Takeaways from Iowa football’s 2024 Kids’ Day at Kinnick

Graduate signal-caller Cade McNamara has been working his way back from a season-ending ACL injury to his left knee that he sustained on a scramble in Week 5 of last year versus Michigan State. It marked consecutive seasons where McNamara suffered a season-ending injury. McNamara’s 2022 season at Michigan ended with him having surgery on his right knee.

Though McNamara and Iowa have indicated that he is 100% healthy, McNamara certainly wasn’t sharp on Saturday. Though a major concern in the spring, McNamara’s mobility appeared improved in the Kids’ Day at Kinnick scrimmage.

At one point, McNamara stepped up in the pocket and scrambled for a first down.

McNamara’s struggles in the pass game were apparent, though. CBS Sports’ Chris Hassel went back through the tape and unofficially charted McNamara as 7-of-21 passing for 20 yards with an interception. The interception was a pick six by graduate safety Quinn Schulte.

McNamara had multiple passes batted down at the line of scrimmage and badly misfired on others that should have been completions. Overall, McNamara just didn’t look very comfortable.

According to the Des Moines Register, Brendan Sullivan finished his day 10-of-21 passing for 76 yards.

While those numbers aren’t particularly inspiring from Sullivan either, part of the buzz of the day in the aftermath was whether or not McNamara does indeed have competition from Sullivan for the starting quarterback job.