IOWA CITY — In his interactions with the media, Iowa offensive lineman Connor Colby is not a man of many words.
So when asked about quarterback Cade McNamara on Tuesday, Colby’s answer was fittingly brief. But even in such few words, his insight holds significant weight, given the circumstances.
“He’s taking snaps,” Colby said of McNamara. “He’s moving around good.”
Those statements, particularly the latter, should be encouraging for Iowa fans.
With offseason workouts underway, the Hawkeyes’ quarterback room is still in the early stages of development leading up to the 2024 campaign. Iowa’s presumed best options are either coming off a season-ending injury or establishing themself in a new program. That makes the progress of that position group one of the more important storylines over the next several months.
“Looks good,” safety Xavier Nwankpa said of the quarterbacks so far. “They’re out there throwing balls, making plays. So it’s exciting. Very competitive out there.”
There was major movement in the quarterback room following the conclusion of spring practice. Deacon Hill and walk-on Tommy Poholsky departed the program. In desperate need of bolstering that position group, Iowa landed Northwestern transfer Brendan Sullivan, along with Jackson Stratton from Colorado State as a walk-on.
More:Film analysis: What does Northwestern QB transfer Brendan Sullivan bring to Iowa football?
All told, only two quarterbacks on Iowa’s current roster were with the program at the beginning of last season.
McNamara and Sullivan have each enjoyed varying degrees of success at the college level, but at least externally, it feels like there are questions that still need to be answered.
McNamara has suffered consecutive season-ending injuries — most recently a torn ACL. In McNamara’s process of returning to play, receiver Kaleb Brown says he has noticed McNamara throwing more balls downfield. That opens the possibility for explosive plays, something that Iowa has sorely lacked offensively.
“Just effortless, which is crazy,” Brown said of McNamara. “I’ve seen him throw that thing like it’s nothing.
“I’ve been comfortable with Cade. It’s good to see him moving around and more active than he had been.”
Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said that if healthy, McNamara is Iowa’s starter. But Sullivan will be given the opportunity to make his case for the starting job.
Sullivan was a major addition for the Hawkeyes, providing some much-needed stability and experience to the position group. The former Northwestern quarterback, who threw for 10 passing touchdowns combined over the last two seasons, thrives by creating plays with his legs.
“Obviously, he’s played in this conference before but seeing him now workout with us, stuff like that, he’s determined,” offensive line Mason Richman said of Sullivan. “He’s not a super ‘rah, rah’ or loud guy. But I think he definitely cares a lot about training and football and everything like that. He’s trying to get the playbook down, get as many reps as he can, especially in the film room. He’s in here pretty early in the morning.”
Brown said of Sullivan: “I like how he’s moving, that’s for sure. He definitely takes to coaching. He’ll even come back and ask the receivers a bunch of questions, just so he can get better.”
Still, with how Iowa’s offense has played in recent years, there is legitimate concern about the ability to throw and catch the football. Both of those were glaring issues last season. Iowa has made coaching staff changes to address those areas. Ex-Western Michigan coach Tim Lester was hired as Iowa’s new offensive coordinator. Jon Budmayr was elevated to wide receivers coach.
There have been hints at what Iowa’s attack could look like under Lester. One is more pre-snap movement to confuse the opposing defense. But it was Leshon Williams — a running back — that provided some interesting insight on the Hawkeyes’ passing game.
“Put us in a lot more of pass concepts, uses us more as a receiver,” Williams said of how Lester utilizes the running backs. “Just try to use us all around. Not just running backs, but put us more deeper down the field. Take advantage of mismatches with linebackers and stuff like that. Just like he believes in us to play a little receiver, too.”
Given the current uncertainty surrounding Iowa’s quarterbacks and wide receivers, that could be beneficial for the offense. The Hawkeyes’ stable of running backs — which includes Williams, Kaleb Johnson, Jaziun Patterson and Kamari Moulton — is one of the strongest position groups on the offensive side of the ball. Getting them as many touches as possible, even if it’s in the passing game, seems like a smart approach.
It’s important to take much of the offseason reports of what happens behind closed doors with a grain of salt. Iowa’s offense has so many moving pieces that it’s best to withhold full judgment until the Hawkeyes take the field on Saturdays this fall. That is when it truly matters.
Early impressions of Iowa’s quarterbacks this offseason seem to be positive, but there is still a long way to go.
“He was just still getting into it,” Brown said of Sullivan. “We brought a few other quarterbacks in and thing like so kinda move roles around and was able to get some reps. But he looks solid, though. That’s for sure. I’ve seen some balls that he threw to other people and it looks good.”
Follow Tyler Tachman on X@Tyler_T15, contact via email atttachman@gannett.com
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