IOWA CITY -- Iowa freshman quarterback James Resar has changed positions. The three-star gunslinger that came in as part of the 2024 recruiting class will now serve as a wide receiver for the Hawkeyes.
"We looked at things and kind of felt like that might be his best avenue to the field," head coach Kirk Ferentz said at Tuesday's media availability. "He's a good athlete and a good-sized guy."
The 2024 gunslinger came into Iowa with a considerable amount of experience under center. Over four years at Bishop Kenny in Jacksonville, Florida, Resar played in 33 games, completing 346-of-550 passes (62.9%) for 4,756 yards and 47 touchdowns. He did it on the ground as well, running the ball 185 times for 1,502 yards (8.1 yards per carry) and 21 scores over his career.
He doesn't just have football speed, either. Resar ran a 10.67 100-meter dash during his junior year of track. For frame of reference, that time would have won the 2A and 3A state titles in 2023, would have broken the previous state record in 1A, and placed second in 4A in Iowa.
When Tyler Barnes, Iowa’s chief of staff and general manager, first spoke about Resar on National Signing Day, he noted his athleticism.
"James has a role as a passer," he said, "but you can't deny the athletic ability that he has, and that's something that intrigued us. Something maybe a little bit different than we have in the room currently and in the past few years."
In addition to the news that Resar will change his position, Ferentz also noted that Resar recently sustained an injury in practice and will miss some time.
"He was doing a good job [at receiver] unfortunately until he got injured," Ferentz added. "It's another knee injury where there was no contact at all, which just seems to be a trend. It's kind of weird."
Between Resar's injury and the concussion that Cade McNamara sustained against Northwestern, Iowa is down to two scholarship quarterbacks in Brendan Sullivan and Marco Lainez. Colorado State transfer and walk-on Jackson Stratton is the third-string option at QB.
READ MORE: Sullivan Grateful for Success, Remains Focused on Future
"That's really who is left, and I won't tell you who number four is right now, and I hope you never find out," Ferentz laughed. "It's a guy who played high school quarterback. We're basically out of guys. ... We'll go with the guys we've got and find a way."
