Tag: Joe Labas

Ex-Iowa QB reentering NCAA transfer portal

The former Iowa QB is reentering the transfer portal.

Former Iowa quarterback Joe Labas is reentering the NCAA transfer portal.

After spending three seasons in Iowa City, Labas departed the Hawkeyes’ program following the 2023 season.

Labas transferred to Central Michigan where he started the first six games of the 2024 season before suffering a season-ending arm injury on Oct. 12 against Ohio.

Labas directed a pair of last-minute, game-scoring drives for the Chippewas in wins over Ball State and San Diego State.

Labas completed 58.8% of his passes for 1,114 yards and seven touchdowns against seven interceptions. Labas threw for 275 yards in the comeback win over San Diego State.

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“First and foremost, I’d like to thank God for blessing me with the talents, opportunities, and guidance that have brought me this far.

“To my coaches, teammates, and the entire staff, thank you for your belief and trust in me to be the starting quarterback for Central Michigan and helping me grow both as a player and a person.

“With the current uncertainty surrounding the program, I have decided to enter the transfer portal with 1-2 years of eligibility to explore all potential opportunities for my future. This is not an easy decision, and want to be clear that CMU holds a special place in my heart.

“I look forward to what the future holds, and the path God has for me,” Labas wrote in his social media announcement.

Labas initially signed with Iowa in the Hawkeyes’ 2021 class. According to 247Sports, Labas was a four-star signee, the nation’s No. 28 quarterback and the No. 13 player from Ohio.

The 6-foot-4, 210 pound quarterback played in and started just one game while at Iowa. That came in Iowa’s 21-0 TransPerfect Music City Bowl win over Kentucky to close the 2022 season.

Labas completed 14-of-24 passes for 139 yards with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Hawkeye tight end Luke Lachey.

Labas will have one final season of collegiate eligibility at his next transfer destination.

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Iowa QB Joe Labas enters NCAA transfer portal

The Hawkeyes’ starter in last season’s TransPerfect Music City Bowl, Iowa backup quarterback Joe Labas has entered the NCAA transfer portal.

Per a number of reports Tuesday morning, Iowa redshirt sophomore quarterback Joe Labas is entering the NCAA transfer portal.

Labas exits Iowa City after appearing in one game during his career with the Hawkeyes. That lone appearance came in last season’s TransPerfect Music City bowl where Labas started under center for the Hawkeyes and led Iowa to a 21-0 shutout win over Kentucky.

Labas completed 14-of-24 passes for 139 yards, including a 15-yard touchdown pass to tight end Luke Lachey. The 6-foot-4, 213 pound signal-caller also carried four times for 11 yards against the Wildcats.

Though Labas performed well in the bowl game, senior quarterback Cade McNamara became the Hawkeyes’ clear No. 1 choice under center after he transferred in from Michigan. When McNamara was lost for the season due to injury, it was another transfer that took over the rest of the way, though.

Of course, that would be sophomore quarterback Deacon Hill who started each of Iowa’s past eight games. Hill has gone 6-2 as Iowa’s starting quarterback, completing 100-of-198 passes for 932 yards with four touchdown passes against five interceptions.

Projecting forward to the 2024 season, Iowa returns its starting quarterback in McNamara, its backup quarterback in Hill and freshman Marco Lainez. The Hawkeyes also have a commitment from four-star quarterback James Resar out of Jacksonville, Fla.

It will be interesting to see where Labas resurfaces. Labas arrived in Iowa City as a four-star signee per 247Sports in the 2021 class. He was rated as the No. 28 quarterback and the No. 13 player from Ohio by 247Sports.

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‘I don’t think we’re insane’: Kirk Ferentz sounds off on Hawkeyes’ QB situation

Kirk Ferentz sounded off on his team’s starting quarterback situation and what it would take for Joe Labas to perhaps get a chance.

The Iowa Hawkeyes had all sorts of offensive problems against the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

Once again, Iowa (6-2, 3-2 Big Ten) couldn’t solve an opponents’ defense. In this particular instance, it was Minnesota (4-3, 2-2 Big Ten) that gave the Hawkeyes fits.

For the game, Iowa amassed 127 yards of total offense and nine first downs. Three of those nine first downs came via Minnesota penalties, and all came on the Hawkeyes’ lone touchdown drive.

In the second half, Iowa produced 12 yards of total offense. The Hawkeyes had a pair of turnovers and punted five times after halftime.

Leading the offensive ineptitude was a running game that never worked and a quarterback, sophomore Deacon Hill, who never seemed comfortable. The 6-foot-3, 258 pound quarterback completed 10-of-28 passes for 116 yards and he was sacked four times, twice fumbling as he was hit.

Afterward, Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz was asked why he and the staff have shown a reluctance to try sophomore quarterback Joe Labas under center.

