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.
The suspension is related to an NCAA investigation, but it wasn't immediately clear whether the sanction is being imposed by Iowa or the NCAA.
Iowa athletic director Beth Goetz declined to comment. Ferentz will address the media at a news conference at 1:30 p.m. CT on Thursday.
McNamara played his first three seasons at Michigan from 2020 to 2022, leading the Wolverines to the 2021 Big Ten championship but playing in only three games in 2022 after suffering a season-ending knee injury. He entered the transfer portal on Nov. 28 that year -- the day it opened -- and by Nov. 29 there was mutual interest between McNamara and the Hawkeyes, a team source told The Athletic. On Dec. 1, McNamara committed to Iowa.
Then, Budmayr was a special assistant to the head coach and as a former Wisconsin assistant had previously recruited McNamara. Their past relationship contributed to McNamara joining the program.
McNamara is back at Iowa for his second season and sixth in college football. He is battling former Northwestern quarterback Brendan Sullivan for the starting role.
The Hawkeyes open against Illinois State on Aug. 31 at Kinnick Stadium. Ferentz, 69, has guided Iowa's program since 1999 and is the nation's longest-tenured head coach. It's likely assistant defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Seth Wallace, who was elevated to assistant head coach last winter, will replace Ferentz on game day.
