Big Ten Roundup (Oct. 3): Cade McNamara Likely to Miss Remainder of 2023 Season

Coach Kirk Ferentz and the Iowa Hawkeyes are likely to be without starting quarterback Cade McNamara for the remainder of the 2023 season following a non-contact injury that he suffered during the Hawkeyes' 26-16 win over Michigan State.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Iowa quarterback Cade McNamara is likely to miss the remainder of the 2023 season with a leg injury. 

McNamara fell too the turf with a brutal non-contact injury in his left leg on Iowa's second drive of the game this past Saturday. Deacon Hill played the rest of the game, and the Hawkeyes beat Michigan State by a score of 26-16. 

Prior to arriving in Iowa City to play for coach Kirk Ferentz, McNamara was the quarterback for Jim Harbaugh and Michigan from 2019-22. He led the Wolverines to the 2021 Big Ten title and an appearance in the College Football Playoff.

Here's everything you need to know in today's Big Ten Roundup:

Cade McNamara Likely Out For Season

The injury looked bad in the moment, and on Monday, Iowa fans' worst fears were confirmed. David Eickholt reported that McNamara's leg injury will likely end his 2023 season just five games in. 

Scoop: Iowa starting quarterback Cade McNamara will likely miss the remainder of the 2023 season due to a leg injury suffered against Michigan State, multiple sources have informed @247Sports.

Story: https://t.co/tB9AyYTajw

— David Eickholt (@DavidEickholt) October 2, 2023

Through five games, McNamara had completed 46 of 90 passes for 505 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions. He exited the game against Michigan State while sitting at 3-for-5 on passing attempts, good for 46 yards. Hill finished the game having completed 11 of 27 passes for 111 yards, one touchdown and one interception in his absence. 

This comes just more than a month removed from the soft tissue injury that McNamara suffered in August. That too was a non-contact injury, and one that kept him on the sideline for most of fall camp. 

His injury on Saturday was far more gruesome and devastating than one he suffered in preseason, though. This time around, McNamara was scrambling out of his own end zone, and planted on his left leg while trying to make a sharp cut and elude a defender. He immediately fell to the turf after trying to make said cut, and was carted off the field. 

“I don’t want to speculate, but it always is concerning [when] a guy has to get helped off the field,” Ferentz said after the game. “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 missed almost the entirety of the 2022 season at Michigan with a right knee injury. Now it appears that his left leg (and perhaps his left knee) might cost him the rest of the 2023 campaign. 

With Hill now at quarterback, the Hawkeyes host Purdue in Iowa City in Week 4, as Ferentz's team still has expectations to compete for the Big Ten West title, as they normally do. 

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