“So on that topic, I’ll say this. For 25 years, we watch guys in practice and we evaluate what they do in practice and moving forward, certainly game performance is a big part of it. But you know, if it’s close, neck-and-neck, that type of thing, then you rotate guys in and take a look at them.

“I don’t think we’re insane. You go with what you see in practice, and you know, try to make the best decisions at all positions, not just quarterback. Obviously quarterback is the one that attracts the attention. But I’m standing here right now, we’ll see what next week brings, but I’m trying to think of the history since I’ve been here how many — you know, we had it in ’08 back and forth with two guys, C.J. and Jake, went back-and-forth a little bit. But typically there’s a clear one and clear two. I’m not saying that in a demeaning way to the guy that’s two. But that’s what it is and you kind of go from there,” Ferentz said.

Labas started for Iowa in its 21-0 win over Kentucky in last season’s TransPerfect Music City Bowl, completing 14-of-24 passes for 139 yards with one touchdown pass and no interceptions. He also carried four times for 11 yards.

But, judging from Kirk’s comments after the Minnesota game and before, Iowa believes it has a clear No. 1 and clear No. 2. Right now, Hill is that clear No. 1 and Labas is regarded as the Hawkeyes’ No. 2 option.

What then would it take for Labas to get a series under center?

“We evaluate everything in practice. We evaluate what happens in the games and we are going to play the guy that we think is going to give us the best chance, and we’ve done that at all positions and we’ve done that for 25 years. No two situations are the same. No two players are the game, and you just do what you think is best for the team. That’s my No. 1 obligation to all the players on our team. They are the guys out there laying it out there.

“So it’s pretty easy from that standpoint. But there’s gray area in everything. When you talk about evaluating people and performance, there’s always gray area, and anybody that thinks they are always going to be right, they are a fool. That’s impossible. We do what we think is best for the team. My personal obligation is to all of our players, give them the best chance to go out there and have a chance to compete.

“You have a bad day, which we certainly did today, you’ve got to get back up on your feet and go to work because if you surrender, it’s definitely over. And that’s not one player and that’s everybody. We all have to do that and find a way tomorrow to go back to work,” Ferentz said.

Iowa has a bye week to work with and another week of preparation if it wants to start working Labas in a bit more before its next game against Northwestern (3-4, 1-3 Big Ten) on Nov. 4.

Based on these postgame remarks, right now, it sounds as if Iowa is still solidly in the camp of Hill being its starting quarterback moving forward.

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Gettin’ it done: 5 most impactful ‘glue guys’ for the Iowa Hawkeyes in 2023

A “glue guy” isn’t always the standout, but they do the little things right that add up. Iowa’s five most impactful glue guys of 2023.

Every team has the guy who does the little things that go unnoticed. They get less shine than other players and their contributions might not be as lauded in comparison. But that’s okay for those guys and you often see them embrace that role. Those are your “glue guys” and every team needs a handful of them.

In a way, some may say that the majority of the Iowa Hawkeyes‘ roster are made up of these players that do their job, don’t need the recognition, and just always gets it done. Even in that capacity, some guys hold things together by their contributions coming at the right time or when it matters most.

The Hawkeyes have a handful of these players that turn up in big moments, always are in the right place, or make life easier for those around them. Here are the Hawkeyes’ five most impactful “glue guys” entering the 2023 season.

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‘It’s not an intentional derailment’: Spencer Petras remains Iowa Hawkeyes’ No. 1 quarterback

Kirk Ferentz said it’s “really tough to give an honest evaluation right now” and Spencer Petras will remain the starting quarterback.

The question that Iowa fans have been waiting on this week was answered Tuesday with a response that will leave a number of Hawkeye fans upset.

According to Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz, it’s still Spencer Petras that is the Hawkeyes’ No. 1 quarterback and he will start on Saturday against the Nevada Wolf Pack.

“He’ll start right now. That’s our plan, unless something happens in practice. We obviously have spent a lot of time looking at it, considering it, talking about it, and it’s not the same as last year, but there are some similarities I think in that I think it’s really tough to give an honest evaluation right now.

“I’ve talked to Alex about the same thing, just that no matter who’s in there right now, we’ve got some challenges, and we’ve got to work through those, try to improve in those, and then we’ll have a fairer way to assess I think. I think I speak for everybody in our program, we both have, all have faith in both players,” Ferentz said.

Currently, Petras is rated as the nation’s second-worst quarterback nationally in ESPN’s total quarterback rating among all qualified passers. The San Rafael, Calif., native has completed just 23-of-51 passes for 201 yards with zero touchdowns and a pair of interceptions.

The Iowa media followed up by asking what Petras has done to retain his starting job, or if it’s a matter of Petras simply directing traffic better for an offense that does have some challenges beyond just the play of its quarterback.

