Michigan’s quarterback battle was one of the most intriguing of the offseason, but it has yet to be decided with a Week 1 game against Colorado State on the horizon. Instead, the No. 8 Wolverines will give Cade McNamara and JJ McCarthy a chance to start one game each before making a decision, which will see the competition continue through the 2022 season.
Coach Jim Harbaugh announced Saturday that McNamara, the starting starter, will start the season opener against the Rams, while McCarthy, last year’s backup, will take the firstteam snaps in Week 2 against Hawaii. A fulltime starter and backup will then be made in Week 3 based on each quarterback’s initial performance.
“We have made a decision” Harbaugh said in a statement. “Both quarterbacks played very well, did everything they could … to win the starting job. Coming off the field, I think we have two quarterbacks, Cade McNamara and JJ McCarthy, that we’re very confident can win a championship with either of those two behind center.”
McNamara threw for 2,576 yards, 15 touchdowns and six interceptions last year, while McCarthy threw for 516 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions serving as a backup and switch option.
“It’s a great thing for our team, but there’s only one ball and only one quarterback can be out at a time,” Harbaugh said.
Let’s break down what this means for Michigan moving forward…
The schedule allows for indecision
The old adage goes that if you have two quarterbacks, you don’t really have one. That’s not necessarily the case here, though.
Would Harbaugh make the decision to go with a different starter the first two weeks if Michigan played a tough nonconference schedule? Probably not, but he doesn’t have to worry about that with the Rams and Rainbow Warriors coming to Ann Arbor to start the year.
Harbaugh is using the first two games of the season as auditions, then affords himself the luxury of playing UConn in Week 3. The eventual winner of the quarterback battle can get four full quarters under his belt before the Wolverines host Maryland in their Big. It opens on September 24.
It’s not ideal that the competition has bled into the season — every coach wants an unquestioned No. 1 signal heading into Week 1 — but it’s not necessarily a cause for concern. Harbaugh allowed himself the luxury of not being pressured into making a premature decision and made it.
Is there the other way around, though?
It’s one thing to decide between two top students who have proven to be difference makers in college. That’s not the case here, though. McNamara was more of a game manager during last season’s Big Ten Championship and College Football Playoff run, and it showed in the Orange Bowl when the Wolverines couldn’t muster anything offensively against eventual national champion Georgia.
Is that all McNamara can offer, or is there more in the tank that he didn’t show last season? That’s the mystery, and that’s why there are doubts about whether this is a championshipcaliber team heading into the season.
Did McCarthy create a culture of competition that raised the bar for both players, or did the former fivestar prospect in the class of 2021 not live up to the hype? He may have been unable to surpass McNamara despite much fanfare. Those seem to be the only two options, which is why there are lingering doubts about the future of Harbaugh’s Wolverines.
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