Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz to serve 1-game suspension for Cade McNamara recruiting violation
The Hawkeyes open up against Illinois State on Aug. 31
Iowa football head coach Kirk Ferentz and wide receivers coach Jon Budmayr will not coach the Hawkeyes’ season-opening game on Aug. 31 against Illinois State due to self-imposed, one-game suspensions.
Ferentz and Budmayr will sit out the game after they were notified of possible recruiting violations related to the transfer of quarterback Cade McNamara from Michigan to Iowa in 2022.
During a Thursday press conference, Iowa athletic director Beth Goetz said that the school was notified of the violation by the NCAA and made the decision to self-impose the penalties for Ferentz and Budmayr.
Ferentz said that the violation was regarding contact made with McNamara before he entered the transfer portal. Budmayr had previously recruited McNamara when Budmayr was an assistant at Wisconsin.
McNamara committed to Iowa on Dec. 1, 2022, three days after he entered the transfer portal. He started for the Wolverines in 2021, leading the team to the Big Ten title and the College Football Playoff. The following season, he suffered a season-ending knee injury during the third game of the season.
Last season, after transferring to Iowa, McNamara threw for 505 yards and four touchdowns in five games before suffering a torn ACL.
McNamara remains eligible to play and would be the starting quarterback if the season started today, Ferentz said.
After taking charge of the Hawkeyes program in 1999, Ferentz is the longest-tenured FBS head coach. Budmayr joined as an offensive analyst in 2022 and worked as a special assistant to Ferentz last season.
Assistant coach Seth Wallace will take charge for the game against Illinois State.
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