Report: Iowa QB Cade McNamara expected to miss remainder of season due to leg injury

Iowa quarterback Cade McNamara is expected to miss the remainder of the season after suffering a leg injury against Michigan State on Saturday. David Eickholt provided further details on the situation.

“Hawkeye starting quarterback Cade McNamara will likely miss the remainder of the 2023 season due to a left knee injury,” Eickholt wrote.

McNamara had to be carted off the field in the first quarter of Iowa’s 26-16 win over Michigan State. Following the bittersweet victory, Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz provided a blunt update on his QB1.

“I don’t want to speculate, but it always is concerning; a guy has to get helped off the field,” Ferentz said. “Considering what he’s been through, it’s really tough. You feel bad for any player that gets injured but in his case, it’s rough.”

McNamara went down just seven minutes into the game while scrambling out of his own end zone. Before leaving the game, McNamara had completed three of his six passing attempts. They went for a total of 46 yards, an average of 9.2 yards per attempt. McNamara’s lone rush went for zero yards — the play he suffered the injury on.

Despite Iowa’s 4-1 record, McNamara had a tumultuous start to the season. The senior QB entered Saturday’s contest with 459 passing yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions, completing just 50.6% of his pass attempts. After the game, a reporter asked Ferentz about McNamara’s morale.

“I mean, you can probably figure that one out yourself,” Ferentz said. “It’s not good. No player who gets injured is feeling too happy about things.”

McNamara’s disdain is understandable. The Nevada native missed most of the 2022 season at Michigan due to a right knee injury. After undergoing surgery and rehabbing throughout the season, McNamara entered the transfer portal, ultimately landing in Iowa.

What now for Iowa?

Now, McNamara must nurse his injuries once again. He will have one year of eligibility remaining after spending his first two seasons with the Wolverines. With McNamara down, backup QB Deacon Hill is expected to assume the starting spot.

The 6-foot-3 sophomore tallied 11 completions for 115 yards and a touchdown while also throwing an interception in Iowa’s win over MSU. Ferentz was pleased with Hill’s performance.

“Impressed how Deacon stepped in,” Ferentz said. “Tough circumstance. Disappointing mostly for Cade. To go down early with an injury like that, we really won’t know his status until early next week but it’s nonetheless very disappointing. I can only imagine how he’s feeling.

“But I thought Deacon stepped into a tough situation, did a good job of leading our football team and making good decisions, especially in the second half in some critical situations. He did a good job.”