Colorado State transfer Jackson Stratton gives Iowa added depth at quarterback

IOWA CITY — Iowa’s quarterback room had a notable lack of depth in early May.

The transfer portal departures of Deacon Hill and walk-on Tommy Poholsky left the Hawkeye football team with only three quarterbacks on the 2024 roster — Cade McNamara, redshirt freshman Marco Lainez and incoming freshman James Resar.

May 3 in particular was when Iowa offensive coordinator Tim Lester visited Jackson Stratton — a Colorado State quarterback in the portal — in the San Diego area and watched him throw.

Almost exactly a month later, Iowa’s quarterback depth issues appear to be rectified following the commitments of ex-Northwestern quarterback Brendan Sullivan in mid-May and most recently Stratton over the weekend.

Stratton, who was on scholarship in his two seasons at Colorado State, committed as a walk-on. “The people” at Iowa were a driving force in his decision to choose the Hawkeyes.

“From my experience, that’s the most important thing,” Stratton said in a phone call with The Gazette. “They all seem like great guys who want to help me become a better football player.”

Lester — who, like his predecessor, is coaching quarterbacks — in particular “seemed like an amazing dude.”

“On the phone with him, meeting him in person, everything he says — it seems like he really cares about me,” Stratton said.

Stratton, who summed up his quarterback style by “accuracy and pocket movement,” did not see any game action in 2023. He did appear in four games in 2022 as a true freshman, going 4-of-17 for 47 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.

“It got me some gametime experience, even if maybe I wasn’t exactly ready for it at the time,” Stratton said. “I felt like that experience was invaluable.”

Stratton believes he has particularly grown on the “mental side” since playing in four games as a true freshman in 2022.

“Obviously I’m working out, throwing every day,” Stratton said. “I have been for a long time. But the mental side of the game, getting in the film room — that just comes with time.”

Stratton’s career journey has been a winding road. The three-star quarterback from Mission Bay, Calif., initially committed to Washington. But when the Huskies parted ways with head coach Jimmy Lake, Stratton was back on the market.

He landed at Colorado State and spent two seasons there before entering the portal in December. He then announced his commitment to Iowa on June 1.

“It’s been a wild ride, but everything happens for a reason,” Stratton said. “I feel blessed that this opportunity came around.”

Where Iowa stands at QB

The Hawkeyes now will have five quarterbacks — four on scholarship and one walk-on — on their 2024 roster. That is on par with what Iowa has had in past years.

At the start of the 2023 season, Iowa had five quarterbacks on its roster — four on scholarship and one walk-on. The Hawkeyes had four quarterbacks on the roster at the beginning of the 2020, 2021 and 2022 seasons.

Now, it is a question of how Iowa’s stable of quarterbacks perform in the fall.

The Hawkeyes have not completed 60-plus percent of their passes since 2015. Last year was particularly rough for Iowa’s passing game, with the Hawkeyes ranking dead-last in passing yards per attempt (4.74) and second-last in completion percentage (48.9 percent).

Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz said last month at a Polk County I-Club event that if Cade McNamara is “healthy, he’s our starter.” That leaves ex-Northwestern quarterback Brendan Sullivan as the likely QB2 at the beginning of fall camp, followed by Lainez, Resar and now Stratton.

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com

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