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Iowa Quarterback Cade McNamara’s health has been a cause for concern before he ever even stepped foot on Iowa’s campus. McNamara missed most of the 2022 season at Michigan and was still recovering by the time his first spring ball at Iowa arrived.
Come August, McNamara strained his quad which was later a pre-cursor to an ACL tear in late September. We’ve hardly seen McNamara at full health as a Hawkeye, and some wonder if he ever will be again.
Kirk Ferentz alluded Michael Penix’s renaissance with Washington last season. Penix overcame multiple ACL tears at Indiana and threw for 4,903 yards and 36 touchdowns in 2023 as a Huskie. Hawkeye fans shouldn’t expect remotely similar numbers, but there is reason to believe McNamara can put his injury woes behind him.
Left Tackle Mason Richman shared that McNamara has bulked up, and hopes to decrease the likelihood of future injury.
“I think he’s looking really good,” Mason Richman said of his teammate. “I think I’ve seen him put on a lot of weight and that’s going to help him out a lot for injuries sake. We try to keep guys above their optimum weight more often than not because it increases the risk for injuries –like hamstrings and stuff. He’s moving around the field really good.”
The benefits to gaining weight in football may go even deeper than increasing durability.
“I will say I see deeper balls, that’s for sure,” wide receiver Kaleb Brown said. “Just effortless, which is crazy. I’ve seen him throw that thing — it was probably about 40 or 45 yards. It was just a good ball and he put it right on my shoulder.”