By Apollo Lundin
There was a time when Cade McNamara looked like he would be a perfectly good collegiate signal-caller for years to come. Well, that was four years ago. Since then, McNamara has played in 16 games, 13 of those for Iowa, and has never regained the hype he once had. On Sunday, McNamara announced he would be transferring again to FCS Eastern Tennessee State University (ETSU).
In 2020, McNamara made his first collegiate appearance for Michigan. Although he only played four games that season, McNamara showed enough to earn the starting job the next season. In the 2021 season, McNamara led the Wolverines to a Big Ten championship and a spot in the College Football Playoff. Throughout the 2021 season, he tallied 2,576 passing yards, 15 touchdowns, six interceptions, and a 64.2% completion rate. The Wolverines ended the season 12-2, losing to Michigan State and Georgia.
In the semifinal against Georgia, McNamara was benched in the second half for J.J. McCarthy, who showed promise against the top-ranked defense. McNamara was named the starter for Week 1 in the 2022 season, but he would quickly give it up to McCarthy in Week 2, who would go on to start the remainder of the year. Following his season on the bench, McNamara announced he would be transferring to the University of Iowa to play for Kirk Ferentz.
In 2023 at Iowa, McNamara started hot but quickly slowed down. In his first game for the Hawkeyes, against Utah State, he tallied 191 passing yards and two touchdowns. In his next game against Iowa State, McNamara threw no touchdowns, an interception, and had a completion rate of only 54.5%. His completion percentage and yards almost consistently fell throughout the first four games of his Iowa tenure before suffering a season-ending knee injury in the fifth game.
This past season McNamara appeared in eight games and posted solid overall stats, but did not pass the “eye test.” In his first game back from injury, he tallied 251 passing yards, three touchdowns, and a 67.7% completion rate, giving life to his hype and hope to the fans. However, that was against Illinois State. The rest of the season he would throw only three more touchdowns and five interceptions before getting benched in the second half against Northwestern in their ninth game. McNamara did not see the field for the remainder of the season.
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On Sunday, Jan. 19, Cade McNamara announced he would be transferring to ETSU. For the past two seasons, the Buccaneers have ended with a record of 3-8. The Bucs do not have an FCS National Championship to their name, or even a Southern Conference Championship, but McNamara brings Big Ten, FBS, and Power-Conference experience to a team that has struggled in recent years. His experience paired with new Head Coach Will Healy, who has proven he can turn around struggling schools quickly, gives ETSU hope that the 2025 season can start something new in Johnson City.
