In a world where NIL runs the table, or should I say football field, word has come out that the University of Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz and WR coach Jon Budmayr have been suspended for their season opener against Illinois State due to a recruiting scandal.
For the casuals out there, a suspension against Iowa may shock you, as this is a team that’s known for approaching recruiting the right way. However, in these last few months, this isn’t the first instance of Iowa getting involved in recruiting the wrong way.
This suspension is related to QB Cade McNamara, who, before committing to Iowa to be the starting quarterback, was at a different Big 10 school, Michigan University. McNamara was in the transfer portal for a grand total of three days before announcing his commitment to the Hawkeyes, which raised questions about whether tampering was involved.
According to David Eickholt, “this suspension is related to an NCAA investigation, but it’s not clear on whether the sanction is being imposed by Iowa or the NCAA.”
In addition, Iowa has also self-reported a Level 3 rules violation in recruiting Alabama offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor, a five-star offensive line prospect who committed to Iowa for a bit before flipping it back to the Crimson Tide.
This suspension is interesting because it happened two years ago, so why is Kirk and co. getting the suspension now? This team is already down WR Kaleb Brown for the game due to an OWI obtained over the summer, and now, it doesn’t have its HC or WR coach. It’s not like McNamara was some blue-chip prospect that every team wanted when he entered the portal; he was a guy who had had previous success but was outperformed by someone who Michigan had more confidence in with JJ McCarthy. That and injury history (a knee injury with Michigan and an ACL tear with Iowa) lead to teams staying away from the former Wolverine.
Yes, the suspension is confusing, but if it’s due to tampering and it’s something that has to be addressed, then so be it. Missing one regular-season game against a lackluster opponent won’t be detrimental to the team's aura. Think of it as a bump in the road for a team that’s trying to prove the NCAA wrong, that they can compete, and that they have a competent offense led by Cade McNamara.
It’s confusing and a little bit dumb if you ask me. However, rules are rules, and a simple one-game suspension is fine in the grand scheme of things.
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