Iowa football: Sullivan moves up to QB1 on new depth chart; McNamara in concussion protocol
Brendan Sullivan is Iowa's new QB1.
Sullivan, a junior transfer from Northwestern, replaced Cade McNamara and sparked the Hawkeyes offense in a victory Saturday against the Wildcats. He's listed as the team's starting quarterback on a depth chart released Monday afternoon.
Redshirt freshman Marco Lainez is listed as the backup with no mention of McNamara.
Sullivan, who played in 13 games with eight starts in two seasons at Northwestern before transferring to Iowa over the summer, threw for 79 yards while rushing for 41 yards, including a 6-yard touchdown run that started the Hawkeyes’ third-quarter scoring.
“It was weird all week watching film and knowing exactly who all of these guys are,” Sullivan said of playing against his former teammates. “It's almost like in high school when you know exactly who you were playing against.”
Sullivan enjoyed competing against his former team, and it showed as he exchanged words at times with the Wildcats throughout the game.
Watch: Brendan Sullivan sparks Iowa's win over Northwestern
“I have nothing but respect for them,” Sullivan said. “It was just having fun in the game.”
Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said before Saturday's game that there had been a plan to use Sullivan in more situations, and after McNamara threw the interception, he decided to make the change.
Ferentz announced on Tuesday that McNamara is in the concussion protocol and will not play Saturday.
It was unclear when McNamara was injured. Ferentz said McNamara took a hard shot in the second quarter. McNamara also was on the receiving end of a roughing-the-passer penalty late in the first quarter.
Ferentz said he was hopeful McNamara would be available for the Nov. 8 game at UCLA.
McNamara started the first eight games for the Hawkeyes (5-3, 3-2 Big Ten). He transferred from Michigan two years ago and missed a significant portion of 2023 fall camp with a leg injury. His season ended in the fifth game when he tore the ACL in his left knee. In 2022, a knee injury ended his season with Michigan after three games.
“Feel badly for him because it’s been a tough stretch really for about two and a half years,” Ferentz said. “I’ve said it before and you guys have heard me say it a million times, the worst thing about coaching is dealing with injuries. It’s something nobody wants to deal with, and certainly he’s had his tough share of bad luck here. I feel bad about that, but hopefully we’ll get him back soon, get him back on his feet.”
Information from the Associated Press was used in this article.
