By Hawk Fanatic

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Since Kirk Ferentz was hired as the Iowa football coach shortly after the 1998 season, a total of 37 quarterbacks have signed letters of intent with the Hawkeyes.

From Jon Beutjer in 1999 to Jeremy Hecklinski this past April, the list of quarterbacks under Kirk Ferentz includes some who have flourished as a Hawkeye, others who mostly struggled, others who never played a single down before transferring out of the program, and four newcomers on scholarship who hope to some day star behind center.

Of the 37 quarterbacks that have signed with Iowa under Kirk Ferentz, 20 have transferred out of the program, including four since the end of the 2024 regular season.

The list of quarterbacks that transferred also includes Spencer Petras, though, he was a three-year starter for the Hawkeyes before suffering a shoulder injury late in the 2022 season. He would go on to finish his career at Utah State last season.

Two of the quarterbacks that signed under Ferentz would go on to become punters at Iowa in David Bradley and John Wienke, while Marvin McNutt, who signed with Iowa in 2007, switched to receiver early in his career and then would go on to become Iowa’s all-time leading receiver with 2,861 yards and 28 touchdown catches.

Iowa’s situation at quarterback is hardly unique, though, as virtually every major college program has quarterbacks coming and going on a regular basis in this age of the transfer portal and name, image and likeness.

Transferring is much easier these days, and unlike most other positions, only one quarterback can play at a time.

So, if you’re a quarterback that isn’t playing, it’s easier to think that the grass is greener somewhere else.

Iowa has six quarterbacks on its current roster, and four of them have transferred into the program: South Dakota State transfer Mark Gronowski, Auburn transfer Hank Brown, Colorado State transfer Jackson Stratton, who came to Iowa as a walk-on last summer, and Wake Forest transfer Jeremey Hecklinski, who signed with Iowa in April.

The exceptions are true freshmen Jimmy Sullivan and Ryan Fitzgerald, both of whom are just starting their Hawkeye careers out of high school.

Fitzgerald, who is the son of former Northwestern football coach Pat Fitzgerald, will start his career as a walk-on, so he isn’t included amongst the 37 quarterbacks that came to Iowa on scholarship under Kirk Ferentz, nor is fellow walk-on Jackson Stratton.

Gronowski is being prepared as the starter in what will be his only season as a Hawkeye.

He played his previous four seasons for South Dakota State where he became an FCS star, leading the Jackrabbits to two FCS national titles while starting four straight seasons.

Gronowski had shoulder surgery this past winter, but he has since received full medical clearance and will be in the spotlight on Friday when Iowa holds its annual media day event.

“After being around him for seven-plus months, just a tremendous young person,” Kirk Ferentz said of Gronowski at Big Ten Media Day in late July. “Just a really impressive young man. Did a great job in the classroom at South Dakota State.

“Obviously did a great job on the field. And all the things that we thought were positives about him, we’ve gotten to see them firsthand. He’s been a great addition to our football team. Really looking forward to seeing him being in the huddle and actually take snaps with our team.”

From 1983 to 1991, a stretch of nine seasons, Iowa produced the first-team All-Big Ten quarterback seven times.

Chuck Long earned the honor three times, while Chuck Hartlieb and Matt Rodgers earned it twice.

There was a certain mystique that came with being the Iowa quarterback under Hayden Fry back in those days.

That mystique has long since faded away, hurt by stretches of inadequate quarterback play, including the current stretch.

Drew Tate was the last Iowa quarterback to make first-team All-Big Ten, but that was way back in 2004 when Gronowski was just three years old.

The hope is that Gronowski will bring stability and productivity to the quarterback position, but he will have just one season to do it.

Brad Banks showed what could be achieved in one season as Iowa’s starting quarterback as he soared from being the backup in 2001 to the Heisman Trophy runner un in 2002.

But that was also 23 years ago.

In Kirk Ferentz’s first six seasons as the Iowa head coach, a stretch from 1999 to 2004, Iowa twice had the first-team All-Big Ten quarterback in Banks and Tate, but Iowa hasn’t had one since.

