Cade McNamara will enter the transfer portal

Cade McNamara announced his intention to enter the transfer portal on Wednesday morning. He spent two seasons at Iowa after starting his career at Michigan.

After suffering a concussion in the Hawkeye win over Northwestern in October, McNamara did not play another snap at quarterback for the Hawkeyes.

After transferring from Michigan to Iowa in the winter of 2022, McNamara completed rehab from an injury sustained during the spring and summer with the Wolverines and completed his first full 11-on-11 reps in fall camp. With Deacon Hill, Joe Labas and freshman Marco Lainez as the only other scholarship QBs on the roster, McNamara was the clear starter for the Hawkeyes heading into the 2023 season.

Expectations were high for McNamara and the Hawkeyes after he led Michigan to a College Football Playoff appearance as a starter in 2021.

An injury hampered the start of McNamara’s on-field career in Iowa City due to a quadriceps injury at Iowa’s Kids’ Day open practice. He began the season as the starting QB and continued to play despite obvious limitations.

After a 3-1 start to the season, the gunslinger suffered an ACL injury against Michigan State and did not see the field again in 2023. He quickly reiterated that he plans to return to Iowa in 2024.

In his five starts in 2023, McNamara completed 46 of 90 passes for 505 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions.

After limited spring and offseason rehab, McNamara returned as the starter at Iowa in 2024 and endured a rollercoaster season. With high altitudes on the other hand State of IllinoisTroy and Washington, McNamara’s lows were equally low. Against Iowa State, Minnesota, Ohio State, Michigan State and Northwestern, McNamara’s poor play was often a key factor in Iowa’s problems. At times, the Hawkeyes appeared to be winning despite his struggles on the field.

Despite the difficulties at the beginning of the season, offensive coordinator Tim Lester praised McNamara after his 11-of-19 performance for 62 yards against the Gophers.

“The passing game is all about the feet and timing,” Lester said in a media release. “I had him, I think, 11 of 13. We had two drops, we had two great reads and throws where the routes weren’t executed correctly, I called a bad play and he threw it away, which was a good one Decision was.” and we had knocked one away.

Overall, Lester said his quarterback showed improvement, especially compared to his tough play against Iowa State.

“I was very impressed with his feet and I rate that too. “Can you execute this attack in time?” Lester said. “The second week was probably his worst game as far as his footwork. If your feet aren’t right, you won’t be an accurate thrower of the ball. I really thought he had a pretty good game on Saturday.”

He finished the season 5-3 as a starter, completing 104 of 172 passes for 1,017 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions.

McNamara ends his Iowa career having completed 150 of 262 passes for 1,523 yards, 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions in 13 starts.