When looking at the quarterback position for the Iowa Hawkeyes, do not forget about sophomore Joe Labas.
While much attention has been given over the offseason to transfer additions Cade McNamara and Deacon Hill, the Hawkeyes still have a returning backup candidate in Labas. Though his playing time wasn’t extensive over the past few seasons in Iowa City, Labas has been able to learn the offensive system. He’s spent more time with Brian Ferentz than any other quarterback on the roster and has been groomed into his system over the past couple of seasons.
Also, this goes without saying, but Joe Labas is the only quarterback currently on the roster who has actually thrown a pass for the Black and Gold. He started and saw his first career action in the Hawkeyes’ 21-0 Music City Bowl victory over Kentucky. While his stats were not spectacular in his first outing for Iowa, he did manage to throw a touchdown and limit the bad plays.
Much of what Iowa asks from their quarterbacks is to game manage and simply not mess up. Labas sort of already showed that he can do that, albeit in some weird circumstances. Kentucky really looked like they were just there for a scrimmage in that bowl game.
With the competition for the backup quarterback slot behind Cade McNamara heating up, here is a look at Joe Labas.
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Preseason Player Profile
Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK
Hometown: Brecksville, Ohio
Ht: 6-4
Wt: 207
Class in 2023: Soph.
Career Stats
| Passing | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | School | Conf | Class | Pos | G | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | AY/A | TD | Int | Rate |
| *2021 | Iowa | Big Ten | FR | QB | ||||||||||
| *2022 | Iowa | Big Ten | SO | QB | 1 | 14 | 24 | 58.3 | 139 | 5.8 | 6.6 | 1 | 0 | 120.7 |
| Career | Iowa | 14 | 24 | 58.3 | 139 | 5.8 | 6.6 | 1 | 0 | 120.7 | ||||
Joe Labas’ Recruiting Profile
| Stars | Overall | State | Position | |
| 247 | 4 | N/A | 13 | 28 |
| Rivals | 3 | N/A | 35 | N/A |
| ESPN | 3 | N/A | 52 | 60 |
| On3 Recruiting | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 247 Composite | 3 | 649 | 24 | 44 |
High School
Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK
- Four-year letterman as quarterback and punter.
- Named Suburban League National Conference Co-Offensive Player of the Year.
- Named first-team All-Lakes and all-district as a senior.
Depth Chart Overview
Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK
Currently, Joe Labas is listed as their third-string quarterback behind Wisconsin transfer Deacon Hill. While the competition figures to be wide open over the summer, currently Hill has a leg up on Labas.
It will be interesting to see how the situation plays out with Labas. Can he beat out Hill before the beginning of the year? Even if he doesn’t earn the QB2 spot before the season, could he potentially work his way up? We know how much emphasis Kirk Ferentz places on practice.
Another point to consider is Labas’ standing with the Hawkeyes if he doesn’t beat out Hill. Both have the same amount of eligibility left and Iowa will surely look to keep recruiting new quarterbacks out of high school. They’re already bringing in a talented freshman in Marco Lainez III this year to most likely be redshirted. Could we see Labas on a new team next spring? We’ll just have to see how it all plays out.
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