Report: Michigan quarterback Cade McNamara plans to transfer to Iowa

Michigan quarterback Cade McNamara intends to transfer to Iowa and an announcement is expected soon, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel. McNamara has multiple years of eligibility remaining.

McNamara was Michigan’s starting quarterback in 2021, leading the Wolverines to a Big Ten Championship, a first-ever berth in the College Football Playoff, and a 12-2 final record. However, he was unseated early in 2022 by heralded sophomore J.J. McCarthy, who has been the starter for Michigan since Week 3 and helped guide the Wolverines to 12-0 and a repeat trip to Indianapolis for the Big Ten Championship game.

In his career at Michigan, McNamara played in 21 games, completing 63.1% of his passes and throwing for more than 3000 yards. He threw 21 touchdowns to seven interceptions.

Iowa, which spent much of the 2022 season maligned for its lack of offense, now gets an upgrade at quarterback for potentially multiple seasons to come. With the level of defensive success Iowa has sustained, McNamara could provide enough of a bump to have the Hawkeyes comfortably a Big Ten West contender.

Iowa was a contender for McNamara quickly after he announced his intentions

According to Bruce Feldman of FOX and The Athletic, the soon-to-be former Michigan quarterback could even be courted by some of the Wolverines’ Big Ten opponents, and the Iowa Hawkeyes are one to keep an eye on.

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“Iowa is a school to keep an eye on for former Michigan starting QB Cade McNamara,” tweeted Feldman. “Will be interesting to see his next move.”

McNamara played high school football at Reno (Nev.) Damonte Ranch, where he was rated as a four-star recruit. He was the No. 278 overall prospect and No. 13 quarterback in the 2019 cycle, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.