No. 30 — QB Tyler Wiegers

No. 30 . . .

And all of the sudden, Iowa quarterback is, basically, junior C.J. Beathard and redshirt freshman Tyler Wiegers. Yes, yes, incoming freshmen Ryan Boyle and Drew Cook, but, really, Iowa has two scholarship QBs for 2015 and that makes Wiegers (6-4, 222) a really important player.

A couple of questions: How did this happen? Iowa has lost three QBs to transfer the last two years — Cody Sokol (who graduated from Louisiana Tech after leading the school to a nine-win season and a bowl victory), Nic Shimonek (transferred as a walk-on to Texas Tech) and Jake Rudock (Michigan after starting two seasons for the Hawkeyes).

When Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz named Beathard the starter in January, he sent Rudock into de facto free agency and narrowed the QB roster to Beathard and Wiegers, who spent last season mostly as the scout team QB with little exposure to Iowa's offense.

In two spring showings, Wiegers completed 15 of 41 for 89 yards and two interceptions. Ferentz didn't sound any alarms. Obviously, Wiegers' profile for 2015 boomed during the spring semester. There is plenty of time for the former Rivals 4-star recruit to find some footing.

Ferentz offered this post-spring breakdown: 'Yeah, this has been a huge spring for him. Started out the first couple three practices and it was interesting, but that is what you would expect. It's one thing to sit in a meeting room and watching other guys perform, but when you are out there taking the snaps and calling audibles and things we ask our quarterbacks to do, it's different.

'I think in the last third of our practices, the last five practices, we have really seen him start to take off. The big thing for him is that this will really serve him well this summer when he can look at the film and it will mean more to him. He has gotten a lot of really quality work and he is a really quality young guy. He has a good head on his shoulders and he's intelligent, very dedicated and works extremely hard. I think this has been a really good period for him.'

Wiegers refresher . . .

Remember when Beathard committed to Iowa after initially pledging to Mississippi? He made the switch because he liked Iowa and believed himself to be a pro-style QB. Beathard has since grown his running skills.

Maybe Wiegers eventually does that, but he also came to Iowa solidly as a pro-style QB.

Wiegers is whip smart. He gave Penn a serious look and is a biomedical engineering major. When he committed to the Hawkeyes, he shed some light on the 'pro style' topic.

'I don't think it means 'unathletic,'' said Wiegers, who completed 122 of 192 pass attempts for 2,093 yards and 24 touchdowns as a senior at Detroit Country Day. 'I guess a lot of that is associated with it, a guy not being able to run.

'It's been a stereotype that's undeserving, because there are a lot of guys who can still be athletic. I don't see me busting a 50-yard run, but I think a pro-style guy is more of a guy who's going to be in the pocket, managing the game and getting the ball to his playmakers, looking more to distribute the ball, get it out to the playmakers and let them make the plays than try to make a big play.'

Pro-style offense is a huge part of why and how Wiegers, ranked by Rivals.com as the No. 14 pro-style QB in this recruiting class, ended up with the Hawkeyes. He was an early commit to Rutgers before de-committing and picking the Hawkeyes in December.

'I felt like I needed to go to a place that would fit my skill set,' Wiegers said. 'That was part of it. There had to be a fit with the coaches, too, but I do feel that is my main skill set. That's something you need to look at going into college. You want to be able to get out on the field. Being in a pro-style system was definitely something I was looking at. I didn't receive any offers from schools that weren't pro style, except maybe a couple of MAC schools.'

Outlook . . .

One of the immediate thoughts with Iowa's precarious QB situation is Beathard preservation, and, of course, that means he should never run the ball. Well, it's not going to work that way. Beathard said he's going to take what the defense presents, either running or passing. He's not going to throttle the chances he believes he might have to take. He's going to do whatever he feels he needs to do to win games. You have to believe Iowa coaches are thinking the same way. Winning is super important, especially this year.

So, basically, whatever happens happens. Fate is fate. Can't play football with one eye on staying healthy.

And this makes Wiegers a really, really important player.

l Comments: (319) 398-8256; marc.morehouse@thegazette.com