Jake Christensen is Leaving, to No Surprise

Adam Rittenberg of ESPN.com got the story today (http://myespn.go.com/blogs/bigten) that Iowa junior quarterback Jake Christensen will transfer from the school. This doesn't exactly rate on the shock meter. The shock would have been had he stayed. He was rumored to be on his way out of Iowa City since October.

Christensen had the quarterback job for a whole season in 2007. It didn't go well. He was the quarterback for the entire second-half of the Pittsburgh game in 2008. It didn't go well. He surrendered the job after that game, and it was Rick Stanzi's to keep.

By all accounts, Christensen did nothing disruptive in the aftermath. I have never heard a teammate say a bad thing about him, and I don't know anyone else in the Iowa media who has heard anything of the sort.

The quarterback-change was for the better as far as the Hawkeyes were concerned. But it wasn't pleasant to see Christensen get raked over the coals last year playing on an offense that wasn't very good or experienced as a whole. Stanzi became a good QB as this season went along, and brought stability to the offense. He gives Iowa fans reason to think the 2009 offense will be capable.

But how good would he or any quarterback have been last year with that 2007 offensive line or corps of mostly freshman receivers?

Christensen got more than a fair chance to keep his job, so there should be no grousing from his end, and we've heard none. Nor should anyone who claims to represent Iowa as a fan have anything nasty to say about him as he leaves the program.

He got booed in his home stadium. That was lousy. Here's hoping he finds some success, peace and fun at his next stop.