The Iowa football program entered the 2024 season with expectations of a new, powerful offense following the staff change.
Despite coordinator Tim Lester joining the staff in place of Brian Ferentz, Iowa has still produced a lackluster product on the field. Now, many fans and analysts alike are turning their attention toward quarterback Cade McNamara as the offense continues to struggle with consistency.
McNamara came over to the Iowa program from Ann Arbor after transferring out of the Michigan program. The former Wolverine suffered an injury and could not play the entire season with the Hawkeyes a year ago, but did play in a handful of games. Fans believed at the start of the 2024 season that McNamara could lead the offense to special things with a full, healthy season.
However, just three games into the 2024 season, McNamara could already be in danger of losing his starting role. The quarterback has plenty of experienced, talented players behind him and must improve his play before someone else earns a chance.
Brendan Sullivan made his first TD as a Hawkeye look easy 😮💨#B1GFootball x @HawkeyeFootball pic.twitter.com/F4oJzO3hWF
— Iowa On BTN (@IowaOnBTN) September 16, 2024
The Iowa football staff has already experimented with different units on the field including backup quarterback Brendan Sullivan. Sullivan played for Northwestern last season and transferred to the Hawkeyes to battle for the starting position.
Sullivan may have lost the starting position to kick off the season but has already carved out a red-zone package role for himself.
Cade McNamara Slowly Becoming In Danger Of Losing Starting Iowa Football Role
While the Iowa football staff may have chosen McNamara to be the starter to kick off the season, that does not mean he is required to stay the starter.
Iowa and coach Kirk Ferentz have been under a microscope the past three seasons for the below-average offenses the team has displayed. Ferentz in particular has received plenty of backlash, as fans believed son Brian Ferentz continued to hold the offensive coordinator title due to nepotism. Even with Brian gone, the offense has not looked much better.
Despite a change in coordinator, the team still cannot score at will or at the very least consistently score against opposing defenses. With this is mind, some fans have turned the finger towards McNamara, an experienced quarterback who has been benched previously in his career.
McNamara was benched in the 2021 Orange Bowl in favor of JJ McCarthy after throwing two interceptions. McNamara then lost the starting quarterback role in 2022 after struggling to cross 130 yards passing against Colorado State. The quarterback now sits in a similar position with a capable quarterback in Sullivan right behind him on the bench.
Kirk Ferentz continues to emphasize the need for #Hawkeyes QB Cade McNamara to get more game experience after missing the majority of the last two seasons with injury.
“He needs to play and he needs to learn from his experience.” pic.twitter.com/hkZGwSkJu8
— Ethan Petrik (@ethan_petrik) September 10, 2024
Sullivan offers more to the offense as he is an experienced rusher and is capable of getting the ball to receivers when outside of the pocket. However, the Hawkeyes staff seems content on keeping McNamara in as the starter for the foreseeable future barring any ugly losses. Coach Ferentz stated he believes McNamara needs ‘more time’ to work out the rust from his injuries.
Get More NFL and College Football Content
For more news and trends in the college football world, follow me on Twitter @JarrettGuerrera
