It will be a battle of inexperience under center in Iowa football’s Friday night contest against Nebraska. While Cornhusker fans might be wary of first-year quarterback Dylan Raiola and his 10 interceptions, the Hawkeye faithful might be equally cautious with walk-on Jackson Stratton, who will start his second consecutive game for Iowa.
Head coach Kirk Ferentz confirmed Stratton’s status as QB1at his press conference on Tuesday. A transfer from Colorado State with less than 50 pass attempts under his belt, Stratton performed efficiently with limited opportunity, completing 10-of-14 passes and committing no turnovers.
Ferentz described how with more than a week to prepare for the Terrapins, Stratton had more time to think about his sudden rise from scout-team to starter – a mental reflection that can cause some stress. Yet in what he’s seen so far, Stratton hasn’t shown any signs of strain.
“I was really impressed with his poise, the ability to not get in trouble, which is easier said than done sometimes,” Ferentz said of Stratton. “Especially at the position because you’re involved in every snap.”
On Iowa’s depth chart, second-year Marco Lainez is listed as the backup, but Ferentz said the QB2 job could belong to either Brendan Sullvian or Cade McNamara, each of whom have practiced this week.
“He looks good. We’ll see how it goes this week,” Ferentz said of Sullivan. “Cade looks fine. Keep our fingers crossed that both of them will be ready to go, then we’ll figure out the rest of the batting order going from there.”
When asked if the team was thinking about using two quarterbacks on Friday, the head coach said the team is not planning on any sort of rotation right now.
Linebacker legacies
The Hawkeye defense will have two major voids in 2025 after the departure of senior linebackers Jay Higgins and Nick Jackson. The pair each rank top-10 in the Big Ten in total tackles and have a combined five interceptions on the season.
Ferentz previously commended Higgins after the Maryland game and continued his praise on Tuesday.
“None of us knew he’d be as productive as he was when he got his chance to play,” the head coach said. “Boy, that kind of exceeded any expectations.”
Sitting behind star linebacker Jack Campbell for multiple seasons, Ferentz said it would have been easy for Higgins to either hit the transfer portal or fall into what he called a “second-team cocoon,” where a backup may not work as hard in practice because they know they won’t be on the field anyway.
“He never did that. No matter what he did, he was just trying to get better,” Ferentz said.
As for Jackson, who will be having his third Senior Night, going back to his time at Virginia, Ferentz said the senior always had a clear vision and a maturity beyond his years.
“I don’t know if, ‘blended in,’ is the right word, but just became one of our team guys just like that,” Ferentz said. “It was effortless for him. When you meet him, he’s that kind of person.”
Injury Updates
Iowa cornerback Jermari Harris is unlikely to play against Nebraska, Ferentz said. On Nov. 22, news broke from 247 Sports that Harris would opt out the rest of the season in preparation for the NFL Draft. Harris, a sixth-year senior, posted on his Instagram account a series of photos of him from his Iowa career captioned with the phrase “Thank you.” Iowa’s game notes list him as among the 23 seniors who will be honored in pregame ceremonies on Friday.
Ferentz told reporters that in addition to Harris, wide receiver Reece Vander Zee and offensive tackle Gennings Dunker are not expected to play against Nebraska.