Iowa GM Drops Bizarre Take on Transfer Portal QBs

The Iowa Hawkeyes have a major issue at quarterback right now. Everyone knows this. It's no secret.

The problem is that this is not new for Iowa, which has struggled to find a competent player under center for years now.

Three of the Hawkeyes quarterbacks from 2024 have already entered the transfer portal, leaving just two signal-callers currently on the roster: Brendan Sullivan and Jackson Stratton.

Neither of those two players exactly inspires much confidence moving forward, so a whole lot is riding on Iowa finding a quarterback via the transfer portal or in recruiting this offseason.

Landing a signal-caller via the former strategy is not exactly easy, and Hawkeyes general manager Tyler Barnes has provided a rather bizarre comparison on the task, calling it "speed dating on steroids," via Scott Dochterman of The Athletic.

While it may sound like a pretty strange take, it actually does make some sense.

Teams don't exactly have a long window to make these decisions, and sometimes, they come back to bite you. See: Cade McNamara.

Barnes seems to prefer the more old-fashioned method of recruiting.

“If we have to go to the portal, we will. But if we can hit on some of our guys and develop them, that’s the way to go,” he said.

The Hawkeyes went 8-4 during the regular season in spite of their constant shuffle at quarterback and will face the Missouri Tigers in the Music City Bowl on Dec. 30.

It would certainly be nice for Iowa to forge some stability at the all-important position, but it has clearly been very difficult for the Hawkeyes to make that happen.