Hawkeye Football: Michigan QB Cade McNamara Transferring to Iowa

Dec 2, 2022 - 1:52 AM

The transfer portal doesn’t officially open until Monday but that hasn’t stopped players from announcing their intention to enter, nor has it stopped speculation from running rampant about their possible destinations.

For Iowa, this has meant the loss of some important players, including quarterback Alex Padilla and receiver Keagan Johnson to the transfer portal. And it’s likely they won’t be the only departures to hit the program.

However, this evening the transfer portal provided some huge news for the Hawkeyes, as they essentially traded one quarterback for another.

Iowa fans are no stranger to Cade McNamara. As we well remember, he led the Wolverines to a Big Ten Championship last year, squeaking by Iowa 42-3. That year he posted a 64.2 completion percentage, which should have the Iowa offensive staff salivating, and threw for 2,576 yards, and 15 touchdowns against six interceptions.

In 2022 he lost the starter job to J.J. McCarthy and later suffered an injury in week three for which he underwent surgery. McCarthy solidified his hold on the position after an unbeaten year and McNamara entered the portal.

The commitment is a tremendous win for the Hawkeyes desperate for some good news after a disappointing end to the regular season. Being able to land a player like McNamara, at the highest profile position in the sport and with two remaining years of eligibility, should add some juice to the program and hopefully entice other transfers to take a good look at Iowa.

The Hawkeyes are expected to be active in the portal this offseason. Despite taking just one transfer a season ago, the fewest of any Big Ten team. The Iowa staff has already been in contact with numerous portal entrants at a number of key positions. You can see an updated list of players being followed by the Iowa staff on our Transfer Portal Tracker.

Welcome aboard, Cade!