Longtime Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz. as well as one of the Hawkeyes’ assistants, will be suspended for one game due to a recruiting violation.
Scott Dochterman of The Athletic reported the news on Wednesday night. He noted that the suspension was related to the recruiting of quarterback Cade McNamara, who transferred to Iowa from Michigan following the 2022 football season.
“Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz and wide receivers coach Jon Budmayr will receive a one-game suspension for committing a recruiting violation when courting quarterback Cade McNamara before the transfer portal opened in 2022, a source briefed on the violation said,” said Dochterman.
Budmayr is entering his third year on Ferentz’s staff at Iowa. He was an offensive assistant for the 2022 and 2023 seasons and was named receivers coach ahead of the 2024 campaign.
McNamara opened the 2022 season as Michigan’s starting quarterback, edging out J.J. McCarthy. McCarthy, though, earned the starting job for the Wolverines’ second game and never relinquished it. McNamara, though, did get in as a backup in Michigan’s second and third games of the season. In the third game, a 59-0 win over UConn, McNamara left with a knee injury and didn’t play again at Michigan. McNamara later entered the transfer portal as soon as he could and ended up committing to Iowa not long after that.
Per Dochterman, Ferentz will have a news conference on Thursday at 1:30 p.m. CT.
