IOWA CITY — Last season's Iowa offense was one torn ligament away from a disaster at its most important position — and it happened in the first quarter of the fourth game, against Michigan State, felling QB Cade McNamara for the season and leaving the reins to untested, largely unprepared Deacon Hill. Hawkeye fans know that story by heart by now.
Hill has since landed at D-II Utah Tech, and with fellow Hawkeye 2023 signal-callers Joe Labas (Central Michigan) and Tommy Poholsky (Colorado State) also portaling out, Iowa found itself back to two quarterbacks on the roster for the spring: the still-recovering McNamara and redshirt freshman Marco Lainez.
“We got down to two quarterbacks in our quarterback room, so they've got to add someone eventually,” McNamara said. “Whoever they brought in, that’s awesome. But at some point, there has to be depth.”
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Head coach Kirk Ferentz and new offensive coordinator Tim Lester turned to Northwestern transfer Brendan Sullivan, who completed 63 of 99 passes for 714 yards, six touchdowns and a pair of interceptions in 2023 for the Wildcats — but ultimately lost out to Clemson transfer Ben Bryant amid the turmoil of Pat Fitzgerald's offseason firing.
Sullivan, who was listed at third-string quarterback in Iowa's most recent depth chart, brings starting experience to the Iowa QB room, badly needed after Hill was thrown to the wolves during Big Ten play last season.
But if "starting experience" was the only box needed to be checked for a Hawkeye QB, technically Iowa already had more with Hill, who started Iowa's last 10 games in 2023 while Sullivan has eight to his name: four in each of the last two seasons for the 'Cats.
Where Sullivan has gained particular respect with his teammates, though, has been his dedication to the program. According to numerous Hawkeyes, Sullivan is routinely the first player at the complex every morning.
"I'll be here an hour and a half before the lift, and [Sullivan] will already be here," said offensive lineman Gennings Dunker. "Let's say I'm working out at 8 [AM]. I'll roll up here at 6:30 or so, he's already got his shoes on, ready to roll."
"That's something I was raised on: be the first one in, last one out," said Sullivan. "I get in here and I feel like I'm behind, because all the guys have been here learning this offense since the spring, so I've got to catch back up."
According to transfer wideout Jacob Gill, who roomed with Sullivan at Northwestern before following him to Iowa, the QB's dedication isn't a recent development.
"That's the mentality he's always had," said Gill. "He's a competitor, a gritty guy, and that's what I love about him. He pushes me every day."
The defense has noticed the effect as well.
"He's one of the first dudes in here, and I've seen him late nights a couple times," said linebacker Nick Jackson. "It's great to have him. He's a great dude first of all, and I think that's the most important thing. He has come in, fit right into the culture, competes, does all the little things right. I'm excited for him."
Even McNamara, who famously refused to mention future starter JJ McCarthy during their competition at Michigan, acknowledged the value Sullivan had brought to the QB room.
"So far, Sully's been a really good dude," said McNamara. "Every time when I say 'hey, let's go throw' or 'let's get some routes' or lift or something, he's always there. He just seems very committed and I think a lot of the guys appreciate that."
Of course, character only goes so far in a quarterback battle; Hill routinely took responsibility for his struggles and never shied away from the media. Similarly, for his talents, Sullivan's on-field decision-making still left plenty of room for improvement in 2023, being sacked 24 times over the course of the season; by comparison, Hill's 24 sacks came on 251 attempts, and the less said about Hill's pocket presence the better.
Sullivan welcomes the work of learning the intricacies of Lester's offense.
"Iowa's a culture where everything's earned," Sullivan said. "That's what I've been trying to do: just bring what I have here, try to get Coach Lester and the other quarterbacks in the room to help me grow as a quarterback as well."
The good news for Sullivan is that Iowa is revamping its passing game, and one of the first things Lester mentioned in the spring was tailoring play design to the cadence of his quarterbacks' footwork. That granular attention to detail will undoubtedly help put Iowa's quarterbacks in better position to succeed in 2024 and beyond, whether it's McNamara, Lainez, Sullivan or (gulp) further down the depth chart.
Ferentz said at his Big Ten Media Day press conference that the competition at quarterback is still very much fluid, so don't read too much into Sullivan's spot at third on the depth chart.
"I'd say everything's fluid right now," said Ferentz. "Hopefully it won't be in the fall. We could have listed Brendan at the 2; he hasn't put a helmet on for us, so when we see him on the field maybe he'll be in competition. I expect it to be three guys competing; Cade obviously has got more experience than any of them, has demonstrated more success, that gives him a huge advantage."
To the extent that both are competing for that starting spot at QB, Sullivan brings the same level of respect to the competition that McNamara expressed for him.
"We're both guys that love competition," said Sullivan. "Cade's been an awesome dude; I can't say enough good things about him. He's a great person on and off the field, just trying to pick his brain because that dude has a lot of experience as well. Just trying to learn from him and compete with him has made me a better person."
