Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz and assistant coach Jon Budmayr will be suspended for the No. 25 Hawkeyes’ season opener against Illinois State on August 31 due to a recruiting violation involving quarterback Cade McNamara, according to several media sources.
The Athletic, citing an unnamed source, was the first to report that Ferentz and Budmayr are suspended. Iowa football spokesman Matt Weitzel told The Associated Press he could not confirm or deny the report.
It is unclear whether the NCAA or Iowa imposed the suspensions.
Ferentz is starting his 26th season at Iowa, where he has 196 wins, ranking him third among Big Ten coaches.
The Hawkeyes have won 10 games in three of the last five seasons and reached the Big Ten championship game last year.
McNamara started 16 of 21 games for Michigan before transferring to Iowa before the 2023 season.
He played the first five games last season before a knee injury ended his year. McNamara is competing with Northwestern transfer Brendan Sullivan for the starting position this year.
Ferentz is set to speak with reporters on Thursday afternoon.
