Cade McNamara to East Tennessee St.

Former Iowa and Michigan quarterback Cade McNamara announced on Instagram Saturday that he was transferring to East Tennessee State. He entered the portal last month and is seeking a seventh season of eligibility.

McNamara started the first eight games of Iowa's 2024 season before suffering a head injury. He did not play again. It was the third year in a row his season ended early.

After starting the first five games of '23, McNamara tore his ACL. During the previous year at Michigan, he played the first three games before needing knee surgery.

McNamara opened this past Fall on the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and Comeback Player of the Year Award preseason watch lists. However, he struggled with consistency, completing 60.5 percent of his passes for 1,017 yards with six touchdowns and five interceptions.

In 13 games as a Hawkeyes, McNamara completed 58.0 percent of his passes for 1,522 yards and 10 touchdowns against eight picks. Iowa was 9-4 during his starts, but two of the wins were finished by his backups.

McNamara (6-1, 210) was named third-team All-Big Ten by league coaches and media in '21. Michigan reached the four-team College Football Playoff, defeating Iowa in the conference title contest along the way.

East Tennessee State hired Will Healy as its new head coach on Dec. 12. He brought in Ole Miss analyst Cam Aiken to coordinate the offense.