At Big Ten Football Media Days the subject of Cade McNamara arose on numerous fronts. Iowa’s new quarterback garnered positive reviews from his former Michigan teammates.
“He would be one of those great Michigan men,” Jim Harbaugh recalled. Now he’s a Hawkeye, but the love hasn’t changed.”
“He’s a warrior on that field,” Blake Corum said. “He’s a great leader. And he led that team to a Big Ten championship. I expect big things from him at Iowa.”
McNamara helped Michigan end an eight-game losing streak to rival Ohio State and go on to win the conference championship for the first time since 2004. The third-team All-Big Ten player in 2021 threw for 2,576 yards with 15 touchdowns and six interceptions.
Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz took a question on the former Michigan Wolverine, and immediately thought back to the 2021 Big Ten Championship Game at Lucas Oil Stadium — a 42-3 Michigan masterclass over his Hawkeyes.
“Outstanding,” Ferentz said of McNamara’s fit. “I only knew him on film in ’21, and then I got to experience his performance on the other side of the field — the wrong side of field.”
“I had great respect for him as I think everybody in our program did. We’re very enthused about it. We’re thrilled he’s with us. And as excited as I was back in December, I’m more excited now just because he’s been with us.”
“I’ve seen the impact he’s already had. He’s a strong leader, positive leader, a vocal leader. He’s got a lot of courage and but he comes to the resume. He’s really respected and he has been a great addition. So we’ll see how it does on the field. I’m confident he’ll play well.”
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