ISU football coach Paul Rhoads addressed questions Monday, July 23, at the Big 12 Conference’s annual media day. With last year’s win over Iowa and Oklahoma with a trip to the Pinstripe Bowl to cap it all off, fans certainly have had multiple questions on their minds.

Rhoads talked about the issue of Shontrelle Johnson, a running back who was out for the season last year due to injury.

“Well, there were doubts until he went through a set of X-rays this summer that had to be looked at by his surgeon, and the fusion that took place — that was fully healed, fully fused, and [the surgeon] gave his blessing that he could play,” Rhoads said to a moderator during an interview with ASAP Sports.

Rhoads said his biggest concern now is Johnson continuing to move forward during and after the recovery.

One of the first questions Rhoads was asked was about his team’s victory over No. 2 Oklahoma State last season and how that had affected the team this year.

“I think the most significant component of that victory for our football program has been national attention,” Rhoads said. “And you play that game on a Friday night at a point late in the season that affected the BCS race, and you got the whole nation talking about it all weekend long.”

Rhoads was also asked about the quarterback battle between Jared Barnett and Steele Jantz and what Rhoads will be looking for in a quarterback this season. 

“We most definitely need better play from the quarterback position if we’re going to become a better football team and namely in the area of accuracy,” Rhoads said. “Our quarterbacks completed, I think, 51 percent of their passes in all last year. We threw too many to the wrong-colored jersey.”

To catch the full interview with Paul Rhoads, click the link here at Cyclones.com.