So just how good an arm does right tackle Ben Lamaak have?

“I can throw the ball, I can tell you that right now . but I wasn’t accurate,” Lamaak said with a laugh. “There were times where I threw one on the dime, and there were other times where I was asking myself, ‘Did I really throw that?’ I’d say my arm is strong, but it definitely wasn’t as accurate as most quarterbacks.”

Lamaak’s roommate, Iowa State’s freshman backup quarterback Austen Arnaud, is the most likely candidate for the starting job next season after current starter Bret Meyer graduates. Arnaud has seen Lamaak’s arm and is impressed.

“Ben has a cannon, he can throw it farther than any of the quarterbacks,” Arnaud said. “He can throw it, but I don’t know about his accuracy. He said in high school, when he played quarterback, he said, ‘If the one guy wasn’t there, I was going to take it down and run it.”

Godspeed to the unfortunate player who had the unlucky task of trying to bring down a runaway 305-pound Ben Lamaak.

Despite his apparent accuracy issues, all Lamaak knows is he wants to get the ball in his hands to score a touchdown.

“I joke around with coach [Robert] McFarland, saying to put in like a tackle pass,” Lamaak said. “Or let me if we need to throw a Hail Mary at some time in the game, maybe he should let me throw it.”

His dream of getting back to his tight end roots may not be as far out as it seems.

Apparently Lamaak isn’t modest about the fact that he has some athletic ability – and that has the attention of McFarland, who did say they have some trick plays they could use involving him.

“He does let you know a lot of times how athletic he is,” said McFarland, laughing. “Some of the things he does on the field – he’ll brag about himself a little bit in a joking way, so I’m going to have to joke back with him and just see how good that arm really is.”

With Lamaak starting to get looks from McFarland, one has to wonder if Arnaud is starting to worry about his job security for next season. Arnaud, however, isn’t worried – as far as he’s concerned, Lamaak should stick to what he’s best at.

“He is a great vocalist,” Arnaud said with a laugh. “He said if we had a group, he would be the lead singer. In the shower, he just hits the high notes – it’s unbelievable.”