It’s no secret that Cade McNamara has made a strong first impression in his first seven months as a Hawkeye. Just ask the Ferentzes:
“I don’t want to speak for everyone on our team, but they’ve all really embraced him and really are glad he’s here,” Kirk Ferentz said in April. “He’s clearly our starter right now — it’s not a debate.”
“I mean, this guy likes football. He cares about football. He likes being a part of a team,” Brian Ferentz echoed. “He’s a fun guy to coach and be around.”
Spring practices served as McNamara’s first opportunity to build on-field chemistry with his new teammates. The next would’ve been two months later during June workouts, but Iowa’s new QB1 had other plans.
McNamara was planning his annual trip to California to train with his personal quarterback coach, Jordan Palmer, one that he’s done since 8th grade. Typically the cast of pass-catchers and quarterbacks features his brothers and hometown friends. But after contemplation, McNamara initiated a change from the normal cast of characters.
“Why don’t I have my teammates come with me as well,” McNamara said, who even offered to help pay for travel expenses out of his own pocket. (SWARM ended up sponsoring the trip, and covered all expenses.)
“I feel like us being together on the football field is where respect is earned and that’s what gets us embraced with one another. But then once you’re spending time away from the field, that’s where we actually get to know each other and spend some actual time together … like really build a friendship.”
McNamara and an assortment of scholarship and walk-on pass catchers all made it to the west coast. Tight ends Luke Lachey, Erick All and even newly acquired Kaleb Brown all went. Seth Anderson was injured for nearly all spring practice sessions, but thought he made up for some of those reps because of the trip.
“After that trip I have a tighter connection with those dudes, and it was a good chance to get out there and get some work,” Anderson shared.
“We would wake up at 6 a.m., go do a cold plunge in the ocean, then we’d go and start our day,” McNamara said. “Just doing stuff outside of being on the field, like eating, doing all kinds of the cool activities — we even went surfing that day.”
But over the course of that time together, the prevailing outcome was a group of players growing closer off the football field and improving on it.
“It ended up being an awesome week — not just for me to get better at playing quarterback, but hopefully those guys getting better at their positions as well,” McNamara said.
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