Cade McNamara arrived at Iowa via the transfer portal this offseason. The former starter at Michigan quickly landed the starting job and has received rave remarks from his teammates in the process.

Unfortunately, McNamara was injured in a scrimmage during training camp. While head coach Kirk Ferentz confirmed it is not an injury to McNamara’s surgically repaired knee, the muscle injury has not eased up yet.

During his Tuesday press conference, Ferentz officially labeled McNamara as questionable for the Week 1 season opener against Utah State. Ferentz did express optimism for McNamara being available but he also revealed the QB has not yet returned to practice.

McNamara started 14 games for Michigan during the 2021 season, guiding the Wolverines to the College Football Playoff in the process. He finished that season with 2,576 yards passing and 15 touchdowns.

A season ago, he appeared in 3 games but lost the starting job to JJ McCarthy and later sustained a season-ending knee injury.

With McNamara leading the offense, there is optimism that the Hawkeyes can fix a number of their offensive issues and compete for the B1G West title. Without him, Iowa will be forced to rely on Joe Labas and Deacon Hill, a pair of less experienced players at the position.