The NCAA ruled Tuesday that Iowa committed a tampering violation when head coach Kirk Ferentz and his assistants made impermissible contact with a player in November 2022 before he entered the transfer portal.
Ferentz and wide receivers coach Jon Budmayr previously settled their respective violations in the case. However, the school argued that one of the penalties it faced — expunging the team’s records — was out of date, prompting the need for a hearing with the NCAA Division I Infractions Committee.
The hearing panel said Tuesday that a record-stripping penalty was appropriate in this case, but acknowledged that the changing landscape of the sport requires regular review of the rules and their consequences.
“Changes to historical practices – specifically around what violations trigger student-athlete ineligibility and how ineligible competitions will be sanctioned – should be made by more traditional governance committees through governance and legislative processes,” the panel said. “The COI is open to re-evaluating the violations that triggered the ineligibility or how ineligible competition should be sanctioned, but this would be inappropriate if done in the context of a single case of violations and outside the legislative process.”
In addition to the expunging of all records for which the player competed, the full list of punishments included one year of probation for the Hawkeyes.
Iowa’s self-imposed penalties accepted by the NCAA include one-game suspensions for Ferentz and Budmayr (to serve in 2024), a $25,000 fine, a 24-day reduction in recruiting time in 2025, and a two-week ban on football recruiting communications during the 2026 calendar year.
“When respected individuals identify their mistakes and take responsibility for them, this sets the standard for appropriate behavior within their programs, universities, and, more importantly, across the broader industry,” the panel said. “The panel appreciates the actions taken by Iowa and Ferentz to publicly address the conduct of him and his staff members.”
The NCAA did not name the player in question, previously identified as quarterback Cade McNamara. According to the panel, Budmayr made 13 phone calls and sent two text messages to the student-athlete and/or his father, and arranged a phone call with Ferentz.
McNamara, who transferred from Michigan, participated in five games for the Hawkeyes in 2023. Iowa went 4-1 in those games and finished the season with a 10-4 record. Wins against Utah State, Iowa State, Western Michigan and Michigan State will be vacated.
Ferentz, the head coach at Iowa since 1999, will have his career total reduced from 213 wins to 209.
–Field Level Media
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