, 3. Chuck Hartlieb, 4. Drew Tate, 5. Ricky Stanzi, and 6. C.J. Beathard.
Long is from Norman, Oklahoma, and participated in baseball, basketball, and football at Wheaton North High School.
From 1981 to 1985, his college career was spent under College Football Hall of Fame coach Hyden Fry. During this time, he played in five bowl games: the 1982 Rose Bowl, 1982 Peach Bowl, 1983 Gator Bowl, 1984 Freedom Bowl, and 1986 Rose Bowl. He became the first collegiate athlete to achieve this feat.
Likewise, his 10,461 passing yards made him the only person besides Doug Flutie to break the 10K mark. From 1983 to 1985, he constantly featured in the First-team All-Big Ten.
In 1985, the individual helped the team become the #1 football program in the nation. His brilliant performance earned him these accolades in 1985:
- Big Ten Player of the Year
- Big Ten Most Valuable Player
- Maxwell Award
- Davey O’Brien Award
NFL Players From Iowa Football
Iowa Quarterbacks in NFL are Randy Duncan, Chuck Long, Nate Stanley, C. J. Beathard, Mark Vlasic, Larry Lawrence, Chuck Hartlieb, and Ricky Stanzi.
Nate Stanley was the last QB selected from the University of Iowa. Minnesota Vikings picked him as the 244th choice in the 2020 NFL Draft.
During his time with the Hawkeyes, he playeda 44 college football matches and started 39. He threw 8,302 yards at a completion rate of 58.3%.
His stats read 68 passing touchdowns and two rushing TDs from 2016 to 2019.
As a professional footballer, he never saw a clear daylight as he did not make the final roster cuts. On September 6, 2020, Stanley was brought into the taxi squad.
He was put on the reserve/future contract list in January 2021. Later that year, the Vikings waived him and listed him on injured reserve in August. After a year, in July, he was let go and remained unsigned by any team.
Hawkeyes Players in the NFL
Likewise, numerous other players have represented the Hawkeyes in the National Football League. Some notable names, along with their NFL franchise, are listed below:
- DB Paul Krause – Washington Redskins (1964-67), Minnesota Vikings (1968-79)
- DB Emlen Tunnell – New York Giants (1948-58), Green Bay Packers (1959-61)
- TE Dallas Clark – Indianapolis Colts (2003-11), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2012), Baltimore Ravens (2013)
- LB Andre Tippett – New England Patriots (1982-93)
- LB Chad Greenway – Minnesota Vikings (2006-16)
- DT Jonathan Babineaux – Atlanta Falcons (2005-16)
- TE Brandon Myers – Oakland Raiders (2009-12), New York Giants (2013), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2014-16)
- OT Bryan Bulaga – Green Bay Packers (2010-19), Los Angeles Chargers (2020-21)
- LB Pat Angerer – Indianapolis Colts (2010-13)
- DB Charles Godfrey – Carolina Panthers (2008-14), Atlanta Falcons (2014-15)
- CB Bradley Fletcher – St. Louis Rams (2009-12), Philadelphia Eagles (2013-14), New England Patriots (2015)
- DT Alex Karras – Detroit Lions (1958-62 and 1964-70)
- S Bob Sanders – Indianapolis Colts (2004-10), San Diego Chargers (2011)
- G John Niland – Dallas Cowboys (1966-74), Philadelphia Eagles (1975-76)
- DB Merton Hanks – San Francisco 49ers (1991-98), Seattle Seahawks (1999)
- DE Aaron Kampman – Green Bay Packers (2002-09), Jacksonville Jaguars (2010-11)
Active Iowa Athletes in the NFL
The following names are actively playing for their respective franchise in the NFL:
- TE T.J. Hockenson – Vikings
- C Tyler Linderbaum – Ravens
- ILB Josey Jewell – Broncos
- ILB Jack Campbell – Lions
- WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette – Panthers
- S Micah Hyde – Bills
- TE Sam LaPorta – Lions
- OLB Lukas Van Ness – Packers
- CB Riley Moss – Broncos
- S Geno Stone – Ravens
- DE A. J. Epenesa – Bills
- QB C. J. Beathard – Jaguars
- OT Matt Nelson – Lions
- ILB Kristen Welch – Packers
- OT Coy Cronk – Jaguars
- ILB Nick Niemann – Chargers
- OG Ike Boettger – Colts
- TE George Kittle – 49ers
- ILB Ben Niemann – Broncos
- OG Brandon Scherff – Jaguars
- CB Matt Hankins – Chargers
- OG Riley Reff – Patriots
- DT Jack Heflin – Saints
- NT Carl Davis – Seahawks
- OG James Ferentz – Patriots
- DT Jaleel Johnson – Titans
- TE Noah Fant – Seahawks
- OLB Anthony Nelson – Buccaneers
- S Armani Hooker – Titans
- CB Desmond King – Steelers
- S Kaevon Merriweather – Buccaneers
- OT Tristan Wirfs – Buccaneers
- S Dane Belton – Giants
- LS Casey Kreiter – Giants
- C James Daniels – Steelers
- TE Parker Hesse – Falcons