Iowa Football: Hawkeyes Have Quarterback Departure In Tyler Wiegers
By Joe Favia
Iowa hasn’t been hit by the seasonal attrition after their Pinstripe Bowl victory. The two that were expected by many did however come to fruition. All-American cornerback Josh Jackson made the move to the NFL and QB Tyler Wiegers decided to use his graduate year of eligibility elsewhere.
The 4-star quarterback coming out of Michigan was thought by many to be the heir apparent for the Hawkeye quarterback position after CJ Beathard would move on. But, with the emergence on the depth chart of the uber-talented Nate Stanley it became evident that the 2018 campaign wasn’t going to be a competition for the starter role as 2017 had been.
Wiegers has enrolled already at Eastern Michigan where he will be able to play only an hour south of his native Lake Orion. Former Drake coach Chris Creighton brought in Wiegers to Eastern Michigan.
He could be starting right away as senior Brogan Roback is leaving. Roback finished with the most touchdowns and second in passing yards in the history of EMU football. The Eagles finished 5-7 overall last season. Wiegers will be the only senior in the quarterback room next season, and it cane be assumed that he will be the expected starter.
Wiegers was the 6th ranked player and top ranked quarterback in Michigan in 2014 per 24/7 Sports. Wiegers as a prospect was amongst the top 25 signal callers in the land when he committed to Kirk Ferentz & the Hawks.
The Hawkeyes offense will rely on the air more in 2018 with the departures of the dynamic Akrum Wadley and bruiser James Butler.
Iowa goes into 2018 with Nate Stanley as the starter after his 26 touchdown season. Redshirt freshmen Peyton Mansell most likely will be the backup after a season as the scout-team quarterback. Ryan Boyle who like Wiegers has been patiently waiting his turn at quarterback could be moving on as well. Others that could compete for the backup role include true freshmen Spencer Petras and walk-on Ryan Schmidt.