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This could actually be the year that Jim Harbaugh and the Michigan offense has a quarterback. Not just a quarterback, but “that” quarterback.
But the question is, which one will it be?
Joe Milton was supposed to be “that” QB last season, but after the 2020-season starter struggled during the first part of the year, he was subsequently benched against Rutgers. Redshirt freshman Cade McNamara took over the snaps and led the Wolverines to a triple-overtime victory over the Scarlet Knights.
Fast forward to 2021.
For the first time since taking the helm of the Wolverines program, Harbaugh has openly named his starter prior to the season opener. Heading into fall camp, that plan is that it’ll be Cade McNamara behind center against Western Michigan on Sept. 4, unless something changes.
Texas Tech transfer Alan Bowman arrived over the summer, and while bringing some depth and a little insurance to the QB picture, he is expected to compete for the spot as the top backup. Should McNamara falter, watch for Bowman, along with true freshman 5-star recruit J.J. McCarthy to battle for field time. McCarthy has looked impressive in workouts, and there isn’t anyone on the Wolverines roster who has the coaches looking more to the future than him. While the staff is looking to see him get some action, for the time being, McNamara is keeping him back.
McNamara looks to build on some 2020 success
After taking the field in Milton’s place and leading the Wolverines to the triple-overtime win against Rutgers, McNamara started the final game of 2020 against Penn State. The start marked his first crack at taking a game’s first snap, and while he struggled hitting his targets and the Nittany Lions came out on top, he was solid enough to put Michigan in a position to win late in the game.
Of course, there is more to being the quarterback than just reading defenses and completing passes. Leadership is key to success behind center; the other 10 players on the field need to believe in their QB’s ability to win.
“To be honest, I enjoy that part of being a quarterback,” McNamara said. “Being a quarterback, you’re given a leadership role, no matter what your leadership type is prior. That’s something that I’ve embraced and that’s something that I’ve continued to work on, being able to influence my teammates and help our team win — that’s something I’ve taken seriously.”
Bowman is explosive and experienced
During his 16 starts in Lubbock, Bowman threw for over 5,200 yards, 33 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. How much field time Bowman will see is still a question mark, but he clearly brings experience and explosiveness to the quarterback room.
Bowman has been hindered by injuries, and isn’t really a threat on the ground, so how he’ll fit into the Michigan offensive scheme remains to be seen.
When asked about bringing Bowman to Ann Arbor, Michigan offensive coordinator Josh Gattis recently gave some insight as to what they saw in him that led to his coming to Michigan.
“It’s funny – he’s a newcomer, but he’s probably our most veteran quarterback, right?” Gattis said. “Alan played early, had a ton of success early in his career at Texas Tech. We were able to go back and evaluate his tape early on in his career at Texas Tech. And obviously, speaking to some of the offensive minds in football that speak highly of him, Kliff Kingsbury and guys like that.”
McCarthy brings hope for the future, or even now
Michigan hasn’t seen a recruit bring the level of excitement that J.J. McCarthy has brought to Ann Arbor in a long time.
Thirteen years to be exact.
The 6-4, 200-pound QB from Bradenton, Florida, arrived at Michigan as the 3rd-highest-rated Michigan QB recruit of all time, behind only Chad Henne in 2004 and Ryan Mallett in 2007.
A 5-star recruit, McCarthy has enough physical ability to gain the starting role, but as a true freshman and with McNamara taking the lead role in camp, look for McCarthy to work on getting ahead of Bowman on the depth chart. Should the situation arise that McNamara slips, the calls for McCarthy to step in and get the future of the program rolling will certainly rear up.
When, and if, that situation arises, McCarthy would need to step up and then it could be seen if the hype that came with his arrival can be validated. Some have already called for Harbaugh to go ahead and have McCarthy start taking game-time snaps, and get the future started right away. But for now, he’ll have to wait to see his name at the top spot on the depth chart.
So what does it all mean?
So barring any injury, Harbaugh and the Michigan offense find themselves in a position of having three solid options when it comes to who is behind center.
The choices are clearly diverse.
First is the stated starter and presumptive heir apparent, who had some success near the end of last season, showing strong promise as a leader. Then there’s the 5-star true freshman who would need to get some experience under his belt, but who would clearly be setting the stage for the future while working through his growing pains. Also in the stable is a former Big 12 starter who brings an explosive element to the game, but would only fill the need for a short time.
The bottom line is, after Western Michigan is in the books, it’ll be interesting to watch how the Michigan offense unfolds, and who is unfolding it.
Scott Schultz covers Michigan State Football, along with Breaking News for B1G Football & Basketball for Saturday Tradition. He also serves as an Automotive News Editor & Writer, and Softball Writer elsewhere on the web. Follow him on Twitter @SRSchultz.