Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz has been suspended one game for a violation in the recruitment of transfer quarterback Cade McNamara, per Adam Rittenberg of ESPN. Assistant Jon Budmayr also received a one-game suspension, according to the report.
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Iowa opens the season a week from Saturday against Illinois State.
"Ferentz is the nation's longest-tenured FBS coach, having led Iowa since the 1999 season," Rittenberg wrote. "Budmayr serves as the Hawkeyes' wide receivers coach after working as a special assistant to Ferentz in 2023 and offensive analyst in 2022.
"... McNamara committed to Iowa on Dec. 1, 2022, just three days after entering the portal as a graduate transfer. He started for Michigan in 2021 as the team won the Big Ten and reached the College Football Playoff but suffered a season-ending leg injury in the third game of the 2022 season."
The Hawkeyes are ranked No. 28 in the latest USA Today College Football poll. But quality QB play could change all that and move them up the ranks.
"McNamara has battled injuries throughout his time at Iowa but opened the 2023 season as the Hawkeyes' starter," Rittenberg wrote. "Although Ferentz announced in July that McNamara was the starter, McNamara and Northwestern transfer Brendan Sullivan have been competing for the job in camp."
Budmayr coaches the wide receivers.
"Budmayr was a special assistant to the head coach at the time, and as a former Wisconsin assistant he had previously recruited McNamara," wrote Scott Dochterman of The Athletic. "Their past relationship contributed to McNamara joining the program."
Iowa football spokesman Matt Weitzel told The Associated Press he could not confirm or deny the report.
