No QB controversy at Iowa: Kirk Ferentz says Cade McNamara is the starter

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa — Kirk Ferentz declined to mention a transfer portal commitment’s name (cough, quarterback Brendan Sullivan, cough) and hinted at another (receiver Jacob Gill) in the fold just minutes before it became semi-official on social media. He had no problem mentioning how either player will help the Hawkeyes this fall.

But to ensure his message is not misconstrued after landing Sullivan, a former starter at Northwestern, Ferentz reiterated Cade McNamara is Iowa’s starting quarterback once he resumes full workouts.

“If he’s healthy, he’s our starter,” Ferentz said at the annual Polk County I-Club event. “There’s no delusion there, no misconception about that. And there’s no reason to think he won’t be healthy in August.

“Then if somebody beats him out, great.”

McNamara started five games last year for Iowa and completed just 51.1 percent of his passes for 505 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions. He tore his left ACL on Sept. 30 and is still rehabbing the injury. During spring practice, McNamara took shuffle steps while dropping back in throwing routes but had no lateral movements and didn’t participate in team work.

After leading Michigan to the 2021 Big Ten championship and a College Football Playoff berth, McNamara enrolled at Iowa in spring 2023. A right quad tear suffered last August during an open practice hindered his early-season development. It prevented him from practicing for the final two weeks of training camp, and about half of Iowa’s offensive playbook was dumped while he recovered.

“We expect him to be fully healthy,” Ferentz said. “He couldn’t participate this spring, but he was in tune mentally. And he’s an experienced guy — he’s going to be like, 28 now (actually 24 later this month) — so he’s been around for a while.”

Of Iowa’s three quarterbacks participating in spring drills, two opted for the transfer portal, including nine-game starter Deacon Hill. With only three scholarship QBs — a recovering McNamara, redshirt freshman Marco Lainez and incoming freshman James Resar — the Hawkeyes needed another quarterback. Last week, they landed Sullivan.

Sullivan, a junior who stands 6 feet 3 and weighs 225 pounds, started eight games the last two seasons at Northwestern and played in 12. He opened a pair of games against Iowa — both losses — and was 2-6 as a starter. But Sullivan completed 68.7 percent of his passes for 10 touchdowns, five interceptions and 1,303 yards and won two starts last fall.

Joining Sullivan at Iowa is Gill, who spent the last three seasons at Northwestern and has two remaining. The 6-foot, 190-pound Gill caught 16 passes for 195 yards and two touchdowns for the Wildcats. He played in only four games last year because of injuries. The Hawkeyes were depleted at receiver following spring practice, especially after sophomore Jacob Bostick transferred to Texas A&M.

“We obviously had the need at a couple of positions, and I think we’ve added two players that are going to be good additions to our team, and they’ll come in and compete,” Ferentz said. “They’re both older guys, which is a nice thing. There’s some advantages of having transfers, and I think they’re both good fits for our program. So given their specific positions, they’re going to hopefully add to the competition, and hopefully make us a better football team.

“I think anytime you can add players that maybe have experience in the conference, that’s a good thing.”

The Hawkeyes are up to 89 players on scholarship, although the program is not required to place the sixth-year returnees on full rides this fall. Iowa’s Swarm Collective could compensate those players for the value of a full scholarship.

Bluder appears at I-Club

Ferentz usually headlines the I-Club outings, but he shared the spotlight Tuesday with recently retired women’s basketball coach Lisa Bluder. The winningest coach in Big Ten women’s basketball history, Bluder chose to participate in the event despite stepping down on Monday.

Bluder, 63, led the Hawkeyes to consecutive NCAA title game appearances. But in the five weeks after the tournament, she and her husband, David, took a vacation to Arizona and discussed their future. Bluder made several phone calls to coaching colleagues and believed this was the right time to step down.

“My son is going to be a senior at Grinnell College next year, and I get to see all of his games,” Bluder said. “I missed so many of my kids’ things, and it’s just time for me be able to give time to them fully.”

Iowa moved quickly on Bluder’s replacement, officially elevating associate head coach Jan Jensen 23 minutes after the announcement. Jensen spent 32 years alongside Bluder, plus playing one season for her at Drake.

“She has had opportunities and she’s turned them down to stay at the University of Iowa,” Bluder said. “That loyalty, you can’t replace that. Her love for the University of Iowa, being an Iowa girl, that is so important and that’s why she’s going to do so well because she’s so passionate about it.”

Bluder plans to travel while she and her husband are healthy enough to make trips, with Alaska as her preferred destination. It’s somewhat ironic because what she said she won’t miss about coaching are “the road trips.”

“I will miss the players and just the camaraderie of being a part of a team, being part of a coaching staff and a team,” Bluder said. “There’s nothing like that.”

(Photo: Scott Taetsch / Getty Images)