Notre Dame Named Possible Destination for Iowa QB Transfer

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish could be a landing spot for Iowa Hawkeyes quarterback transfer Cade McNamara.

Sep 21, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes quarterback Cade McNamara (12) throws the ball against the Minnesota Golden Gophers during the second half at Huntington Bank Stadium. / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

The Iowa Hawkeyes will be looking for a new quarterback in 2025. Cade McNamara opted to enter the transfer portal as a grad transfer and will be looking for an eligibility waiver from the NCAA in order to have another year in college football.

For the time being, he's an intriguing quarterback target for teams around the nation.

Assuming he is granted the waiver and can play one more year, there are a few intriguing teams that could make sense for him. However, there has been a team suggested that would be an absolutely massive destination for McNamara.

Cody Kluge of BVM Sports has suggested that the Notre Dame Fighting Irish could consider pursuing him in the transfer portal.

"Marcus Freeman has added a veteran quarterback via the transfer portal the last two years, bringing in Sam Hartman for the 2023 campaign and Riley Leonard this season. Leonard hasn’t put up huge numbers as a passer but his dual-threat ability has been valuable for an 11-1 Notre Dame squad. However, Leonard is out of eligibility after this season, so Freeman could look to add an experienced signal caller in the transfer portal yet again. McNamara could be a valuable addition to what’s expected to be a young quarterback room next season with 2024 commit CJ Carr and 2025 commit Blake Herbert. McNamara would likely compete with Carr for the starting job and would provide an experienced voice for both young quarterbacks. Joining the Fighting Irish might also give McNamara one of his best chances to become a national champion."

Landing with the Fighting Irish would be a very surprising outcome for McNamara. He did not play well for Iowa during the 2024 season and Notre Dame is a yearly championship contender.

Marcus Freeman could very well think that he can help McNamara get back on track.

During the 2024 college football season with the Hawkeyes, McNamara ended up completing 60.5 percent of his pass attempts for 1,017 yards, six touchdowns, and five interceptions. It was a disappointing year for both him and the team.

Even though his statistics look bad, Iowa did not have a great receiving corps. McNamara can not be blamed for all of the passing game struggles.

All of that being said, it does seem like a bit of a long shot that Notre Dame would bring in McNamara. It's possible, but it seems more likely that the Fighting Irish would pursue a better option.