Ad Disclosure
Nate Stanley returning to Iowa for senior season
Published:
Nate Stanley will return to Iowa City for his final season with the Hawkeyes.
Monday, Marc Morehouse of the Cedar Rapids Gazette reported that Stanley met with head coach Kirk Ferentz and quarterbacks coach Ken O’Keefe and decided to pass on the idea of entering the 2019 NFL Draft. He will be a senior in 2019.
Nate Stanley is not putting his papers in for the NFL draft. Talked with KF and KOK and decided not to.
— Marc Morehouse (@marcmorehouse) December 17, 2018
Stanley threw for 2,638 yards and 23 touchdowns in 2018, leading the Hawkeyes to an 8-4 record and a berth in the Outback Bowl. He completed 58.6 percent of his passes with just nine interceptions for the year.
Stanley became the starting quarterback for the Hawkeyes in 2017, beating out Tyler Wiegers for the No. 1 spot. As a sophomore, he threw for 2,437 yards and 26 touchdowns. His breakout performance came in Iowa’s 55-24 win over Ohio State. That Saturday, Stanley threw for 226 yards and five touchdowns while completing 20-of-31 passes.
With guys like Trace McSorley, Clayton Thorson and David Blough gone — and Dwayne Haskins and Shea Patterson still up in the air about their NFL decisions — Stanley will be one of the B1G’s top returning quarterbacks in 2019. That bodes well for a program hoping to compete in the West Division again.
Iowa will take on Mississippi State in the Outback Bowl on Jan. 1 to close out the season.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB