There’s risk for Iowa to rely on McNamara in 2024
IOWA CITY — In wording that is fitting to who he is, Cade McNamara announced Wednesday that he is returning to the Iowa football team for the 2024 season.
That is to say, you could almost feel McNamara’s passion and energy seeping through the text.
“I had a vision when I decided to come to Iowa and that vision remains the same,” McNamara said Wednesday via social media. “There is still a lot I want to accomplish in the Black and Gold and look forward to bringing it to life in the 2024 season.”
The decision doesn’t make certain that McNamara will be Iowa’s openinggame starter in 2024. Many things need to transpire to arrive at that scenario. McNamara has to recover from an ACL injury he suffered against Michigan State this season. This also assumes that another quarterback — whether that be one already within the program or an addition — doesn’t win the job.
But if this aligns, McNamara’s return to Iowa does indicate that he could be the Hawkeyes’ starting quarterback in 2024.
There is risk that comes with putting so much faith in a quarterback who has now had consecutive season-ending injuries. But the last few weeks have shown how much Iowa misses a healthy McNamara. And how much it needs his presence on the field next season.
McNamara’s transfer from Michigan to Iowa ahead of the 2023 season injected much-needed optimism surrounding a failing offense. But this season didn’t turn out as planned.
McNamara was far from impressive. He was 46-of-90 passing for 505 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions. But it felt like his season ended just as it was starting to get off the ground. He suffered an injury during Kids’ Day at Kinnick in August, which caused him to miss practice time. Then came the ACL injury early in Iowa’s fifth game of the 2023 season, putting McNamara out for the remainder of the year.
The injuries have fit into a discouraging narrative for McNamara over the last two seasons. He barely played at Michigan during 2022 due to injury. He underwent surgery toward the end of last year. After this season’s injury, we’re now talking about a quarterback who has had surgery twice in less than a year. He has attempted just 115 passes in 2022 and 2023 combined, compared to the 327 he attempted in 2021 alone. Those concerns are valid.
But it’s also important to take into consideration the situation Iowa is in. This program isn’t exactly the most appealing landing spot for a quarterback. That’s part of the reason it felt so seismic for a quarterback of McNamara’s caliber to choose Iowa.
If you’re going to knock McNamara for being an injury-prone quarterback who lacked game action in recent seasons, then it’s also important to bring up this question:
Since McNamara went out against Michigan State, Iowa’s quarterback play has been a mess. Deacon Hill, who hadn’t attempted a pass in college prior to the 2023 season, has demonstrated his inexperience. Since taking over for McNamara in the game against Michigan State, Hill is 33-of-90 passing with two touchdowns through the air and three interceptions.
Because Iowa is a program built on stellar defense and strong special teams play, it does not need a gun-slinging quarterback in order to be successful. A reliable quarterback capable of executing makeable throws and avoiding fatal mistakes is all that’s necessary. Hill, however, has not done that. His low completion percentage coupled with a three-turnover day against Minnesota are the opposite of what Iowa needs.
On the other hand, McNamara can fit what Iowa needs like a glove. At Michigan in 2020 and 2021, McNamara combined for 20 passing touchdowns to just six interceptions. Though it hasn’t fully happened since 2021, McNamara has proven he can be a steady, dependable presence adept at making the plays required to lead a conference championship-winning team.
McNamara also has a great deal of value as a leader. He was selected to the 2023 Iowa Football Player Council. After Iowa’s embarrassing loss at Penn State this season, McNamara rallied his teammates.
Those intangibles are important given the potentially uncertain waters ahead. The Hawkeyes are on pace to fall short of offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz’s performance goal of averaging at least 25 points per game this season. If that continues, perhaps Iowa will have a new coach leading the offense next season. On top of that, the Hawkeyes are facing the harsh reality of a reloaded Big Ten next season, where sustaining success will be more difficult than simply getting by in an underwhelming West division.
Iowa can benefit from having McNamara to help guide the team through whatever the future might hold.
It is easy to be cynical of McNamara given how his last two seasons have ended. Some of those questions are reasonable. He needs to get healthy and then stay healthy. He needs to perform much closer to the 2021 version of himself than the 2022 or 2023 versions.
But it’s difficult to label McNamara’s return to Iowa as anything other than a positive development. McNamara is not perfect, but Iowa does not need perfect. And the Hawkeyes aren’t ready to give up on him yet.