Ex-Michigan QB Cade McNamara commits to Iowa

Cade McNamara is staying in the Big Ten.

Only a few days after putting his name into the transfer portal, the ex-Michigan quarterback announced that he has committed to continue his career at Iowa.

McNamara was Michigan’s starting quarterback in 2021 when the Wolverines won the Big Ten and advanced to the College Football Playoff. That season, McNamara threw for 2,576 yards, 15 touchdowns and six interceptions while completing 64.2% of his attempts, helping Michigan win its first outright Big Ten championship since 2003.

This year, McNamara lost the starting quarterback battle to J.J. McCarthy early in the season and later suffered a season-ending knee injury. McNamara revealed last month that he had been “dealing with a serious injury since the middle of last season” before suffering “another serious knee injury this season.” McNamara tried to rehab the injury to return to the field this season but it was ultimately determined that he needed surgery.

Overall, McNamara threw for 3,181 yards, 21 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 21 games in a Michigan uniform, including 16 starts.

McNamara was a four-star recruit in the 2019 class and has at least two years of eligibility remaining. He took a redshirt in 2019, has the exemption for the 2020 season and could potentially get a medical hardship for 2022.

Iowa has struggled mightily on offense in recent seasons

At Iowa, McNamara walks into a program that has struggled mightily on offense for multiple seasons. Iowa ranks No. 130 out of 131 FBS teams in total offense, averaging only 255.4 yards per game. From a passing perspective, Iowa ranks No. 122 nationally at 158.2 passing yards per game. Only Rutgers averaged fewer passing yards per game among Power Five programs.

Spencer Petras has been Iowa’s starter for the last three seasons. He’s thrown for 5,199 yards, 24 touchdowns and 19 interceptions while completing just 56.7% of his attempts. Petras was a fifth-year senior this season and had one more year of eligibility because of the COVID-19 exception, but the addition of McNamara seems to signal the end of his Iowa career.

Alex Padilla was Petras’ backup for the past two seasons. He entered the portal as a graduate transfer earlier this week.

Iowa finished the regular season with a loss to Nebraska last Friday. The Hawkeyes would have won the Big Ten West had they defeated the Huskers. Instead, they dropped to 7-5 with the loss and await their bowl matchup.