Iowa State’s quarterback picture behind Jaylen Raynor is still not settled, and with fall camp winding down, that’s one of the bigger battles left to sort out.
Keith Heckendorf talked with William Seals of On3 on Tuesday and had praise for both Zane Flores and Connor Moberly, a sign that the Cyclones still don’t have a clean answer for the backup job. That’s not exactly a surprise given how this camp has gone. Iowa State is working through a new coaching staff and a roster that looks almost nothing like last year’s group, so the competition at a number of spots has stayed wide open.
The backup quarterback race was expected to be one of those close calls from the start. Flores entered camp with game experience from his time with the Oklahoma State Cowboys last season, though that came on a struggling team. Moberly, meanwhile, was one of the few holdovers from the previous roster, but the change in staff wiped out any natural edge he might have had from already knowing the system or playbook.
For now, there’s still no announcement on who has won the job behind Raynor. And based on how both quarterbacks have performed, it sounds like Iowa State could end up using both at different points this season.
Raynor is locked in as the starter, but the Cyclones appear to have two options they can trust if they need them. That matters in blowouts, and it matters even more if Raynor ever has to miss time.
Flores would seem to have the advantage on paper because of that Big 12 starting experience, but Moberly is still very much in the mix. For Iowa State, that alone is a pretty encouraging development.
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