Former starting quarterback for the University of Michigan football team, Cade McNamara is transferring to the University of Iowa. McNamara is a former four-star recruit out of high school, as well as the number 253, ranked recruit in the ESPN top 300 for the 2019 class.
Possibly the biggest name in the transfer portal in 2022, Cade McNamara could be the link in advancing the Hawkeyes back into the top of the Big Ten Conference.
New beginning #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/qrK2PJY4NX
— Cade McNamara (@Cademac_12) December 2, 2022
Who is Cade McNamara?
A native of Reno, Nevada, Cade McNamara attended Damonte Ranch High School, where he served as the football team’s starting quarterback all four years of his attendance. During that span, he would set state records in both passing yards and touchdown passes.
He would also be named the Gatorade Player of the Year in Nevada in both 2017 and 2018. McNamara was the number one ranked football prospect in the state of Nevada as well as the 12th ranked pocket passer in the nation coming out of high school.
Previously a Notre Dame commit, Cade McNamara would de-commit, soon after changing his commitment to play at the University of Michigan.
Freshman Season
After redshirting his freshman year at Michigan, McNamara would see some action later in the 2020 season for the Wolverines.
He would finish his redshirt freshman season with 43 completions on 71 attempts for a total of 425 yards. In 2020, McNamara threw five touchdown passes without throwing a single interception.
Cade McNamara would serve as Michigan’s starting quarterback in 2021, starting all 14 of the team’s games.
He led the team to a Big Ten Championship win over his new Iowa Hawkeyes, as well as a trip to the College Football Playoff, where Michigan would be beaten in the semifinal game by Georgia, who went on to win the National Championship. In 2021, McNamara completed 64.2% of his passes, going 210 of 237 for 2,576 yards.
Career Records In Michigan
McNamara would also throw 15 touchdown passes while throwing only six interceptions.
In 2022, McNamara would begin the season as Michigan’s starting quarterback but would lose that title to J.J. McCarthy after their week two matchup with Hawaii. McNamara would suffer a knee injury in a brief appearance in the team’s week three matchup with UConn, an injury that would require surgery.
This would be the final action for Cade McNamara in the 2022 season, before announcing he would be entering the transfer portal following Michigan’s last regular season game against Ohio State.
In his three seasons with the Michigan Wolverines, Cade McNamara appeared in 21 games, making 16 starts. He held a 13-3 record as the team’s starting quarterback, completing 267 passes for 3,181 yards, and 21 touchdowns. He also rushed for two touchdowns. Cade McNamara will make the transfer to the University of Iowa, where he will have two more seasons of eligibility.
One good looking group#B1GMediaDays in the 📚 pic.twitter.com/yYDuTpavnn
— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) July 26, 2022
How will McNamara impact the 2023 Hawkeyes?
It is very safe to say that the offense was not the major reason for the Hawkeyes’ success in 2022. Iowa finished the regular season with a 7-5 record, 5-4 in Big Ten play, which put them in third place in the Big Ten – West, tied with both Illinois and Minnesota, with a 5-4 conference record.
Between two quarterbacks, the Hawkeyes completed only 54.8% of passes and threw for 1,898 yards. In 2022, Iowa quarterbacks combined for only six touchdown passes, while throwing seven interceptions. On the ground, the Hawkeyes rushed for 1,167 yards, which included 12 of the 18 touchdowns the Iowa offense scored in 2022.
Although Iowa is making headlines for the major landing of Cade McNamara from the transfer portal, the Hawkeyes have already lost a few players to the transfer portal as well.
Since their last game against Nebraska, offensive lineman Josh Volk and backup quarterback Alex Padilla have both entered the transfer portal. The Hawkeyes have also lost receivers Keagan Johnson and Arland Bruce IV.
Here are some Cade McNamara TD passes. 💥@Cademac_12 x @HawkeyeFootball pic.twitter.com/oNPdoP3MkL
— Iowa On BTN (@IowaOnBTN) December 2, 2022
McNamara’s Career Stats
Hopefully, the Hawkeyes’ addition of Cade McNamara will be enough to keep more Iowa players from entering the transfer portal.
With a career 139.4 passer rating, 13 wins, and 21 touchdown passes as a starting quarterback, McNamara will bring big game experience and the ability to find the end zone to the Iowa offense.
Adding the threat of McNamara to the team will force opposing defenses to pay closer attention to the passing game, which in turn will open up opportunities for the Hawkeyes to have success on the ground. Cade McNamara will look to make the Iowa Hawkeyes a much more well-rounded team in 2023.
Iowa’s addition of former Michigan quarterback Cade McNamara is a serious step in the right direction for the 2023 Hawkeyes.
As a team that struggled to put points on the board, while having very few issues keeping opponents out of the end zone, the Iowa offense is the team’s number one concern to address this offseason.
Combining a strong, accomplished quarterback with Iowa’s already elite defense could be the recipe to turn the Hawkeyes back into the elite team that has been seen on so many occasions.
Michigan QB Cade McNamara will transfer to Iowa per @PeteThamel 👀 pic.twitter.com/ps9p1BB0U5
— PFF College (@PFF_College) December 2, 2022
Credits on Featured Image: Maize & Blue Nation, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
