Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz and wide receivers coach John Budmeyer will be suspended for one game for violating recruiting rules when they courted quarterback Cade McNamara before the transfer window opened in 2022, according to a source familiar with the violation.
The suspension comes as a result of an investigation by the NCAA, but it was not immediately clear whether the punishment was imposed by Iowa State or the NCAA.
Iowa State athletic director Beth Goetz declined to comment. Ferentz is scheduled to address the media at a news conference at 1:30 p.m. Central time 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 just three games in 2022 after suffering a season-ending knee injury. He entered the transfer portal on Nov. 28 of that year — the day it opened — and by Nov. 29 there was mutual interest between McNamara and the Hawkeyes, according to a team source. The athleteOn December 1, McNamara announced his commitment to Iowa State.
Budmeier was a special assistant to the head coach, and as a former Wisconsin assistant, he had previously recruited McNamara. Their previous relationship helped bring McNamara to the program.
McNamara returns to Iowa for his second season and sixth in college football. He is competing with former Northwestern quarterback Brendan Sullivan for the starting role.
The Hawkeyes will open their campaign against Illinois State on Aug. 31 at Kinnick Stadium. Ferentz, 69, has led the Iowa program since 1999 and is the longest-serving coach in the country. Assistant defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Seth Wallace, who was promoted to assistant head coach last winter, is likely to replace Ferentz on game day.
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