Kirk Ferentz: Iowa QB Cade McNamara caps ‘fair trade’ with Michigan

The deal may have taken nearly eight years to complete, but Kirk Ferentz joked last week that Iowa finally got its return from losing quarterback Jake Rudock to Michigan in 2015.
This fall, Cade McNamara is expected to suit up as the Hawkeyes’ starting quarterback after transferring to Iowa City back in January. McNamara had served as the Wolverines’ starting quarterback in 2021, leading Michigan to its first Big Ten championship since 2004 and first victory over arch-rival Ohio State in over a decade, before losing the job to J.J. McCarthy.
“He’s been outstanding,” Ferentz told reporters at Big Ten Media Days in Indianapolis. “I know knew of him on film in 2021, when we got to experience his performance on the other side of the field — the wrong side of the field.
“So, we had great respect for him.”
McNamara was an extraordinary story at Michigan, waiting his turn before getting an opportunity during a downtrodden 2020 season. He helped the Wolverines overcome a double-digit deficit on the road at Rutgers to win in triple overtime and take the starting job.
Then he parlayed the new role into guiding an offense to never-before-seen heights under Jim Harbaugh, capturing the program’s first Big Ten championship since 2006 (over Iowa) and first victory over arch-rival Ohio State in nearly a decade.
But McNamara lost the starting job to J.J. McCarthy at the start of the 2022 season, when he only appeared in three games and suffered a season-ending ACL injury that required surgery.
“In December ‘21, I had no idea he’d be joining us a year later,” Ferentz said. “But I had great respect for him — like everyone in our program did. When the opportunity opened itself up, we were very enthused about it. And as excited as I was in December, I’m more excited now just because he’s been with us.”
Ferentz, who enters his 25th season as the head coach in Iowa City, said McNamara has already made an impression on his teammates — describing the transfer quarterback as “a strong leader, positive leader, a vocal leader with a lot of courage.” He was joined this offseason by a second Michigan transfer, tight end Erick All.
“You quickly learn that he’s a competitor,” linebacker Jay Higgins said. “I think I figured that out his first day on campus. He likes to win.”
Higgins described a “locked in, intense guy” who quickly commanded the huddle and controlled the Iowa offense, a unit that averaged just 17.7 points per game last season, 123 out of 131 FBS teams.
“It’s just good to see him over there,” Higgins said. “He looks happy, and you’re able to know when guys are happy where they’re at.”
The result, of course, has been beneficial for Michigan, too. McCarthy helped preside over another big year for the Wolverines, who went 13-1, captured their second straight Big Ten title and reached the College Football Playoff. Head coach Jim Harbaugh has fielded questions about the decision to side with McCarthy ever since, calling McNamara “a favorite” and “beloved son.”
“There’s somebody that went into a game in 2020, we were down 17 points and just started bringing us back from the minute he went into the game,” Harbaugh said. “Got a big hit right before halftime, and then saw the gravel in the gut that he had and brought our team back for an overtime win.
“And then took off from there — and beat Ohio State and won the Big Ten championship. He would be one of those great Michigan men. And now he’s a Hawkeye, but love hasn’t changed.”
After Rudock helped Michigan turn its fortune around in 2015, the program’s first season with Harbaugh as coach, McNamara will look to help revive a dormant Iowa offense. And Ferentz looks forward to watching it happen.
“I think they won 10 games with him (Rudock), and he was our second-best guy,” Ferentz quipped. “So it’s kind fo funny how it goes sometimes. I guess maybe this is a fair trade back. I’m into fairness; that’s a good thing.”