Iowa QB news all over the place

IOWA CITY — Wide receiver Tevaun Smith said the Hawkeyes always knew who was going to step into the huddle last season and play quarterback. The outside world didn't know and that noise made its way into players' minds and ear holes.

That's the long way of saying, yes, there was some dissonance at Iowa QB and it, at the very least, was on the players' radar.

'There's only going to be one quarterback to worry about,' Smith said Wednesday. 'We don't have to worry about who's coming in the next series or this series ... It bugged us in that everyone kept asking about it, just that fact was, I guess, annoying for us.'

The question was answered in January, and then finalized on Wednesday.

In January, Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz named junior C.J. Beathard the starter ahead of senior and two-year starter Jake Rudock. When Ferentz spoke March 25 on Iowa's first day of spring practice, he confirmed that Rudock was looking to transfer and that Iowa granted him a full release so he could play anywhere he wanted.

A source close to the situation confirmed with The Gazette on Wednesday that Rudock is headed to Michigan and will compete to become first QB to play for coach Jim Harbaugh.

'We had made the decision (in January), we talked to both quarterbacks at that point, and that was part of the thought process behind that, giving him an opportunity to handle it in an appropriate manner, whatever is best for them,' Ferentz said. 'Again, I look at the quarterback position as a little bit unique. It's a little bit like a point guard maybe in basketball, but I go back to Cody's case (QB Cody Sokol who transferred from Iowa to Louisiana Tech last spring) where I do have firsthand knowledge of what happened there.

'I got (Sokol's transfer) that totally, and if Jake's heart is not totally in being here, then it's probably best that he does go somewhere else.'

Rudock, who'll graduate from Iowa after this semester, needed to obtain a waiver from the Big Ten to transfer and avoid losing his final year of eligibility. The waiver was approved Wednesday, and now Rudock is off to the Wolverines (Iowa and Michigan don't meet this season).

'Obviously, Jake has decided to transfer,' said Beathard, who, coincidentally, spoke to the media Wednesday for the first time since last October. 'I wish the best for him. We were friends. He decided to part ways and now it's become my team.'

You'll note that last part. The big bullet points from Beathard: He was ready for this, he felt he won the No. 1 job in December and he believes he brings a skill set that can elevate Iowa's offense.

This played out in December, when the QB position was reconsidered after a 7-5 regular season. Rudock started the TaxSlayer Bowl, a dreadful 45-28 loss to Tennessee, but Beathard played 49 snaps to Rudock's 19.

Beathard went home to Nashville, Tenn., and got a call from Ferentz about 24 hours after the end of that game. Asked if he considered leaving Iowa, Beathard said his thoughts didn't make it that far.

'I guess the coaches saw after that game the best upside for this team from here on was with me at the helm,' Beathard said. Later Beathard was asked if he felt as if he moved ahead of Rudock during bowl practices: 'I felt like I showed the best I can do. Obviously, we both had mistakes here and there. In my mind, I felt like I was he better athlete and I could do more things. I think the coaches see that, too.'

Iowa is four practices into spring, so the reviews on Beathard are limited. Here is what some defensive players said Wednesday.

'When he has like a five-step drop, I give myself not even two seconds,' senior defensive end Nate Meier said. 'If I don't get there in two seconds, I lost. Maybe if he does scramble, I still lost.'

Senior free safety Jordan Lomax goes there. The No. 1 knock on Rudock during his two seasons from Iowa fans was the lack of the deep ball. Lomax doesn't see that as a problem with Beathard.

'C.J., one thing is you can't ever think that he's not going to throw it deep,' Lomax said. 'That's the one thing about C.J. He will give his receivers a chance to make a play on the ball. You always have to be on good technique. You don't want to hold the receiver, you don't want to panic when the ball is in the air.

'Sometimes you might think, 'Oh, the quarterback's not throwing it.' With C.J., he will put the ball in the air. He's not scared to go deep with the football.'

With Rudock's departure, Iowa QB is now extremely inexperienced after Beathard. Redshirt freshman Tyler Wiegers is the No. 2 and the only other scholarship QB in spring drills. Don't expect this to make Beathard cautious. the 6-2, 209-pounder mentioned running the ball several times Wednesday. He's visibly bigger than he was last season, but he also knows he needs to be smart about this.

'Coaches told me to slide when I can,' Beathard said. 'I don't want to get knocked out of a game for lowering my shoulder into a linebacker, someone I obviously can't truck. [But] I'm not going to stop running the ball, because I feel I can do things with my feet that will help us.

'When I see the green light and I see that opening, I'm going to take that chance and continue to take shots downfield.'

OK then, here we go.

C.J. Beathard Audio Interview

Download: An Interview with QB C.J. Beathard