Iowa’s quarterbacks have certainly had their moments over the last two decades, most notably Tennessee native C.J. Beathard, who made second-team All-Big Ten in 2015 while leading Iowa to the Rose Bowl and to a  12-0 regular-season record that season.

Nate Stanley also passed for 8,302 yards and 68 touchdowns as a Hawkeye. The Wisconsin native ranks second in program history in both categories. Stanley was a three-year starter from 2017 to 2019, and he threw five touchdowns passes in a 55-24 win over Ohio State in 2017, but he never made even third-team All-Big Ten.

Ricky Stanzi was playing at an All-Big Ten level in 2009 before a lower leg injury in the 10th game against Northwestern interrupted his season.

But that was 16 years ago, and to help put that amount of time in perspective, current Iowa men’s basketball coach Ben McCollum was entering his first season as head coach for Northwest Missouri State in the fall of 2009.

Deficiencies at the quarterback position is largely what led to Brian Ferentz being fired as the Iowa offensive coordinator/quarterback coach with games left in the 2023 season.

Kirk Ferentz had stuck with his son for as long as he could before Iowa Athletic Director Goetz finally decided to make change.

Tim Lester is now entering his second season as the Iowa offensive coordinator, and the results so far have mostly been positive.

The Iowa running game improved dramatically last season under Lester as former Hawkeye Kaleb Johnson led the Big Ten rushing, while the quarterback position has been gutted and reshaped by Lester.

“The bigger picture, I think the whole room right now is really an upgrade from what we’ve had the last two years,” Kirk Ferentz said. “Time will tell. We’ll figure out how we go along how that’s going to work, but every position is up for grabs right now. We would anticipate Mark being our starter. If one of the other guys can beat him out, great.”

Iowa also has hired former Wake Forest offensive coordinator Warren Ruggiero as a senior analyst.

Ruggiero has over three decades of coaching and developing quarterbacks, along with extensive offensive coordinating experience at the collegiate level.

The Glen Rock, New Jersey native spent the last 11 seasons as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Wake Forest where he led the most prolific offenses in Wake Forest history six of the last seven seasons and was a Broyles Award finalist in 2021.

Under Ruggiero, the Deacons set nearly 400 school records including marks for points scored, points per game, total offensive yards, first downs and passing yards from 2018-22. Additionally, Wake Forest has produced the second-most points in the ACC over the last eight seasons.

“When coach Lester is not here or he’s in meetings that he has to be in for being an (offensive coordinator), it’s great that we can meet with Warren whenever we want to and have that ability to continuously learn from a high-level coach that knows a lot about football,” Gronowski said of Ruggiero earlier this summer.

Lester’s search for quarterbacks is never-ending because of how fluid the position is from a personnel standpoint.

Iowa’s quarterback situation is set for the time being, but change is almost inevitable as college quarterbacks constantly look for a better fit and for a better opportunity.

Iowa scholarship quarterbacks under Kirk Ferentz

2025

Jimmy Sullivan: True freshman from Fort Wayne, Indiana has enrolled early for the spring semester.

Hank Brown: Former Auburn backup transferred to Iowa shortly after the 2024 regular season and has three seasons of eligibility.

Mark Gronowski: Signed with Iowa in January after having played for South Dakota State where he passed for over 10,000 yards and won two FCS national titles as a four-year starter.

Jeremy Hecklinski: Signed with Iowa in April after being redshirted at Wake Forest this past season.

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2024

Brendan Sullivan: Transferred to Iowa from Northwestern last summer and would go on to start two games last season; has since trasnferred to Tulane for his final season.

James Resar: moved to receiver midway through last season and then entered the transfer portal after one semester on the team.

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2023

Cade McNamara: Started 13 games over two seasons in 2023 and 2024 and has since transferred to East Tennessee State for his seventh season.

Marco Lainez: Transferred to Elon University after having only played in the fourth quarter of Iowa’s 35-0 loss to Tennessee in the 2024 Citrus Bowl.

Deacon Hill: Started the final nine games of the 2023 season after McNamara was injured and has since transferred to Utah Tech.

