The Iowa Hawkeyes football season took a somber turn earlier this week when head coach Kirk Ferentz announced that starting quarterback Cade McNamara will be sidelined for the rest of the season with a torn ACL in his left knee.
Deacon Hill has taken over as the starter for the Hawkeyes.
McNamara suffered the devastating injury during the first half of Iowa’s recent victory over Michigan State.
The University of Michigan transfer is set to undergo surgery and is expected to make a full recovery … Best of all, McNamara will be returning to Iowa for his final season next year.
This setback marks another unfortunate chapter in McNamara’s career, as he missed a significant portion of the previous season with Michigan due to a knee injury.
He also encountered difficulties during the preseason, injuring his upper right leg in an August scrimmage, which hindered his full participation in preseason practices.
The final blow came when he tore his ACL while scrambling out of the end zone during the first quarter of the game against Michigan State.
Cade McNamara just had a pretty awful injury
Hope he will be alright pic.twitter.com/u8ucLhIQEf
— e – Sidney Crosby 🐐 (38-32-12) (@AdamQuraishi1) October 1, 2023
Commenting on McNamara’s unfortunate situation, Coach Kirk Ferentz said, “Really tough break considering the last few years he’s had more than his share of obstacles. Your heart goes out to him.”
In McNamara’s absence, 6-foot-3, 258-pound Deacon Hill will step into the starting quarterback role for the Hawkeyes. Hill transferred to Iowa after spending two years with Wisconsin and is now in his third year as a sophomore.
He came in relief of McNamara during Iowa’s win over the Spartans, passing 11 of 27 for 115 yards and a touchdown.
Some anonymous reporter asked Kirk if he was concerned with the Kinnick turf, and how Cade McNamara's suffered 2 non-contact injuries on it:
"That's probably overstated… I'm old enough to remember when we had astro-turf in the 80's… which is kind of like this carpet" https://t.co/xXXZHA7S8j pic.twitter.com/RNYLbtkRXO
— Blake Hornstein (@BlakeHornTV) October 3, 2023
Reflecting on his unexpected opportunity, Deacon Hill said: “For anyone who gets the opportunity to play in college, it’s a blessing. For me, it’s an immense blessing. I wish it would have come under different circumstances.”
“I love Cade and wanted the best for him. Injuries are part of the game, and now it’s just my turn, and I have to keep working like I have.”
Tough break for Cade … But it’s great that we’ll be seeing him back on the field next season.
