Cade McNamara’s story as an Iowa football quarterback isn’t finished yet.

After losing his job and a two-game absence from a concussion, the sixth-year senior is preparing to lead the Hawkeyes once again.

McNamara has been cleared from his concussion, a source with direct knowledge of the situation confirmed to the Register on Monday, and the plan is for him to start in Saturday’s game at Maryland (11 a.m. CT, Big Ten Network).

The news of McNamara’s re-emergence to Iowa’s No. 1 quarterback comes in conjunction with Brendan Sullivan’s ankle injury being worse than initially thought. Sullivan exited Iowa’s 20-17 loss at UCLA in the third quarter after injuring his ankle on a third-down scramble.

Though Sullivan returned to that game for one more series, he was benched after throwing an interception and replaced by Jackson Stratton. Further testing last week showed a serious ankle injury that will cost him the rest of the regular season, the source confirmed. That news was first reported by CBS Sports on Monday.

So, it’ll be McNamara and Stratton, a walk-on, the rest of the way for the Hawkeyes (6-4, 4-3 Big Ten). They’re listed as 6½-point favorites to beat the Terrapins (4-6, 1-6).

For the Hawkeyes, the Sullivan injury is an unfortunate dose of bad news. Despite his three-turnover game at UCLA, he gave the Iowa offense some juice with his dual-threat ability. Sullivan came off the bench to lead a 40-14 shellacking of Northwestern and then a 42-10 rout of Wisconsin before the trip to Pasadena, California. And even when McNamara was the starter, Sullivan offered Iowa a very successful goal-line quarterback option that offensive coordinator Tim Lester was delighted to deploy.

For McNamara, this is one final chance to finish his underwhelming Hawkeyes career on a high note. He committed to Iowa nearly two years ago, as a high-profile transfer from Michigan after leading the Wolverines to the 2021 College Football Playoff. Excitement about McNamara’s arrival was off the charts, and on a subsequent podcast McNamara dared outsiders to doubt the Hawkeyes’ beleaguered offense.

But his Iowa career has been a major disappointment to date.

A combination of major injuries slowed McNamara’s runway in 2023. A quad issue that August left him mostly immobile, and a torn ACL in late September ended his season altogether after just four-plus games.

McNamara came into 2024 with a clean bill of health after knee surgery, and he simply underperformed. His disastrous second half against Iowa State was costly in a dispiriting 20-19 home loss. He committed three second-half turnovers in a 35-7 loss at Ohio State, then was an ugly 3-for-9 in a decisive first half of a 32-20 loss at Michigan State.

Video: Iowa QB Cade McNamara on moving forward from Michigan State loss

QB Cade McNamara discusses a variety of topcis ahead of Iowa’s matchup with Northwestern.

McNamara has not topped 150 yards passing in any of his nine starts against power-conference competition as a Hawkeye.

Now, though, comes a chance to finish strong as a supporting cast also regains health following the team’s second off week. McNamara will face the nation’s 123rd-ranked passing defense in Maryland, one that allows more yards per game (262.7) than any other Big Ten team.

Iowa also is expected to get the return of linebacker Jay Higgins on Saturday, a Register source confirmed. Head coach Kirk Ferentz expressed optimism after the UCLA loss that tight end Addison Ostrenga also would be back after missing five games with an upper-body injury. If Ostrenga and No. 1 tight end Luke Lachey (quad bruise; nine snaps at UCLA) are back in the fold, that plus the Big Ten rushing leader in Kaleb Johnson should give McNamara every chance to succeed. It’s possible that starting wide receiver Reece Vander Zee (stress fracture) could return at Maryland, too.

A Black Friday home game against reeling Nebraska (5-5, 2-5) closes Iowa’s regular season. There is a path for Iowa to finish 8-4, in which case it’s almost certainly a trip back to Tampa for the Dec. 31 Reliaquest Bowl against a Southeastern Conference team to be determined. A 9-4 season, with McNamara finishing the deal, is not out of the question.

The Hawkeyes being a nearly touchdown favorite in College Park, Maryland, shows that oddsmakers are optimistic that Iowa won’t be held back by quarterback play.

No, McNamara will not be able to do enough to suddenly make his two-year Iowa career a resounding success. But he does have captain-level support from his teammates, who will undoubtedly be prepared to rally around McNamara to the 2024 finish line.

Hawkeyes columnist Chad Leistikow has served for 30 years with The Des Moines Register and USA TODAY Sports Network. Chad is the 2023 INA Iowa Sports Columnist of the Year and NSMA Co-Sportswriter of the Year in Iowa. Join Chad’s text-message group (free for subscribers) at HawkCentral.com/HawkeyesTexts. Follow @ChadLeistikow on X.