A lot of eyes are on the quarterback battle in Iowa City. It was a topic of conversation heading into the spring and will likely still be a prominent talking point as the Hawkeyes head into the fall.

Iowa enters the 2022 season with some uncertainty at quarterback. While Spencer Petras has been the starter each of the past two seasons, the passing attack hasn’t been quite as crisp as the team would like. That could open the door for Alex Padilla — or even Joe Labas — to win the job.

Coming out of spring, Ferentz was asked about the quarterback situation and what he’s seen from the three guys competing for that No. 1 spot.

“I think all three made a lot of progress,” Ferentz said. “All three are growing. All three, different discussions.”

Ferentz said that Labas is quite a bit behind Petras and Padilla from a learning perspective, but that he’s “done a good job,” and has kept a “good attitude.” He also mentioned that, because of some injury issues with Padilla, Labas has been able to take advantage of some additional reps.

Heading into fall, Ferentz says that Petras is the leader in the clubhouse for the starting job. But with months until the opening kickoff, there’s a lot of time to make a final decision.

“We’re going to keep an open mind,” he said.