Kirk Ferentz addressed the unfortunate injury to Cade McNamara at his Tuesday press conference. As reported earlier, Ferentz confirmed McNamara will be out for the rest of the season with a left knee injury.

The head coach admitted the team was suspicious about the nature of McNamara’s injury Saturday night, and it was confirmed as an ACL tear that will need surgery. The veteran quarterback will miss the rest of 2023 but will stay with the team.

“Regarding Cade’s injury, it is not good, not positive. Was suspicious of that the other night. He’s got an ACL injury so it will have to be repaired,” said Ferentz. “He will be out for the season, stay with the team and be supportive and continue to be a part of our team but a really tough break… He’s had more than his share of challenges and obstacles from a health standpoint. The good news is he should be fine once the recovery is over. Again, just a tough deal for him.”

As for the 2024 season, Ferentz did confirm McNamara’s current intentions are to return to the Hawkeyes for another season. That could always change, but it’s an early boost to Iowa’s hopes for next season.

“His intentions are to come back and play next year again. That will be great,” said Ferentz. “It’s a long road in front of him but it’s a lot better than it was 30 years ago, that’s for sure.”

As for the next steps facing McNamara, Ferentz said the QB will have surgery and will be unable to practice during the spring. However, the early hope is that McNamara can hit June at full strength heading toward the season.

“I think it’s pretty obvious where we are, mid-October. By the time he gets the surgery, I can’t imagine he’ll do much in the spring… He won’t be practicing,” Ferentz explained. “And then hopefully he’ll have June, July, August full speed to go. If there’s good news here, hopefully both legs are healthy and he’ll be able to be the Cade McNamara he wants to be.”

It’s always disappointing to see a player deal with significant injuries, particularly for McNamara who will now miss the majority of two straight seasons. Hopefully, rehab and recovery go well and lead to a full 2024 season in Iowa City.