“No, I think Alex is capable of that, and I think he proved that last year. I just go back to body of work. This kind of ties into some other topics I’m sure, but we were 0-2 at the start of the ’20 season. Then, we won 12 straight with him at quarterback, so he built up some credit right there, and I thought he played really well. Not in each and every game, but he did a pretty good job and led our football team, so, you know, he’s got a good resume going. And I think the other challenge right now, we’ve had some challenges to work through, and that’s where we’re at presently.

“So, that’s the challenge right now is to piece things together where whoever’s back there can have a better chance to perform in a way that we think and believe both of them are capable of, so that’s our bigger challenge right now I think at this point. I don’t think it’s, in my assessment or our assessment, it’s really fair to just pinpoint one person right now. I think that would be taking an easy route out,” Ferentz said.

Chad Leistikow, a columnist for the Des Moines Register and Iowa City Press-Citizen, listed off Iowa’s point totals in each of Petras’ past six starts—7, 7, 3, 17, 7 and 7—and asked why that body of work was enough to justify him remaining the Hawkeyes’ top signal-caller.

Leistikow also mentioned that Iowa scored 27 and 33 points in Padilla’s first two starts last season against Minnesota and Illinois.

“That’s our assessment. Those are good points, but we’re looking at the whole thing, and that’s our assessment right now,” Ferentz said.

Once again, Ferentz was asked by reporters what the media and fans aren’t seeing right now that keeps Petras in that best position.

“Yeah, I mean, that’s like our whole football team. Probably the biggest difference between you guys and me right now, or us as a staff, is we get to see the guys day in and day out starting in January, and it’s true each and every year, so we’re a little bit more knowledgeable of our injury situation, missed time, all those kinds of things. Going back, there’s a lot of factors at play right now, you know, a lot of factors at play. I think we’ve beat that horse to death a little bit on Saturday, but whether it’s the receiver position, lack of time. And, I felt like we were in a pretty good position going back to Kids Day. I think we were on a good progress path at that point.

“And then, you know, some things happened the next couple weeks that have made it a little bit difficult. Long story short, I think we saw some improvement Saturday. There were some things that were more encouraging and some things that were really close. But close doesn’t get it, and that’s the challenge that we’re running. When we feel with this team that we have a chance to really assess things fairly, then we’ll make the judgments we feel necessary, and hopefully that’s coming soon,” Ferentz said.

As one final piece of this puzzle, Ferentz was asked if it’s safe to assume that Petras is practicing the best of his quarterbacks.

“Yeah, we think he is, but again, that’s not a knock on Alex. Alex is doing a good job, too. We’re not trying to drive this train off the road by any stretch. I mean, it’s not an intentional derailment,” Ferentz said.

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Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz says Spencer Petras ‘gives us a better chance to be successful’

Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz answered how and why Spencer Petras won the Hawkeyes’ starting quarterback job over Alex Padilla.

One of the prevailing topics of this spring, summer and offseason was the quarterback battle being waged between Spencer Petras, Alex Padilla and Joe Labas.

Even in the spring, it became apparent that this was probably a two-horse race between Petras and Padilla.

“Joe is obviously as I said back five weeks ago, he’s behind the other two as far as knowing what to do,” Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz said of Labas after the open practice to end the spring season.

It played out that way, too. When the final offensive depth chart was released ahead of Iowa’s showdown with South Dakota State, Petras was listed as the Hawkeyes’ No. 1 quarterback and Padilla as Iowa’s No. 2 quarterback.

Ferentz elaborated on why Petras is Iowa’s No. 1 quarterback in his weekly press conference to preview the showdown with South Dakota State.

“It’s a long evaluation, and we evaluate everything, we tell our guys starting in January. Obviously we’re not doing football stuff, and both Spencer and Alex are both quality guys, but just the time on the field, I think Spencer has outperformed Alex a little bit at this point. He’s further ahead and gives us a better chance to be successful. That’s not to diminish what Alex has done. Both have improved.

“Now the thing is can we put this whole thing together and be a little bit more productive offensively. Both guys have done a good job. Spencer has continued to climb,” Ferentz said.

To a certain faction of the fan base, that might sound like nails meeting chalk board. The reality is this, though. As Ferentz said, Iowa feels Petras gives the Hawkeyes the best chance to consistently win football games.

There was talk this offseason about the type of progress Petras was making. It remains to be seen how much Petras’ work with quarterback trainer Tony Racioppi and a trip to the Manning Passing Academy results in improved play.

After a season in which Petras finished with 1,880 passing yards on just 57.3% completion and 10 touchdown passes against nine interceptions, fans are eager to see Petras simplify things and deliver bigger results. Petras talked this past spring about improving that completion percentage in particular.

