Iowa Needs a Heathy Cade McNamara -- Or a Portal QB
IOWA CITY -- You'll often hear the sentiment "Don't overreact to spring football during this time of year. And for the most part, that makes sense. But if there's one glaring thing to take away from Iowa's open practice on Saturday, it's that the Hawkeyes desperately need a healthy Cade McNamara this fall -- or to find a new quarterback out of the transfer portal.
Between the two scholarship quarterbacks that are currently available on Iowa's roster -- Deacon Hill and Marco Lainez -- neither appear to be ready to serve as a Power 4 signal caller for a team with ambitions of winning 10+ games.
It's important to remember that they're learning a new offense and working to incorporate new facets of the game into what they're doing on the field, so some mistakes are to be expected. Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz has seen the issues that have come along with the inexperience.
"Thinking about one of the plays early in practice, we were down in the red zone -- I think it was (Kaden) Wetjen open out there on the right side -- and the throw was off by about two feet," he said. "That, to me, is kind of where we're at right now."
When August and September arrive, that won't be acceptable.
"If the play is there, you've got to make it," Ferentz continued. "If it's available, set up right, and there to convert it, that's what you need to do. ... If you're not doing it in practice or consistently, it's hard to think you'll do it in live competition."
And as far we we're aware, it's not being made in practice. Additionally, some of the issues Iowa's second and third-string quarterbacks currently face aren't guaranteed to be fixed simply by getting a better grasp of the offense.
One, Hill hasn't noticeably improved his athleticism, which caused problems at times last season, particularly in his ability to move in the pocket and elude pass rushers. Second, Hill's play on Saturday didn't look notably different than it did last season, when Iowa's offense produced historic lows in multiple statistical categories. For his part, Lainez struggled to complete some passes against air during drills prior to the 11-on-11 portion of the practice.
They're simply not good enough at present, and it's up in the air whether they will be any time soon.
The other factor of Iowa's QB situation is the Cade McNamara question. McNamara is sidelined for the second spring in a row while recovering from a significant leg injury; he's also on his third offensive coordinator in three years. He's not exactly in an ideal situation to be taking over as the starter in August, though he is Iowa's best option by far.
For now, he remains chomping at the bit to get back in and get live reps.
"He's throwing the ball well," Ferentz said. "Maybe, in some ways, it be easier for him because he's not practicing. So, he can just process things mentally and not worry about the physical as much. He's an eager guy. Most good quarterbacks that I've been around can't wait to learn something, and that seems to be his mode of operation."
McNamara is expected to be a full-go in June, and that's when things will really ramp up for him and his capacity to learn the offense.
"It'll be really important when he is able to go," Ferentz said. "Then he can start implementing some of the stuff that he's been exposed to, and certainly, August is going to be a really big month for him. If there's a silver lining, my experience is that for guys who have played -- it's a little bit easier for them when they get started again. It comes back quicker than for a guy who hasn't played. Every situation has its challenges, but we're optimistic he'll be ready to go, and he should be able to catch up pretty quickly."
Unfortunately, McNamara has experienced as many injuries in the last three years as he's seen offensive coordinators. Between an injury that required surgery at the end of the 2022 season (which caused him to miss practice last spring), a soft tissue leg injury at Kid's Day in August last year, and a torn ACL in early October, McNamara has spent more time sidelined than under center as a Hawkeye.
If he gets hurt again, it will be Hill or Lainez that takes over at QB -- unless Ferentz decides to dip into the portal and add a quarterback during the spring window. It appears as though he's open to making an addition, if the opportunity is right.
"We'll do anything we can to help our team," he said. "We'll be looking at that and just studying it and if there's an opportunity that presents itself that makes sense, we'll consider it."
The issue remains that the roster has too many scholarship players on it -- 89 by our count. That number will need to be trimmed to 85 by August, and players don't leave the Iowa football team on a regular basis. Other than Kadyn Proctor and Jacob Bostick, the Hawkeyes roster has yet to face any attrition via the portal this spring.
"It's been really off the charts the last two years," Ferentz said. "It's hard to predict anything. A couple of years ago we had a bunch of guys leave in December so, you just never know."
Ultimately Ferentz believes things will be fine, regarding the overall number.
"We'll figure it out here as we go, and I think it's going to work itself out."
The one thing that won't work itself out in Iowa City is thee quarterback situation -- that's going to need some help.