The departure of Seneca Wallace has left ISU head football coach Dan McCarney with the big question of who will take over the quarterback position.

Even after a couple weeks of practice, McCarney said the spot is still very much open.

“Chris Love has a little bit of an edge right now just because he has the best grasp overall,” McCarney said. “He’s been coached the longest and has seen some actual game time while the other guys haven’t seen any at all.”

Other candidates for the position include Waye Terry, Austin Flynn and Kyle Van Winkle.

“They all have good arms, they’re great athletes and they’re smart, but it’s all about leading the offense, moving the sticks, and not making too many mental mistakes out there,” McCarney said. “It’s day-to-day right now. There is no final decision yet.”

Even though his quarterbacks have little to no game experience, McCarney said his veteran offense should help make up for it.

“The supporting cast is strong with our offense and that helps out the quarterback a lot,” he said.

After failing to have a 1,000-yard rusher for the first time since he arrived at Iowa State, McCarney said the running back position is wide open, too. McCarney’s answer may be in redshirt freshman Stevie Hicks.

“It’s too early to tell, but he will definitely play,” McCarney said. “He’s a big physical back that can punch it in on the goal line. He’s still making a few too many mental mistakes, but he’s going to be a special player, no doubt about it.”

Although Hicks could steal his spot, Hiawatha Rutland, last year’s leading rusher, is still the front-runner.

“If the season started tomorrow, Hiawatha would be our starting running back,” McCarney said. “But we have major scrimmages and weeks of practice before we make those decisions.”

Another theme of this spring’s practices is position changes. Senior Joe Woodley played fullback and linebacker for the Cyclones last year, but this year he will play only linebacker.

“It wasn’t really fair to ask him to play both sides of the ball,” McCarney said. “He’s had an outstanding spring so far and he’s playing the best football he’s ever played here.”

McCarney also said the addition of freshman fullback Ryan Kock was a factor in Woodley’s move to linebacker.

“Kock’s a fullback that can run and he’s very physical,” McCarney said. “He made us feel better about making that move.”

McCarney was dealt a blow earlier this spring when his senior linebacker Chris Whitaker tore his pectoral muscle while lifting weights.

“It was a very serious injury that had to be surgically repaired,” McCarney said. “He’ll definitely be back this fall though.”

McCarney also switched junior safety Anthony Forrest to cornerback this offseason.

“We like that move. Our secondary is playing the best that I’ve ever seen since I came to Iowa State,” McCarney said. “We’ve got more quality players, we’re making more plays and we’re more physical, plus JaMaine Billups has had a tremendous spring so far.”

The departure of center Zach Butler left a hole in the offensive line that McCarney plans to fill with junior Luke Vander Sanden. Formerly a guard, Vander Sanden hasn’t seen any game action since breaking his leg in Iowa State’s win over Nebraska last season. McCarney said Vander Sanden made a good recovery from the injury and is fine now.

“He knocked the rust off it in the first couple days of practice,” McCarney said.

Fans can see the Cyclones’ annual spring game at 1 p.m. April 19 at Jack Trice Stadium. Admission is free.