IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Junior quarterback C.J. Beathard stands tall as the face of Iowa’s resurgence.
He is unflappable, a steadying force this fall, and by all accounts, a free spirit. The son of a Nashville songwriting star with musical talent of his own, Beathard allowed his blond locks to drape across his shoulder pads last year. But before this debut season at the helm, he sheared his hair close and largely shed his image as a gambler.
Beathard’s personal transformation -- real or imagined -- fittingly represents what America thinks it knows about the fifth-ranked Hawkeyes.