Iowa quarterback Cade McNamara has passed concussion protocol and will return to the Hawkeyes’ starting lineup this week for the trip to Maryland, according to a depth chart the program released Monday.
Meanwhile, Brendan Sullivan, who started the most recent two games at quarterback, will miss the final two games of the regular season due to an ankle sprain suffered in the second half of Iowa’s 20-17 loss at UCLA on Nov. 8. CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz first reported Sullivan’s status.
Injuries have left Iowa’s quarterback situation reeling this month — third-team quarterback Marco Lainez III also suffered a broken thumb in practice. In the fourth quarter against UCLA, walk-on Jackson Stratton, who was once the fifth-team quarterback, took the final 17 snaps. Stratton, who played scout-team linebacker for most of the season before the run of injuries, transferred to Iowa from Colorado State and arrived just before preseason camp opened in early August.
What does this mean for Iowa this year?
McNamara’s inconsistency was an issue all season. He threw a pick six on the play in which he was injured against Northwestern. This fall, McNamara has completed 60.5 percent of his passes for 1,017 yards, six touchdowns and five interceptions.
Sullivan saw time the Hawkeyes’ red-zone quarterback until McNamara was injured, then was elevated to starter. Sullivan has completed 68.6 percent of his passes with two touchdowns and two interceptions, but he also is more of a running threat, with 144 yards on 35 carries and four scores this season. Stratton will be the No. 2 quarterback with Lainez also out.
The Hawkeyes (6-4) travel to Maryland (4-6) then host Nebraska (5-5) in their regular-season finale on Black Friday. McNamara is likely to start both games. The plans for a bowl game remain unsettled.
What does this mean for Iowa’s future?
The 2025 quarterback depth chart is just as murky as the bowl situation. McNamara is out of eligibility. Sullivan will have one year remaining. Lainez and Stratton will be sophomores but have little playing experience. Iowa moved 2024 quarterback signee James Resar to wide receiver this fall. Class of 2025 commit Jimmy Sullivan will enroll in January.
There’s a good chance Iowa looks to the portal for an option to either compete with Brendan Sullivan or become the outright starter. It would mark the third straight year in which Iowa will have targeted a portal quarterback, after bringing in McNamara (from Michigan) ahead of 2023 and Sullivan (from Northwestern) this fall.
(Photo: Matthew Holst / Getty Images)
