Quarterback Cade McNamara will be back in Iowa City next fall.
The Michigan transfer, who tore his left ACL against Michigan State on Sept. 30, announced via Twitter and Instagram on Wednesday night that he will come back to Iowa next season.
Head coach Kirk Ferentz said on Oct. 3 that the hope is McNamara will be fully healthy by next year’s fall camp.
“Was not anticipating posting one of these when this year began, however, there are some things in life that can not be explained but the best we can do is put our faith in God and follow the path that he has chosen for us,” McNamara wrote.
— Cade McNamara (@Cademac_12) October 26, 2023
The quarterback suffered the season-ending injury when he tried to scramble under pressure on second down deep in Iowa territory. He moved up in the pocket, made a cut off of his left leg, and went down on the turf. After a couple of minutes, he was helped off the field by trainers and couldn’t put any pressure on his left leg.
The quarterback had right knee surgery in November 2022, and just when he started feeling 100 percent, he suffered a right quad injury in Iowa’s open spring practice, forcing him to miss two weeks of practice.
McNamara started all five games for the Hawkeyes this season as he continued recovering from the quad injury. He threw for 505 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions on 90 attempts.
“I want to thank everyone for all the love and support. The road ahead is a rigorous one but nothing I haven’t overcome before. I can’t wait to get back to Iowa City to support my teammates for the rest of this season!” McNamara continued. “I had a vision when I decided to come to Iowa, and that vision remains the same. 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. Go Hawks!”
Fellow Michigan transfer Erick All suffered a torn ACL against Wisconsin. On the Hawkeyes’ second offensive drive of the day against the Badgers, All caught the ball and was hit hard in the right knee by Badger defensive end Cade McDonald. All still leads the Hawkeyes with 299 yards on 21 receptions.
The next receiving leader is tight end Luke Lachey, who suffered an ankle injury against Western Michigan in Week 3 and is “most likely” out for the season, according to Ferentz. Lachey has 131 yards on 10 catches. Ferentz said on Oct. 17 there is a “window open” for Lachey to return for the bowl game.
Neither tight end has announced if they will return to Iowa next season.