ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Two rival coaches have been suspended for tampering with a quarterback on the Michigan football roster who later decided to transfer.
A report in The Athletic says Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz and wide receivers coach Jon Budmayr will miss the opener against Illinois State due to an investigation into their recruitment of Cade McNamara.
McNamara was on the Michigan roster from 2020 through 2022, leading the Wolverines to a Big Ten title, a win over Ohio State, and their first playoff appearance as the starter in 2021.
But McNamara lost his starting job to J.J. McCarthy early in 2022, and later suffered a knee injury that cost him the rest of the season. The team captain was oddly invisible throughout Michigan’s 12-0 regular season and announced his intention to transfer in between the Ohio State win and the Big Ten Championship Game.
According to this report, Ferentz and Budmayr recruited McNamara off of Michigan’s roster before the transfer portal opened that year. He committed to the Hawkeyes on Dec. 1, 2022 -- three days after the portal opened.
The suspension is linked to an NCAA investigation, but it’s not clear if punishment was handed down by the NCAA or Iowa. If it’s from the NCAA, it feels like the latest instance of one coach being singled out for something that’s common throughout the sport.
McNamara missed most of the 2023 season at Iowa after suffering another injury against Michigan State. In the team’s first five games, he completed 51.1% of his pass attempts for 505 yards, four touchdowns, and three picks -- far worse than his numbers in the Maize and Blue.
McNamara is back on the field and competing for Iowa’s starting job this offseason.
