Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz and his assistant Jon Budmayr have been suspended for the Hawkeyes' season-opening game in late 2022 as part of a school-imposed penalty for violating recruiting rules.
Ferentz, the FBS's longest-tenured coach who has led Iowa since the 1999 season, admitted to a Level II violation for contacting a player and his family before he entered the transfer portal.
“I frequently tell our players to follow the rules, but in this case I did not,” Ferentz said in a statement released Thursday. “In 26 years as head coach at Iowa – and more than four decades as a coach – this is my first potential violation of the NCAA's Level II rules. I made a mistake and want to apologize to our players, the university administration and our Hawkeye football fans. I know Coach Budmayr shares that sentiment.”
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Iowa has not released the name of the player, but sources have told ESPN it is quarterback Cade McNamara, who transferred from Michigan to Iowa three days after officially entering the transfer portal.
McNamara began the 2023 season as Iowa's starter before suffering a knee injury and was in contention for the starting job during preseason training camp.
Ferentz and athletic director Beth Goetz, after reviewing the case and consulting with NCAA officials, mutually agreed to a one-game suspension and the loss of one week of outside recruiting opportunities for both Ferentz and Budmayr.
The suspension for both coaches will take effect at 12:01 a.m. on August 31, prior to Iowa's season opener against Illinois State at Kinnick Stadium. Both coaches can return for the rival game against Iowa State on September 7.
Co-defensive coordinator Seth Wallace, who was named associate head coach in January, will serve as interim coach for the game against Illinois State.
Ferentz, who has a 196-119 record at Iowa, told reporters Thursday afternoon that he could not elaborate on the situation due to an ongoing NCAA investigation.
Goetz said, “Coach Ferentz and I decided to impose the penalties ourselves so the program can move forward without distraction. I appreciate the accountability demonstrated and we will continue to cooperate fully with the NCAA throughout this process.”
Budmayr, a former Wisconsin quarterback, is the Hawkeyes' wide receivers coach after serving as a special assistant to Ferentz in 2023 and an offensive analyst in 2022. He came to Iowa from Colorado State, where he was offensive coordinator in 2021.
McNamara committed to transfer to Iowa on December 1, 2022. He played for Michigan in 2021 when the team won the Big Ten and reached the College Football Playoff, but suffered a season-ending leg injury in the third game of the 2022 season.
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