UNI QB battle looms again - for backup

CEDAR FALLS - A year ago, the quarterback position was under the microscope during Northern Iowa's spring drills.

Coach Mark Farley and his staff wanted to see as much as they could of Zach Davis, Caleb Walter and Tirrell Rennie to determine who would give the Panther offense the best chance to make consistent gains. The elusive and explosive Rennie won the job.

When UNI opens spring drills today, another quarterback battle will take place to see who backs up Rennie in 2011. It won't involve Davis and Walter.

“Zach Davis and Caleb Walter are no longer on our team,” Farley said Monday. “They are (graduating and not using their last year of eligibility). “Tirrell is our No. 1 quarterback going in. Jared Lanpher is No. 2 and Will Roth is No. 3.”

Lanpher is a 6-foot-1, 190-pounder from Blue Springs, Mo. Roth is a 6-6, 215-pounder from Linn-Mar. Both are red-shirt freshmen.

“Jared and Will are very similar,” Farley said. “There's a lot of reasons why we took two freshmen last year so we could have them in camp this year and also why we took two more freshmen in this (2011) class, which will give us five.”

Farley also has restructured his coaching staff.

Offensively, assistant head coach and offensive coordinator Bill Salmon will coach the receivers rather than the running backs, who will now be under the guidance of Eric Sanders. Farley will put former director of football operations Matt Harken to work on the field. Rick Nelson (offensive line), Mario Verduzco (quarterbacks) and Dan Clark (tight ends) retain their previous responsibilities.

“We will eliminate our football operations position, and we will put him on the field coaching,” Farley said.

Defensively, Jovan Dewitt will move into the defensive coordinator role, Matt Entz will work with the defensive line, and Jeremiah Johnson will work with the defensive backs at least through the spring. He may remain there or assist in another area, depending on whom Farley hires to fill the vacancy created when Chris Klieman left for a job at North Dakota State.

“We need to restructure due to all the restraints and parameters we have to stay within,” Farley said. “We have to activate everybody we can to get the kind of coaching staff we need onto the field. There's a plan behind the whole process.”

Farley said he has no firm timetable for filling Klieman's position.

“That last hire could come within spring ball and maybe after spring ball,” he said. “We're going to put spring ball first and move out from there.”

UNI, which returns eight offensive starters and 10 on defense, will practice three times weekly through April, culminating with the annual spring game April 29 in the UNI-Dome.

2011 Panther outlook

Coach: Mark Farley (89-39, 11th season)

Last season: 7-5 overall, 6-2 Missouri Valley Football Conference, lost in first round of FCS playoffs

Returning starters: QB Tirrell Rennie, OL Jay Teply, OL Kaleb Admire, OL Brian Palangi, OL Tim Sauer, WR Jarred Herring, RB Carlos Anderson, WR Terrell Sinkfield, DE Darren Branch, DT Ben Boothby, DT Will Eilert, LB James Conley, LB Shawn Gerard, LB L.J. Fort, CB Varmah Sonie, S Andre Martin, DB Tre'Darrius Canady, DB J.J. Swain (CB, 6-0, 170, Jr.), P Kyle Bernard

Spring game: April 29, time TBA

Schedule: Sept. 3 - at Iowa State, TBA; Sept. 10 - at Stephen F. Austin, TBA; Sept. 24 - Western Illinois, TBA; Oct. 1 - at Missouri State, TBA; Oct. 8 - Indiana State, TBA; Oct. 15 - at South Dakota State, TBA; Oct. 22 - Southern Illinois, TBA; Oct. 29 - at North Dakota State; Nov. 5 - Youngstown State, TBA; Nov. 12 - Southern Utah, TBA; Nov. 19 - at Illinois State

By Doug Newhoff, The Waterloo Courier