Inside The Hawkeyes

WATCH: Brendan Sullivan Throws First TD As Iowa Hawkeyes QB

Brendan Sullivan's first pass as a member of the Iowa Hawkeyes was a touchdown.
Matthew Schmidt|
Iowa quarterback Brendan Sullivan (1) throws the ball during Kids Day at Kinnick Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa.
Iowa quarterback Brendan Sullivan (1) throws the ball during Kids Day at Kinnick Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK

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Iowa HawkeyesTroy Trojans

Is a quarterback change brewing for the Iowa Hawkeyes?

Brendan Sullivan threw his first pass as a member of the Hawkeyes on Saturday, and it went for a two-yard touchdown to tight end Addison Ostrenga to give Iowa the lead over the Troy Trojans.

Sullivan transferred to Iowa from Northwestern after last season.

The 22-year-old went into 2024 as the Hawkeyes' second-string quarterback behind Cade McNamara, but thanks to McNamara's early struggles, there has been speculation that Sullivan could ultimately supplant McNamara as the starter.

This touchdown doesn't necessarily mean that Sullivan is usurping McNamara. However, it probably does mean that McNamara needs to look over his shoulder.

Sullivan began his collegiate career at Northwestern in 2022, throwing for 589 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions in five appearances. Then, last year, he totaled 714 yards, six touchdowns and a couple of picks. He completed 68.7 percent of his passes with the Wildcats.

Meanwhile, McNamara transferred to Iowa from the Michigan Wolverines back in December 2022. There were lofty expectations for the signal-caller going into his debut campaign at Iowa City, but he tore his ACL after five games. When he was on the field, he wasn't too impressive, registering 505 yards, four touchdowns and three picks while completing a meager 51.1 percent of his throws.

Oddly enough, the Hawkeyes have employed Sullivan multiple times in the red zone against Troy on Saturday, so it seems like Iowa has opted to bench McNamara in some red zone situations.

We'll see if there are any further developments.

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Matthew Schmidt
MATTHEW SCHMIDT

Matthew Schmidt is a sportswriter who covers NFL, MLB, NBA and college football and basketball. He has been writing professionally since 2011 and has also worked for Bleacher Report, FanRag Sports, ClutchPoints, NFLAnalysis.net and NBAAnalysis.net. He was born and raised in New Jersey and has a rather eclectic group of favorite teams: the Boston Celtics, New York Giants and Miami Marlins.

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