Kirk Ferentz expects Cade McNamara to be QB1, ‘fully healthy’ ahead of 2024 season

WEST DES MOINES — Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz left little ambiguity about the Hawkeyes’ starting quarterback situation heading into summer workouts.

“If (Cade McNamara is) healthy, he’s our starter,” Ferentz said Tuesday evening in his first public comments since ex-Northwestern quarterback Brendan Sullivan’s commitment. “There’s no delusion there. … There’s no reason to think he won’t be healthy in August, so that’s how we’re starting out.”

While McNamara is the favorite to start on Aug. 31, that does not entirely preclude Sullivan from competing for QB1 in fall camp.

“If somebody can beat him out, great, that means somebody is doing well,” Ferentz said of McNamara. “Or he’s doing poorly, and that’s not good. But if somebody’s doing better than him, that’s great. … We’re just going to let things play out.”

McNamara has been recovering from his season-ending knee injury, which required surgery. His participation in spring practices was heavily limited and “there’s no way to predict what’s going to happen” with injuries, but Ferentz expects him “to be fully healthy.”

“It’s an ACL. Penix got drafted eighth and had two of them,” Ferentz said, referencing 2024 NFL first-round pick Michael Penix. “So it’s not like 1982.”

McNamara will enter the 2024 season with no shortage of experience. He has 555 career dropbacks, per Pro Football Focus, and has started 21 games in his five years at Michigan or Iowa.

“He’s got to be like 28 now,” Ferentz said. “He’s been around for a while. So those guys have a little better ability to learn, I think, than maybe a first-year or second-year player would.”

McNamara was “in tune mentally” during spring practices as well, Ferentz said, as Iowa implemented offensive coordinator Tim Lester’s scheme.

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But if McNamara incurs a setback to his knee recovery or another injury, the Hawkeyes have a safety net with Sullivan’s arrival. Sullivan started eight games in his three seasons with Big Ten foe Northwestern with a career completion percentage of 68.4.

“Any time you can add players that maybe have experience in the conference, that’s a good thing,” Ferentz said while being careful to not specifically mention Sullivan by name.

Friday night lights

In non-quarterback news, Iowa football has not played a Friday night game since 2021. Ferentz hinted toward that changing in 2024.

“I think there’s going to be an announcement coming up here,” Ferentz told reporters. “So apparently that’s something else I’ve learned that you guys haven’t. Yeah, it won’t be at Kinnick at least. That’s good news.”

Iowa’s 2024 road games are at Minnesota, Ohio State, Michigan State, UCLA and Maryland.

Ferentz has not been much of a fan of Friday night games, especially given the overlap with high school football.

“If we have to play on a Friday night, I just hope it’s not in Iowa City because then I will feel like a traitor to high school football,” Ferentz said. “Not that I’ve got anything to do with it. … It doesn’t really matter what I prefer or don’t prefer.”

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com

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