Iowa State knows who its starting quarterback will be in 2017. Barring an injury or suspension, junior Jacob Park will be the No. 1 quarterback to start the season. The backup job, however, hasn’t been decided yet.

“It’s wide open,” coach Matt Campbell said. “I think that’s going to be a really fun battle for us to watch.”

And while Park seems like the clear-cut starter at quarterback today, anything can happen, and Iowa State fans should know that as well as anyone.

Since 2009, Iowa State has had at least two players throw 50 or more passes each season. In 2011, Steele Jantz and Jared Barnett threw 259 and 220 passes, respectively. Last season Park and Joel Lanning split the passing load, with Park attempting 225 passes compared to 170 from Lanning.

What does this mean? It means Iowa State always seems to need a second quarterback, just as nearly every team in America does. Injuries, suspensions and poor play can all result in the need for a change under center, and Iowa State isn’t immune to that necessity.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing for the Cyclones. Iowa State has talent at quarterback behind Park, but that talent doesn’t come with much experience. With Joel Lanning at linebacker this season, the backup duties will fall to Kyle Kempt, Zeb Noland and Devon Moore.

With only two career pass attempts, Kempt has the most experience out of all the backups. As a redshirt senior, he also holds seniority over Noland and Moore, who are both freshmen.

“Kyle’s a guy that I thought had a really good spring from start to finish for us,” Campbell said.

Noland, who redshirted last season, is recovering from an ACL injury that sidelined him last year. Campbell said Noland is “full-go” in practice now. If he had remained healthy, Noland could have competed for the backup quarterback position a year ago, which was ultimately Jacob Park’s role until midway through the season.

The third man in the rotation, Devon Moore, might not have as good a chance to play as Kempt and Noland. Moore is a true freshman who is just getting his first taste of college football.

“Devon’s a young guy that’s shown really good intangibles,” Campbell said. “He can run, can throw, and [he has] elite arm strength.”

Moore’s intangibles might give him an edge, but his youth and inexperience could hold him back this season.

Regardless, the quarterback who wins the No. 2 job will have to be ready when the season rolls around.

“It’s going to be really fun to watch those three guys maneuver and see their growth through fall camp,” Campbell said.