Iowa quarterbacks coach Ken O’Keefe said last week that the Hawkeyes have an open competition underway at that position this spring. And I believe him.

But I think when Iowa opens the 2021 season Sept. 4 against Indiana, Spencer Petras will be under center to start his second season as the team’s starting quarterback.

Alex Padilla and Deuce Hogan will have chances to prove me wrong over this spring and summer. O’Keefe recently complemented Padilla’s accuracy and ability to lead Iowa’s offense, and also said Hogan is progressing well. I just think Petras’ eight games of starting experience will be too much for them to overcome.

Petras led Iowa to a 6-2 record last season in his first stint as Iowa’s starter. Despite the winning record, Petras’ play wasn’t always pretty.

At times, the San Rafael, California, native looked like you’d expect a first-year starter to look against Big Ten competition — antsy in the pocket, off on some timing throws, and at times careless with the football. By the end of the season though, Petras did play his best football of the year. He combined to throw five touchdowns and no interceptions in Iowa’s wins over Illinois and Wisconsin.

With an actual offseason to develop this time around, I’d expect Petras to continue to grow from those promising performances to end the year and return to the field as a more polished and accurate passer in 2021.

Iowa has a quarterback competition on its hands this offseason, but with the way Petras played to end last season and the starting experience he already has, I’d bet we’ll see No. 7 on the field again for the Hawkeyes next season.