Iowa's top high school football players: Meet the state's best quarterbacks

Some of Iowa's top signal-callers

By Barry Poe 

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be taking a position-by-position look at some of the top players in Iowa high school football. This list focuses on the quarterbacks.

There are hundreds of standout football players in Iowa and these lists are not intended to be comprehensive. Let us know about the other signal-callers worthy of fans’ attention in 2022. 

J.J. Kohl, 6-6, 227, Sr., Ankeny

Ranked as the No. 3 player in Iowa and the No, 17 quarterback in the Class of 2023 by 247Sports, Kohl has committed to Iowa State University.

Kohl picked the Cyclones over a host of other schools.

In his junior season, Kohl, whose dad Jamie kicked at Iowa State, threw for 2,185 yards, 25 touchdowns with just four interceptions, completing 60.3% of his passes. His efforts helped lead Ankeny to the 5A state title game, where it lost to Southeast Polk.

Braylon Kammrad, 6-2, 175, Sr., Lewis Central

After leading the Titans to the Class 4A state championship as a junior, Kammrad has committed to the University of Northern Iowa. The son of Lewis Central head coach Justin Kammrad passed for 2,506 yards and 25 touchdowns and rushed for 358 yards and 11 touchdowns last season to earn first team 4A all-state honors.

Blake Timmons, 5-10, 175, Sr., Solon

A dual-threat quarterback, Timmons passed for 1,553 yards and 19 touchdowns while rushing for 888 yards and 10 touchdowns last fall. He led the Spartans to an unbeaten regular season and the Class 3A state semifinals, where they lost to Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley. Timmons was named third team all-state in 3A.

Tyler Smith, 5-10, 175, Sr., Sergeant Bluff-Luton

Named to the second team Class 3A all-state squad by the Iowa Prep Sportswriters Association, Smith led the Warriors to a state playoff quarterfinal berth as a junior. He completed 64 percent of his passes (165 of 258) for 2,271 yards and 24 touchdowns while adding 511 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground.

Teagon Kasperbauer, 6-0, 175, Sr., Harlan

Harlan won its 13th state football championship last fall, defeating Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley 42-28 in the Class 3A title game. Kasperbauer was named to the all-state first team after leading the state with 3,307 passing yards and finishing second in the state with 46 passing touchdowns.

Zach Lutmer, 6-1, 190, Sr., Central Lyon/George-Little Rock

The versatile performer has committed to the University of Iowa as a defensive back. As the Lions’ quarterback, he completed 80 passes for 1,016 yards and eight touchdowns and rushed for 1,246 yards and 22 touchdowns on 149 carries. On defense, Lutmer recorded 46.5 solo tackles, three tackles for loss and four interceptions.

Preston Ries, 6-2, 205, Jr. Monticello

With a season of high school football still in front of him, Ries has already committed to the University of Iowa. Ries is expected to play linebacker for the Hawkeyes but put up some impressive numbers as a sophomore quarterback, passing for 2,594 yards and 20 touchdowns, while rushing for 1,343 yards and 14 TDs. On defense, he had 68.5 tackles and 18 tackles for loss. Ries is ranked as a 3-star recruit by Rivals.

Jaxon Smolik, 6-2, 185, Sr. W.D.M. Dowling

The Tulane University commit missed a good portion of his junior season because of a broken collarbone. Smolik has played running back in the past, making him a dual threat. A late addition to the Elite 11 Finals national quarterback camp, Smolik had a strong showing and gained an additional offer from the University of California.

Kooper Ebel, 6-3, 200, Sr., Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn

The three-star athlete committed to Iowa State this summer after receiving several offers from several other Division I schools. Ebel rushed for 1,216 yards and 18 touchdowns as a junior for the Hawks, while passing for 532 yards and seven touchdowns. On defense, he recorded a team-high 82 tackles (61 solo) and could play linebacker for the Cyclones.

Isaac Kacmarynski, 6-2, 200, Sr., Pella Christian

A returning third team all-stater, Kacmarysnki amassed 1,586 passing yards and 20 touchdowns as a junior last season, completing 59.6 percent of his passes. The Eagles finished 8-2 and made it to the second round of the Class 1A playoffs.

Tate Haughenbury, 6-3, 160, Sr. North Linn

Named to the third-team Class A all-state team last season, Haughenbury led the Lynx to an unbeaten regular season. Also a basketball standout, Haughenbury passed for 1,914 yards and 23 touchdowns, completing 62.3 percent with just five interceptions.

Mason Dicks, 6-0, 185, Sr., Newell-Fonda

An eight-player standout, Dicks earned third team all-state accolades as a junior. Dicks had 1,487 passing yards and 19 touchdowns and 1,324 rushing yards and 22 TDs.

Cael Ortmann, 6-1, 175, Sr., Remsen St. Mary’s

Ortmann won the starting quarterback job after the graduation of Blaine Harpenau, who led the Hawks to the 2020 8-player state title. He responded by finishing fourth among players in all classes with 57 touchdowns for a team that reached the state semifinals. Ortmann passed for 1,691 yards and 31 touchdowns and rushed for 976 yards and 26 scores.

