Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

Iowa quarterback C.J. Beathard is on the mend after undergoing surgery to repair a sports hernia.

Continue for updates.

Report: Beathard Expected to Recover in 6-to-8 Weeks

Tuesday, Jan. 26

According to HawkeyeReport.com, the signal-caller went through the procedure last week in Philadelphia, and he is expected to be back in six to eight weeks, in time for spring practice. Chad Leistikow of the Des Moines Register confirmed the report Monday.

Beathard enjoyed a strong junior season for the Hawkeyes in 2015, as he threw for 2,809 yards, 17 touchdowns and five interceptions, while rushing for an additional 237 yards and six scores.

Iowa went 12-2 under Beathard's guidance, and it was just one defensive stop of Michigan State in the Big Ten Championship Game away from taking part in the College Football Playoff.

Per Rob Howe of HawkeyeNation.com, Beathard's father, Casey Beathard, revealed that the Franklin, Tennessee, native played through groin-area discomfort for much of the 2015 season after suffering an injury against the University of Pittsburgh in Week 3:

He's always been that kind of guy. He's just such a competitor, he never comes out. He won't come out because I think he's afraid he’s going to lose his job. I think at times he was in a lot of pain. ... Iowa's training staff was great all season. And they didn't overlook it by any means. None of us knew. We thought it might be one of those things that would hamper him all season until he gets rest.

Despite undergoing surgery so recently, Casey believes his son will be fully healthy in the near future, according to Howe: "(Dr. William Meyers) said that the next day (after surgery) he wanted him walking a mile. That was good news. He's still getting around a little slow but things already are going well. (Meyers) said if (C.J.) had to play a game in six weeks, he should be ready to play. Luckily he doesn't have to."

Iowa figures to lean heavily on Beathard after a career year in 2015, and the fact that he was able to pull it off at less than 100 percent gives plenty of reason for optimism heading toward the 2016 campaign.

The Hawkeyes should once again be favored in the Big Ten West, and another undefeated regular season ahead of the Big Ten Championship Game is very much within reach.

Offensive struggles ultimately sunk Iowa in the title game as well as the Rose Bowl against Stanford, but a fully healthy Beathard figures to help make the Hawkeyes a far more complete team in 2016.

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