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Kirk Ferentz solidifies Iowa’s QB depth chart entering 2024 season
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Kirk Ferentz will not be on the sidelines for Iowa’s season opener, but the head coach of the Hawkeyes did confirm a key piece of information on Thursday.
Earlier in the day, it was reported and eventually confirmed that Ferentz was being suspended for the season opener. Along with wide receivers coach Jon Budmayr, Ferentz will serve a one-game self-imposed suspension for improper contact with a player and his family before entering the transfer portal.
According to the original report, the violation involved former Michigan quarterback Cade McNamara who would transfer to Iowa shortly after the 2022 season. McNamara quickly landed the starting QB job for the 2023 season but battled a training camp injury before enduring a season-ending injury in the middle of the year.
While addressing the media on Thursday, Ferentz was asked about the QB pecking order entering the season. Ferentz admitted there has been “ebb and flow” throughout training camp though McNamara took the majority of the reps with the first-team offense recently.
The good news is the Hawkeyes are in a better position than they were a season ago when McNamara and Joey Labas were both sidelined in training camp with injuries. That left Iowa with a depleted room in training camp and eventually led to Deacon Hill serving as the starter once McNamara went down for good.
This time around, the Hawkeyes have former Northwestern QB Brendan Sullivan in the room and Marco Lainez III. That group gives Iowa improved depth plus experience considering Sullivan has a career 68.7% completion percentage in 13 career games for the Wildcats.
While Ferentz did not officially name a starter for Week 1, he did say McNamara would be the starter if a game were to be played tomorrow.
“If we were to play tomorrow, Cade would be one, Brendan would be two and Marco would be three,” outlined Ferentz.
The health of McNamara and Iowa’s QB room overall is a key factor in potentially hitting their preseason win total. ESPN Bet has the number at 8.5 with odds on the over at +150. If the QB position pans out, the Hawkeyes have plenty of firepower on defense to compete with any team in the B1G.
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.