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2022

Carson May: Oklahoma native entered transfer portal in January 2023 after having spent just one semester on the team.

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2021

Joe Labas: Transferred to Central Michigan following the 2023 season; started in the 2022 Music City Bowl and led Iowa to a 21-0 victory; that was his only playing time as a Hawkeye.

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2020

Deuce Hogan: Texas native transferred to Kentucky after spending two seasons at Iowa buried on the depth chart.

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2019

Alex Padilla: Colorado native started three games in 2021 when Spencer Petras was injured; transferred to Southern Methodist University shortly after the 2022 season.

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2018

Spencer Petras: California native was a three-year starter from 2020 to 2022; spent the 2023 as a graduate assistant coach for Iowa before playing this past season for Utah State.

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2017

Peyton Mansell: Transferred to Abilene Christian after appearing in five games in 2018.

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2016

Nate Stanley: Three-year starter from 2016 to 2019, now ranks second on Iowa’s all-time passing list with 8,302 yards and 68 touchdown passes.

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2015

Ryan Boyle: Former West Des Moines Dowling star switched to receiver in spring of 2016 and would go only to appear briefly in just one before transferring to Indiana Stata as a graduate student.

Drew Cook: Son of former Iowa star tight end Marv Cook switched to tight end as a sophomore.

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2014

Tyler Wiegers: Spent his career as a backup before transferring to Eastern Michigan.

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2013

Nic Shimonek: Spent his brief career as a backup before transferring to Texas Tech.

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2012

C.J. Beathard: Two-year starter in 2015 and 2016; led Iowa to a 12-0 regular season in 2015 and to the Rose Bowl that season, earning second-team All-Big Ten accolades.

Cody Sokol: Came to Iowa from junior college, but then transferred to Louisiana Tech, where he passed for 3,436 yards and 30 touchdowns in 2014.

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2011

Jake Rudock: Started in 2013 and 2014 before losing the job to Beathard; transferred to Michigan for his final season in 2015 and started all 13 games in Jim Harbaugh’s first season as head coach.

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2010  ———-

2009  ———-

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2008

John Wienke: Switched to punter for his final season in 2012 after having been buried on the depth chart at quarterback.

James Vandenberg: Started every game 2011 and took every snap in 2012.

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2007

Marvin McNutt: Switched to receiver early in his career and would go on to become Iowa’s all-time leader in receiving yards (2,861) and touchdown receptions (28).

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2006

Ricky Stanzi: Became full-time starter five games into the 2008 season and would go on to pass for 7,377 yards and 56 touchdowns.

Arvell Nelson: Completed his only pass as a Hawkeye for 12 yards in 2007; transferred to New Mexico State in 2008 before playing his two seasons for Texas Southern.

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2005

Jake Christensen: Started all 12 games in 2007 as a redshirt sophomore, but then lost the starting position to Ricky Stanzi in 2008 and would go on to finish his career at Eastern Illinois.

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2004 ———-

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2003

Drew Tate: Three-year starter from 2004 to 2006 and was the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year as a sophomore in 2004.

Eric McCollom: Appeared in 11 games over three seasons from 2003 to 2005; switched to receiver in 2005 and played in six games; transferred to Newberry College where he finished his career playing quarterback.

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2002

Nathan Chandler: Came to Iowa from junior college and led the Hawkeye to a 10-3 record in 2003 as the starter.

Cy Phillips: Appeared briefly in two games as a senior in 2005.

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2001

Brad Banks: Florida native came from junior college and played as the backup in 2001; finished as the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy in 2002 in his only season as the starter.

Matt Bohnet: Transferred to Eastern Michigan after the 2002 season after having never appeared in a game as a Hawkeye.

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2000

David Bradley: California native switched to punter early in his Hawkeye career.

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1999

Jon Beutjer: Started against Michigan State in 2000 and helped Iowa defeat the Spartans to snap a 13-game losing streak; transferred to Illinois in 2001 and would go on to be its starter in 2002, 2003 and for parts of the 2004 season.