Dylan Wiggins, 6-2, 180, Sr., West Sioux

Wiggins passed for 3,011 yards as a junior and tossed 35 touchdowns while leading an explosive offense that returns key receivers and running backs from last fall’s state runner up finish. Wiggins can also be elusive in the pocket as he rushed for 537 yards as well.

Wiggins has spent the month of June improving his game by attending camps at the University of South Dakota, North Dakota State and South Dakoa State and is currently drawing interest from NDSU and SDSU.

Beckett DeJean, 6-1, 175, Sr., OABCIG

The younger brother of current University of Iowa defensive back Cooper DeJean, Beckett led the Falcons to a 9-2 record last fall, passing for 2,995 yards and 30 touchdowns while rushing for 423 yards and nine TDs. DeJean recently camped at Iowa State University and the University of Iowa, where he competed as a defensive back. He has drawn interest from some Division II programs and others are showing interest.

Dallas Sauser, 6-2, 160, Sr., Ames

The top returning Class 5A passer in the state with 2,391 yards, Sauser completed 194 of 338 throws for 17 touchdowns. Sauser is ranked 11th among returning quarterbacks in Iowa by Prep Red Zone.

Bennett Brueck, 6-0, 170, Sr., Indianola

The Indians won nine games and advanced to the Class 4A state quarterfianls behind Brueck. He threw for 2,418 yards and 25 touchdowns while completing 62 percent of his passes. Brueck had just six interceptions on 254 attempts.

Peyton Rottinghaus, 5-11, 180, Sr., Urbandale

Rottinghaus ranked second among Class 5A quarterbacks with 2,277 passing yards to go along with 22 touchdowns. He completed 60 percent of his passes and was intercepted only eight times in 226 passes.

Connor Carver, 6-2, 190, Sr., Fort Dodge

Carver made third-team all-state as a utility pick last season, passing for 2,103 yards and 16 touchdowns. While working out of a spread offense, he displayed excellent vision and quickness with his arm, especially on deep throws.

Ty Hysell, 5-11, 150, Sr., Mormon Trail

Hysell is the top returning passer in the 8-player ranks with 2,027 yards and 27 touchdowns. His completion average was 55 percent and he threw 13 interceptions in 254 attempts.

Jacob Maurer, 5-10, 160, Sr., BGM

Maurer was named a second team all-stater as offensive utility pick in 8-player football last season. His 64 total touchdowns ranked second statewide. He threw for 1,807 yards and 24 touchdowns while completing 62 percent of his passes. He was just as effective on the ground, rushing for 1,900 yards and 39 touchdowns.

Conner Kraft, 6-0, 170, Sr., Le Mars Gehlen

Kraft put up some impressive numbers as a junior, completing 93 of 175 passes (53.1 percent) for 1,713 yards and 17 touchdowns. With the return of Kraft and wide receiver Keaton Bonderson, the Jays could be an offense to watch this fall.

Nolan Mount, 6-0, 180, Jr., Shenandoah

As a sophomore, Mount set school records for completions (119) passing yards (1,693) and touchdowns (12). Mount went to the air quite frequently, throwing 247 passes. Look for another season of steady improvement for Mount as a junior.

Landon Hochstein, 6-3, 195, Sr., Norwalk

Hochstein has good size and a strong arm, having passed for 1,687 yards and 18 touchdowns last season. One of the top quarterbacks in Class 4A, he completed 62.4 percent of his passes and also rushed for 411 yards and eight touchdowns.

Noah Hatlan, 6-1, 190, Sr., Waukon

Hatlan comes from a tradition-rich program with two state titles in the last four seasons. He passed for 1,621 yards and 16 touchdowns for a state semifinalist squad last season. Hatlan added four rushing touchdowns.

Gavin Kramer, 6-1, 180, Soph., Northeast

Kramer is already on the watch list for many college recruiters after a stellar first high school season. As a freshman, Kramer totaled 1,579 passing yards and 12 touchdowns, along with 719 rushing yards and 13 scores.

Max Knudsen, 6-1, 165, Jr., Osage

Another strong-armed junior, Knudsen had 1,565 passing yards and 16 touchdowns during his sophomore campaign.

Colby Collison, 6-3, 185, Sr., Bondurant-Farrar

One of the more accurate passers in the state, Collison hooked up on 62.7 percent of his passes (104 of 166) with just four interceptions. He totaled 1,555 yards and 17 touchdowns and also ran for a couple of scores.

Kale Hobart, 6-2, 165, Sr., Mason City

Hobart is the latest in a long line of successful quarterbacks at Mason City. He passed for over 1,500 yards and 12 touchdowns last season. Hobart will look to improve on his completion percentage (48.5) and interceptions (nine).

Nolan Mosier, 6-4, 210, Sr., Davenport North

Mosier split time as the starting quarterback as a sophomore and took over the job full-time last season. Mosier possesses good size and strength, passing for seven touchdowns (1,400 yards) and running for four.