PASADENA, CA – If there’s one thing Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz knows about Jackson Stratton, it’s that he plays quarterback for the Hawkeyes. Not the starter. Not the second-stringer. But the scout team QB who’s purpose isn’t to run the team’s offense, but mimic those of upcoming opponents.
Yet less than six months in his time as a Hawkeye, Stratton is now preparing for those offenses he once had to emulate after quarterbacks Cade McNamara and Marco Lainez went down to injuries. After starting the season expecting to never see the field, Stratton has spent the last two weeks as “one play away” from subbing in for starter Brendan Sullivan.
“None of us envisioned this happening,” Ferentz said on Tuesday. “End of [last week] I think maybe it started – reality dawned on him a little bit, like ‘Oh, I could be in there.’ I think all of us are trying not to think too hard about that right now.”
On Friday night in Iowa’s 20-17 loss to UCLA, what was once a taboo thought became a stark present cast under the lights of the Rose Bowl Stadium. Sullivan sprained his ankle on Iowa’s opening drive of the second half, and after playing one more series – and throwing an interception – his white No. 1 jersey remained on the sidelines, helmet nowhere to be seen.
“Everything on the field happens so quick,” Stratton said after the game. “Just have to be ready.”
Instead, No. 19 jogged onto the grass and into the huddle with the Hawkeyes facing a seven-point deficit with 4:02 left in the third quarter. The quarterback, known as “Shaggy” to his teammates for his long hair and resemblance to the “Scooby Doo” character, was about to shed his mystery label before a crowd of 50,000-plus.
“He was composed,” Iowa wide receiver Jacob Gill said of Stratton. “Just tap him on the back, you know, ‘You got this,’ and he went out and executed. Nothing too crazy.”
On his first drive in the Black and Gold, Stratton accomplished what was expected of an emergency quarterback – hand the ball off. But running back Kaleb Johnson could only do so much. After a holding penalty call on offensive lineman Beau Stephens, the Hawkeyes faced 2nd-and-22. Not exactly a run situation.
After a three-yard completion to Gill, the wideout went down with cramps and didn’t return for the next play – a 3rd-and-19. Without his best receiver on the field and the pocket collapsing, Stratton took off for a 14-yard rush up the middle to get the Hawkeyes within field goal range.
Kicker Drew Stevens made good on his attempt, but more importantly, the Hawkeyes forced an unnecessary roughness penalty on the play – granting them a first down and new life. Yet it was Jackson who put them in the position in the first place.
How he got to Iowa, however, was more complex.
Hailing from Mission Bay, California, Stratton starred at La Jolla High School, tossing for over 4,000 yards and 50 touchdowns in his career. Ranked as the 63rd-best pro-style quarterback by 247 Sports’, Stratton received offers from Columbia, FIU, Brown, and Nevada before receiving his first Power Four interest from Washington in May 2021.
He initially committed to the Huskies, but backed out seven months later and flipping to Colorado State.
Over two seasons with the Rams, Stratton saw action in three games – all in 2022. His numbers weren’t head-turning – 4-of-17 for 78 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions. After Stratton entered the transfer portal in December 2023, his personal quarterbacks coach, George Whitfield, got in touch with Iowa offensive coordinator Tim Lester. Lester flew out to San Diego to watch Stratton throw, liked what he saw, and offered him a preferred walk-on spot.
Stratton arrived in Iowa City over the summer and for teammates like linebacker Nick Jackson, the quarterback appeared to be another freshman, not a 20-year-old on his third season of college football. That impression didn’t last for long.
“I saw him throwing and I was like, ‘Who is this kid?’ Jackson recalled. “But heck of a dude, heck of a competitor, comes to work. He’s got a little chip on his shoulder, too.”
Working as a scout team quarterback, Stratton did what he could to get mental reps by pouring over film with Iowa’s football analyst Keller Chryst – a graduate assistant who played quarterback at Stanford.
On Monday, Stratton will now be watching film of himself, specifically his two third-down conversions to Gill that sustained the Hawkeyes drive that culminated in Kamari Moulton’s game-tying rushing touchdown.
“I thought he did a really nice job, that beautiful throw he had on a third-down conversion,” Ferentz said of Stratton. “He didn’t seem overwhelmed by things, and full credit to him. But, obviously it limits some of the things we can do.”
On his next drive, with the Hawkeyes needing to get within field goal range, Stratton struggled, throwing two incompletions as Iowa went three-and-out. He finished the evening 3-of-6 for 28 yards. While not the hero in his home state, Stratton said he felt comfortable the whole time under the lights. For the first time in almost two years, he was back playing the game he loves.
Depending on Sullivan’s health, which Ferentz said would be determined at a later date, Stratton could wind up as the starter. Yet no matter what the future holds, the words from Stratton’s teammates will stick with him.
“They said, ‘We know what you can do. We know you can play, and you got to go out there and be yourself,’” Stratton said. “I thought that was awesome. I was ready to go.”