No rush to judgment

AMES - Paul Rhoads is in no rush to name a starting quarterback.

“I don't need to be,” the Iowa State coach said Tuesday while meeting with reporters before Saturday's spring football game. “I have plenty of time.”

Rhoads has a few more practices and a summer's worth of strength and conditioning work to evaluate once practice begins again in August. That's when the competition between incumbent Jerome Tiller and newcomer Steele Jantz will heat up.

“We'll go into camp trying to decide who exactly will lead our team Sept. 3 (vs. Northern Iowa),” Rhoads said.

Tiller is No. 1 on the most recent depth chart but is fighting a sore right elbow he injured last week diving for a loose football. The junior has not been able to throw with his normal velocity.

“He's been playing with it,” Rhoads said. “He's missed some reps, but he hasn't missed any practices.”

Tiller was not available for interviews Tuesday. Jantz was and discussed his steep learning curve coming from City College of San Francisco.

“That's the theme of the spring for me: learning,” Jantz said. “I'm picking up the offense, trying to progress every day and improving from the day before. ... It's hard, but it's also good.”

A delayed decision works just fine for him, although he said he's not concerned with the depth chart right now.

“At some point someone has to be the starter,” said Jantz, who threw for 3,075 yards and 23 touchdowns last year at CCSF. “I just want to keep improving every day. I have a long way to go. I'm worried about doing that as fast as I can.”

Tiller has three years and three starts in Division I. That familiarity gives him the edge. Sophomore James Capello and red-shirt freshman Jared Barnett are in the running but are well behind.

The coach ruled out a possible platoon.

“I'm not going to do it by quarters or any kind of system like that,” Rhoads said. “We'll have a starter and he'll be the guy.”