Iowa Hawkeyes Coach Provides Mystifying QB Update

Iowa Hawkeyes coach Kirk Ferentz has provided a rather strange update on the team's quarterback situation.

Sep 14, 2024; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz reacts with quarterback Cade McNamara (12) after a touchdown against the Troy Trojans during the second quarter at Kinnick Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images / Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Iowa Hawkeyes quarterback Brendan Sullivan will now be out for the remainder of the season due to an ankle injury he suffered during Iowa's loss to the UCLA Bruins on Nov. 8.

After the announcement that Sullivan would be sidelined, the general consensus was that Cade McNamara would be regaining his starting job.

But it doesn't seem to be a sure thing.

Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz provided a rather strange, murky update on the team's quarterback situation heading into its Saturday matchup with the Maryland Terrapins, and he didn't commit to McNamara—who has been out with a concussion—taking the field.

"He practiced on Sunday," Ferentz said, via Dargan Southard of The Des Moines Register. "Everything is clearly cloudy right now. That's kind of our forecast right now."

McNamara was replaced by Sullivan after he suffered a head injury during the Hawkeyes' win over the Northwestern Wildcats on Oct. 26. He has been on the bench ever since, but most assumed that it was because Iowa viewed Sullivan as the superior option.

"(McNamara) is still processing back," added Ferentz. "He's been cleared to play. Whether he can play effectively or not, we'll see. We'll just see how the week goes. But we're prepared for anything, quite frankly."

So, apparently, McNamara is healthy, but there is no guarantee that he will actually take snaps.

Hmm.

Perhaps Ferentz is seriously weighing the idea of going with Jackson Stratton, who relieved Sullivan during the loss to UCLA.

Whatever the case may be, it seems pretty clear that Iowa is running out of answers under center.