Quarterback has always been popularly viewed as the position with the greatest impact on the success of a college football offense. This belief, reductive as it may be, rings remarkably true when examining the Iowa Hawkeye offense on the eve of the 2018 season. Starting quarterback Nate Stanley returns for his junior year after a sophomore campaign filled with personal highs (an excellent 26:6 touchdown-to-interception ratio, five-touchdown performances against both Ohio State and Iowa State) and lows (a middling 55.8% completion percentage, abysmal showings against Wisconsin and Purdue in consecutive games).
Stanley has deservedly received great praise during the offseason for his promising performance as a first-year starter and his NFL potential, with ESPN draft guru Todd McShay ranking Stanley as his second quarterback prospect for the 2019 NFL draft.