Iowa Quarterback Deacon Hill Enters Transfer Portal
As he announced on Twitter this morning, Iowa quarterback Deacon Hill has entered the transfer portal. Hill spent the majority of the 2023-2024 season as the starter in Iowa City after Cade McNamara went down with an injury.
This is the second time Hill has entered the portal, as he started his collegiate football career at Wisconsin before transferring to Iowa. He initially committed to Fordham prior to his decision to commit to Iowa last offseason. He has two years of eligibility remaining.
"lowa, you have given me one of the best years of my life," Hill said in the post. "I have built some of the most important relationships in my life, and I am eternally grateful for that. This program has taught me so much about life and given me experiences that will carry on for a lifetime. I am so thankful to have been able to learn from Coach Ferentz, Brian, Coach Bud and the entire coaching staff. They have taught me so much more than just about the sport that we all love."
"To my teammates, you have no idea how much y'all mean to me and that I truly wish nothing but success for every single one of you. You all brought me in and made me one of your own and I will forever be grateful for that. With all of this being said, I have made the decision to enter my name in the transfer portal with two years of eligibility left. After some conversations and deep talks, my family and I feel this is what's best for my future. Thank you, lowa, for everything."
Between nine starts and 13 appearances at quarterback for the Hawkeyes in 2023-24, Hill completed 122 of 251 passes (48.6%) for 1152 yards, five touchdowns, and eight interceptions. As the starter for Iowa, he put together a record of 6-3.
Impact
With the departure of Hill, Iowa is now down to two scholarship quarterbacks on their roster with McNamara and redshirt freshman Marco Lainez. Lainez spent the spring taking reps with the twos and threes at the quarterback position, while Hill was with the first string offense. True freshman James Resar will also join the team this summer.
Though McNamara is expected to be 100% cleared for competition by June, it would best serve the Hawkeyes to get a transfer portal quarterback to help the depth of the position as well as improve the overall quality. Though Lainez has shown mobility and flashes of competence under center, the Iowa roster could use a QB with experience on the field and in an RPO-heavy scheme.