As Iowa seeks QB help from transfer portal, Brendan Sullivan’s Music City Bowl start could be audition for 2025

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — After seemingly gaining momentum in the previous two games, Brendan Sullivan’s 2024 regular season ended abruptly with a tough hit (and subsequent ankle injury) last month against UCLA.

“Anybody that’s played any sport competitively knows that it sucks watching your brothers go fight without you,” the ex-Northwestern quarterback said.

But now Sullivan is back, and his return to full health comes at an expedient time for Iowa’s staff and him personally. With Iowa seeking quarterback help via the transfer portal, the Music City Bowl may function as a quasi-audition for Sullivan as Iowa’s first-team quarterback.

“It’s obviously something that’s in the back of your mind, but at the end of the day, I just want to go play football,” Sullivan said, “have fun playing it and do what I want to do for this team.”

Iowa’s search for quarterbacks via the transfer portal has been no secret — first with the successful recruitment of ex-Auburn quarterback Hank Brown and then with a swing and miss on ex-Penn State quarterback Beau Pribula (who committed to Missouri). Iowa is not done shopping for quarterbacks either.

“We’re always looking to see what opportunities we have to continue to build the (quarterback) room,” offensive coordinator Tim Lester said. “We still don’t have enough in there. I would like to have five or six. … If the right person comes along that we think fits our culture and Iowa, then we’ll definitely go after them.”

Lester has been “super transparent” about Iowa’s search for quarterback reinforcements in the portal, Sullivan said multiple times, and “obviously you see it on social media, too.”

“That’s the name of the game these days,” Sullivan said. “You got to compete. If you’re scared to compete, then you shouldn’t be playing the game. So I’m here staying, playing for Iowa and I’m going to continue to compete to the best of my abilities.”

Iowa’s search for quarterbacks is not necessarily an indictment on Sullivan’s abilities, but perhaps a reflection of how little depth the Hawkeyes now have at the position.

The only other scholarship quarterbacks on next year’s roster so far are Brown and incoming freshman Jimmy Sullivan. Jackson Stratton and incoming freshman Ryan Fitzgerald are walk-ons.

Iowa, meanwhile, lost three scholarship quarterbacks to the transfer portal — Cade McNamara, Marco Lainez and James Resar (although Iowa moved Resar to wide receiver).

“I was friends with all those guys, so it’s kind of sad to see them leave,” Sullivan said. “On a personal note, I’m just trying to support them as best as possible when they’re going through their process. But it was cool — we got some good guys in the room and some great additions character-wise. So I’m excited to keep learning through them and passing on what I know down to them as well.”

It now means that every quarterback at Iowa in 2025 will have signed during offensive coordinator Tim Lester’s tenure (rather than Brian Ferentz’s tenure). It also means that Sullivan — who committed to Iowa fewer than eight months ago — is now the longest-tenured quarterback at Iowa.

“It is kind of crazy to think about,” Sullivan said when he heard of his longest-tenured title.

While Sullivan has not been a Hawkeye for long, he has quickly gained respect from his teammates and coaches.

“He’s a great leader and someone that we really need to count on,” tight end Luke Lachey said after one of Iowa’s pre-bowl practices in Nashville.

Lester described Sullivan as an “unbelievable young man.” Head coach Kirk Ferentz has been impressed with Sullivan’s “want-to and willpower.”

“I think he’s his own worst enemy at times because he tries so hard and competes so hard, so we have to get him to play calm a little bit,” Ferentz said.

Sullivan went 24-of-35 (68.6 percent) with two touchdown passes and two interceptions during the regular season. He also had 144 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns. His usage was almost exclusive to a goal-to-go package in the first two months of the season before taking over for Cade McNamara in the Northwestern game and starting against Wisconsin and UCLA.

He showed off his dual-threat abilities against Northwestern and Wisconsin. He went 9-of-14 with 80 passing yards and 40 rushing yards against the Wildcats. Then against Wisconsin, he was 7-of-10 with 93 passing yards and 58 rushing yards. He didn’t have any turnovers in either game.

UCLA, on the other hand, “wasn’t fun,” as he went 6-of-9 for 157 yards with two interceptions and a fumble.

“Obviously a poor performance on my end,” Sullivan said. “Didn’t help getting hit a lot, too, which was partially my fault as well.”

It is a game Sullivan has “learned from tremendously from watching the film,” though.

“Not letting things spiral,” Sullivan said. “A big thing with me is I get too hard on myself. One bad play leads to another, which is not good at our position.”

That also was, of course, the game where he suffered an ankle injury that kept him out of Iowa’s last two regular season games. Sullivan said he “got hit so hard that my left leg got stuck in the ground.”

“Tried to toughen through it, but it was one of those things,” Sullivan said. “I’m a mobile guy, and I couldn’t end up finishing the game.”

Sullivan was not in uniform for Iowa’s Week 13 game at Maryland as Jackson Stratton made his first career start.

Sullivan was in uniform against Nebraska, but Iowa stuck with Stratton as he went 8-of-15 for 115 yards — numbers dramatically boosted by Kaleb Johnson’s 72-yard touchdown reception. Ferentz said afterward that Sullivan was “available, but not mobile.”

Sullivan said he started to feel like himself again during bowl prep.

“I kind of tried to rush back for the Nebraska week and was kind of in-and-out that week,” Sullivan said. “I didn’t really feel too great that week, but we got a couple days off before bowl prep. And then when I got back into bowl prep, that’s when I started feeling kind of like myself again — running around and doing what I do best.”

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The fact Sullivan was “kind of immobilized for a few weeks” with his injury forced him to focus on non-mobility aspects of his game.

“Being able to sit in the pocket, not take off too soon and go through my progressions is something I think I’ve grown tremendously in,” Sullivan said.

But while still “being smart,” Sullivan’s injury against UCLA is not going to stop him from taking off on his feet on Monday against Missouri (or against any other foe for that matter).

“At the end of the day, that’s the kind of player I am,” Sullivan said. “I’m going to get my head down. I’m going to go get the extra yards. I’m going to do what I got to do to remain the quarterback and help this team win in any way possible.”

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com

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