Could the Iowa Hawkeyes be in the market for a new quarterback? Just days after Iowa hosted their annual spring practice, quarterback Deacon Hill entered the transfer portal.
Last year, the former Wisconsin Badger was forced to step in after an injury ended the season of fellow transfer starter Cade McNamara.
Now, Deacon Hill is back in the transfer portal searching for his next destination. While Hill certainly wasn’t spectacular to say the least last season as the starter, his departure definitely harms the depth Iowa has at the position.
That’s three passers who have now left for greener pastures this offseason, Joe Labas committing to Central Michigan earlier this year. You can’t forget former starter Spencer Petras opting to finish his collegiate career at Utah State after sticking around the Iowa program last year helping the team from the sidelines
Add in the fact that Cade McNamara still looks severely impacted by his knee injury, something he may never truly bounce back from, and the quarterback position is really worrying for the Hawkeyes. They simply do not have many on the roster who can throw the football.
This leads back to the portal, a place many fans and analysts believe Iowa should be searching for a quarterback. While it’s hard to believe that they are going to go star searching in the portal—it’s not Kirk Ferentz’s M.O. and it seems that they’re willing to live and die on the Cade McNamara sword—maybe they can find some competent competition.
Coincidentally, just as Deacon Hill arrived in the transfer portal, Northwestern quarterback Brendan Sullivan entered his name as well. That one comes as a bit more of a shock, Sullivan seen by many as the day one starter for the Wildcats this year. Who knows the reason why he hit the portal, but could the Davison, Mich., product be on his way to Iowa?
An interesting thing to note is that when Sullivan was coming out of high school, he did receive an offer from the then-Tim Lester coached Western Michigan Broncos. With Lester now calling the plays for the Hawkeyes, and Sullivan possessing two years of eligibility, could we see Brendan Sullivan in black and gold in 2024?
The 6-foot-3, 225 pound quarterback has appeared in 13 games over the past two seasons, including eight starts. Sullivan completed 134-of-195 passes for 1,303 yards and 10 touchdowns, and he has also rushed for 257 yards and three scores over the past two seasons.
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