IOWA CITY — Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz and wide receivers coach Jon Budmayr will be suspended for the season opener August 31 against Illinois State, according to a report by Scott Dochterman of The Athletic. Dochterman's report does not specify whether the suspension has been issued by Iowa or the NCAA, and the University of Iowa has not yet confirmed or issued a statement on the report.
Kirk Ferentz is the longest-tenured head coach in FBS football, entering his 26th season leading the Hawkeyes. This is the first suspension of his career, by either the NCAA or Iowa.
According to Dochterman, the suspension stems from an NCAA investigation into the recruitment of Cade McNamara, the former Michigan quarterback who committed to Iowa on December 1, 2022 — just three days after the portal window opened and McNamara announced his entry.
McNamara was a well-publicized transfer after losing his starting position to J.J. McCarthy, who would later lead the Wolverines to a national championship. McNamara underwent knee surgery shortly thereafter, and was never 100% healthy before tearing his ACL against Michigan State in Week 5 last year. He finished the season with 46-for-90 passing for 505 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions.
McNamara has been cleared to practice since the 2023 ACL injury, and he is currently battling Northwestern transfer Brendan Sullivan for the starting role in 2024.
Budmayr was elevated to wide receivers coach after the 2023 season; at the time of McNamara's recruitment, Budmayr was a special assistant to the head coach. Budmayr's connection with McNamara dated back to recruiting him out of high school at Wisconsin, where Budmayr had been coaching at the time.
This article will be updated as more information becomes available.