As his head coach noted, Petras at quarterback is one of the pieces for Iowa that’s “set in stone right now.” Now, it’s time for Petras to show that his game and Iowa’s offense has come along from the unit that finished No. 121 nationally in total offense a season ago.

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Social media reacts to the Iowa Hawkeyes’ 2022 Kids’ Day at Kinnick

What were the reactions on social media to what fans and media saw during Iowa’s 10th practice, the annual 2022 Kids’ Day at Kinnick?

Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz had plenty to say following his team’s 10th training camp practice, the annual open practice for Kids’ Day at Kinnick.

Overall, Ferentz liked what he saw from his group.

“First and foremost, good opportunity for our guys to change up from the first nine days. First time we’ve been in front of the public a little bit, so that’s healthy. Just a healthy change for everybody. And then, flipping it over, it’s a good opportunity for us to have Kids’ Day. I think hopefully they enjoy it and all of our guys were kids at one point.

“Even me at one stage, I was a kid. So, that’s good and then the Kid Captain program as I said yesterday is just a great concept. Nice to have our seniors get an opportunity to spend some time with them, greet them down here in the end zone, so it was all good. And then, just overall, I’m actually kind of pleased with what I saw today,” Ferentz said.

Ferentz discussed what he liked the most about his group’s performance.

“Two things I feel really good about was, first and foremost, big contrast from the field goal kicking, from what all of you guys witnessed last spring and coaches witnessed as well. I don’t think we had a miss today. I don’t think we did and most of them weren’t even close. One was I know, but that was good, so a lot of growth there since April. We’re not out of the woods yet. I’m not pronouncing us ready to go, but at least that’s encouraging. The third down period I thought was really good, too. That was encouraging. I thought we were pretty sharp there and did some good things. So, those two things were good takeaways,” Ferentz said.

Naturally, the fans and media in attendance had plenty of reactions as well. Here is how Hawkeye social media took in the 2022 Kids’ Day at Kinnick.

Brian Ferentz updates Iowa’s quarterback competition, details the start of 2022 camp

Hawkeyes offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz spoke at Iowa Media Days and discussed the start of camp and the state of his quarterbacks.

Iowa offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Brian Ferentz met with the media to discuss the start of the Hawkeyes’ 2022 fall camp, the state of Iowa’s quarterback play and more during Iowa Media Days.

‘This is where I wanted to be’: Iowa Hawkeyes TE Sam LaPorta made ‘easy’ decision to return

Iowa tight end Sam LaPorta made the “easy” decision to return to Iowa City. The Hawkeyes’ offense is set to reap the rewards of that move.

One of the best tight ends in all of college football is back for the Hawkeyes entering 2022. Senior Sam LaPorta was Iowa’s leader in receiving yardarge and receptions in 2021 with 670 yards and 53 grabs.

After a 2021 campaign where he earned second-team All-Big Ten honors from Phil Steele, the 6-foot-4, 249 pound tight end is earning all sorts of preseason recognition heading into this season. Phil Steele and Athlon Sports both listed LaPorta as the Big Ten’s preseason first-team tight end, while On3 ranked him as the No. 8 tight end on its Impact 300.

As the Power Five leader in returning receiving yardage among tight ends, naturally, LaPorta is garnering plenty of 2023 NFL draft buzz, too. ESPN’s Mel Kiper listed LaPorta No. 2 on his most recent big board and he was also included on Pro Football Focus’ draft watch list for tight ends.

LaPorta will be one of the most important offensive playmakers for the Hawkeyes next season. Last week, he met with Hawk Central and rest of the Iowa media members in attendance to discuss the start of Iowa’s summer program and how he feels about his game and the tight ends group heading into the 2022 college football season.

‘I’ve got to make the play every single time’: Hawkeyes WR Nico Ragaini dialing in ahead of 2022

Iowa Hawkeyes wide receiver Nico Ragaini was honest about his 2021 self assessment. He’s ready to completely dial in for the 2022 season.

It’s a big year for Iowa Hawkeyes redshirt senior wide receiver Nico Ragaini. He understands that this is his final chance to impress prospective NFL draft scouts and leave his mark on Iowa City. How much Ragaini improves could be a direct indicator of how much the Iowa offense improves as a whole.

Ragaini ended the 2021 season as Iowa’s third-leading receiver behind tight end Sam LaPorta’s 670 receiving yards and wide receiver Keagan Johnson’s 352. The 6-foot, 191 pound wide receiver out of Notre Dame High School in East Haven, Conn., finished last season with 26 grabs for 331 receiving yards and he had one touchdown reception.

His 26 receptions actually ranked first among Iowa wide receivers, but he’s looking for much more in 2022. Ragaini met with Hawk Central and the rest of the Iowa media to discuss a range of topics as the Hawkeyes begin their summer work in earnest.