Iowa Hawkeyes QB McNamara Out For Season

According to a report from the Hawkeyes Insider, Quarterback Cade McNamara will sit the rest of the Hawkeye's season out.

Iowa Hawkeyes quarterback Cade McNamara is sidelined for the 2023 season due to a knee injury sustained during the game against Michigan State. McNamara, who transferred to Iowa from Michigan, had faced injury setbacks earlier in the season but managed to play in the opener. His absence will continue to see sophomore Deacon Hill take over as the starting quarterback. Fortunately, McNamara is eligible to return in 2024, thanks to NCAA's extended eligibility for players involved in the COVID-19-affected 2020 season. As of now there is now word on a return for the young QB. The injury is a setback for the Hawkeyes, who will rely on Hill to lead the team for the remainder of the year.

Cade McNamara's unfortunate string of injuries began with a non-contact quad injury during Iowa's fall practice on August 12th. Despite his determination to play, McNamara's recent knee injury has impacted his spirits and the Hawkeyes' football season as a whole. His leadership and competitive spirit had endeared him to fans and earned him a captaincy. Wisconsin transfer Deacon Hill, now the starting quarterback, benefited from extra practice due to McNamara's injuries. Hill showed poise during his first game, despite six dropped passes by Hawkeyes wide receivers. Hill finished the Michigan State game with a completed 11 of 27 passes for 115 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

"Deacon, unfortunately has gotten more practice, I don't mean that in a negative way, but he's practiced more than a normal No. 2 guy would because of Cade's first issue. I think that benefitted him a little bit tonight. But it's one thing to practice. It's another thing to step in there when the game is on the line which it was. We had a lot of football to play. I thought he showed good poise out there. Played with confidence."

-Kirk Ferentz, Iowa Hawkeye Football Head Coach

Wisconsin transfer quarterback Deacon Hill is registered at 6-foot-3 258-pounds but hasn't seen significant action since his senior year of high school, which was only three games long due to COVID restrictions. As a junior, he completed 200-of-341 passes for 3,102 yards, 33 touchdowns, and seven interceptions while running for 461 yards and 13 touchdowns.