Iowa lists McNamara as Week 1 starting QB

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Two weeks after injuring his right leg on a scramble, Cade McNamara is listed as Iowa’s starting quarterback entering the season opener against Utah State. Here’s what you need to know:

• McNamara, a high-profile graduate transfer from Michigan, clearly has established himself as Iowa’s No. 1 quarterback since choosing the Hawkeyes last December.
• In what appeared to be a quad injury following an awkward fall, McNamara did not practice from Aug. 13 until a team photo showed him in the huddle at an Aug. 26 practice.
• He was wearing a compression wrap over his right thigh, and coach Kirk Ferentz described McNamara’s injury as “soft issue.”

The Athletic’s instant analysis:

Will McNamara play?

Ferentz regularly shrugs off his weekly depth chart, which makes the quarterback’s status unclear rather than a mere formality. Often Ferentz will insert an “OR” at a position of uncertainty, but in this case, McNamara is the No. 1 followed by sophomores Deacon Hill and Joe Labas.

When healthy, McNamara is the clear starter. Of course, there are five days between the depth chart and kickoff and Ferentz is not beholden to forcing him to start.

What is more interesting is both Hill and Labas were listed. Usually, Ferentz lists only the backup, and Labas hasn’t practiced for most of camp with his own soft tissue injury. Hill has flashed potential but also has been erratic throughout training camp. That could leave the door open for Labas to vault up as the backup or emergency starter. Labas opened the Music City Bowl last year.

How does this impact the offense?

Whether McNamara plays or sits, the Hawkeyes are likely to rely on their running game. Sophomore Kaleb Johnson rushed for an Iowa freshman record 779 yards last year, and the Hawkeyes face a defense that ranked 113th in rushing yards allowed per game (194.2), 108th in rushing yards allowed per attempt (4.76) and last in penalty yards per game (75.9).

Other depth chart notes

Connor Colby, a junior, has moved from left guard, where he has six consecutive starts, to right guard, where he opened 11 games in 2021. Senior Nick DeJong now is the starting left guard, where he has five career starts.

Gennings Dunker, a sophomore, is listed as the starting right tackle, ahead of grad transfer Daijon Parker. Grad transfer Rusty Feth, a second-team All-MAC lineman, is a reserve guard, as is sophomore Beau Stephens, who started 10 games last year.

At defensive tackle, junior Yahya Black has taken Noah Shannon’s place. Shannon was suspended for the season by the NCAA for gambling on an Iowa sports team but is appealing. Although two other players also face multigame suspensions, they have not come out publicly and Iowa claims FERPA to avoid outing them. At least one of the players was listed on the depth chart.

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(Photo: Matthew Holst / Getty Images)