20 Hawkeyes For 2020: Spencer Petras
You get comfortable when you have the same starting quarterback for three seasons.
Nate Stanley was a mainstay for the Iowa football team in the last three seasons, never missing a start in 13 games.
He's gone now, off to the NFL's Minnesota Vikings, and now Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz must find a new quarterback.
Whatever quarterback battle there was going to be this spring between Spencer Petras, Stanley's backup last season, and Alex Padilla went away because practice was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. And it's hard to know what sort of work Petras, Padilla and true freshman Deuce Hogan got this summer because of all the restrictions that came with the reopening.
Petras was going to be No. 1 on the depth chart, and he figures to start fall camp that way, whenever that may be.
It's why ESPN ranked Petras as one of the "wild cards" among FBS quarterbacks this season.
Petras was one of seven quarterbacks listed in the "wild cards" tier, along with West Virginia's Jarret Doege, Syracuse's Tommy DeVito, UCLA's Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Utah's Jake Bentley, Georgia's J.T. Daniels and UCF's McKenzie Milton. The tier was described as "high-ceiling, low-floor guys."
Doege was ranked highest in the tier, with Petras at No. 2.
Of Petras, ESPN said:
"It's doubtful Iowa is going to turn into a run 'n' shoot offense overnight, but Petras could be the Hawkeyes' best legit passing threat in years. Still, he has had only a few chances to show his talents on game day, so his transition into the starting role is a big question."
Petras, a third-year sophomore, has played in five games, completing 6-of-11 passes for 25 yards. He played in three games last season as the No. 2 on the depth chart behind Stanley.
He's expected to be No. 1 when the fall depth chart comes out. And if there are games, we'll get to know more about him.
