Iowa QB Petras enters portal as grad transfer

Blake Baumgartner, ESPN Staff WriterNov 13, 2023, 01:49 PM ET

Iowa quarterback Spencer Petras, who hasn’t played this season while rehabbing after shoulder surgery last December, entered the transfer portal Monday.

As a graduate transfer, Spencer, who saw his first action for Iowa in 2018, didn’t have to wait until the portal opens from Dec. 4, 2023 to Jan. 2, 2024. He has one year of eligibility remaining.

Petras threw for 1,725 yards, 5 touchdowns and 5 interceptions in 12 games during the 2022 season, but he missed the Music City Bowl after having the shoulder surgery in December. In his career, he has 5,199 passing yards with 24 touchdowns and 19 interceptions.

Quarterback Cade McNamara, who transferred to Iowa from Michigan in the offseason, had been dealing with a quad injury since the preseason and tore the ACL in his left knee against Michigan State on Sept. 30. He will return for his final year of eligibility in 2024.

Iowa’s offense has continued to be a work in progress, as it ranks 130th in FBS in total offense (243.0 yards per game) and 122nd in passing offense (122.0 yards per game). Beth Goetz, the school’s interim athletic director, announced Oct. 30 that offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz, the son of head coach Kirk Ferentz, wouldn’t return next season.

Iowa, however, is in the driver’s seat in the Big Ten West largely due to its stout defense, which ranks eighth in FBS in total defense (281.5 YPG) and is third in scoring defense (12.3 PPG).

The Hawkeyes (8-2, 5-2 Big Ten West) can clinch a spot in the Big Ten championship game Dec. 2 with a victory over Illinois on Saturday.