Cade McNamara Thankful for Support

Hawkeye QB Had Help Recovering from Latest Injury

Iowa QB Cade McNamara speaks with the media on July 16, 2024 at the team's practice facility in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo: Rob Howe) /

Cade McNamara has learned how lonely it can be when you’re injured.

It’s why, the sixth-year quarterback said, he’s grateful for his support system and why he feels like he’s ready to play his final season at Iowa.

“Your phone goes pretty dead when you’re injured,” McNamara said during Tuesday’s media availability. “There ain’t a lot of notifications, stuff going on. The people that are in your corner, those are the people you know you can trust.

“For me, to be honest, that group has grown for me, even in a time of struggle. I have a lot of gratitude for the people who have gotten me through the process.”

The process, McNamara said, is complete as he goes through summer workouts with the Hawkeyes. Asked how healthy he is coming off a knee injury that ended his season last year, McNamara said, “100 percent.”

“Overall, in general, I feel pretty good,” McNamara said. “This is my first time at Iowa where I’m able to participate in every training phase, every activity, every drill. So far, I’m a little more sore than I usually am. But so far, my body has handled it well.”

For all of the talk about the changes coming to Iowa’s offense under new offensive coordinator Tim Lester, having a healthy quarterback, and having a more experienced depth chart at the position, could mean much improvement for an offense that has ranked near the bottom of the Football Bowl Subdivision in the last two seasons.

McNamara, who transferred from Michigan after the 2022 season, was thought to be ready to put a spark in that offense, but an injury to his quadriceps limited him at the beginning of last season, then a knee injury suffered in the fifth game of the season against Michigan State ended his season.

McNamara, who underwent surgery to repair a torn ACL, was limited in his workouts in the spring as the offense learned the new system under Lester, but now is a full-go in the summer.

“I’ve been recommended to wear the brace, so I’m probably going to wear the brace for this season,” McNamara said. “I don’t need the brace. When I’m out here conditioning, cutting, I’m not wearing the brace at all, honestly. … To be honest, I don’t care if I wear the brace or not.”

Still, a second season-ending injury affected McNamara.

“To be honest, the biggest challenge has been psychological,” McNamara said. “Maybe, ‘Why is this happening again?’ I’ve had a lot of spiritual growth in the last few months. It’s given me a new perspective on life.”

Sitting out most of last season and watching Iowa’s offense struggle, even in a 10-win season that included a Big Ten West title, also got to McNamara.

“It’s tough,” McNamara said. “As a competitor, and as a quarterback, you’re well aware of what kind of impact you can have on a team. Sitting on the sidelines, there’s nothing you can do about it. Standing on the sidelines was really tough for me, for a lot of reasons.”

McNamara’s return, though, has caught the eye of his teammates, especially how hard he has worked in conditioning drills.

“He wants to be out there,” center Logan Jones said. “He wants to win.”

Jones smiled.

“He can be in pain — he’s in his sixth year, he’s an old man,” he joked. “But the fact he comes in day in and day out and wants to compete says a lot about him.”

McNamara has also been able to build a relationship with Lester, who has also helped his with his throwing mechanics.

“Me and Coach Lester have done nothing but hit it off,” McNamara said. “He’s such a good dude. Sometimes I have to check the clock when I go into his office, because I might walk out of there three hours later.”

It wasn’t long after his injury when McNamara went to social media and said that he would be able to bounce back from his latest setback, and that he was coming back to be a Hawkeye for one more season.

“Going through my daily life, people were questioning whether I would come back to Iowa, or transfer for some reason,” McNamara said. “I knew exactly what I was going to do, and my teammates never questioned my commitment. … There was never a time when I questioned whether Iowa was the right place for me.”