Once Michigan Head Coach Jim Harbaugh re-signed on the (reduced) bottom line, the next big question in Ann Arbor became "Who will be the starting QB for the Wolverines in 2021?" Sure it's only August, but there's no time like the present to start second-guessing Harbaugh.
In a somewhat surprising decision, Harbaugh named redshirt sophomore Cade McNamara as the starting QB over highly-touted true freshman J.J. McCarthy. McNamara is the safe choice... which is why I thought that a coach on the hot seat like Harbaugh might want to roll the dice instead.
McNamara appeared in four games last season and made one start. He ended up with a total of 425 yards passing, 260 of which came in a win against Rutgers. He completed 61% of his passes, earning a Passer Rating of 106.3. (As a means of comparison, Alabama's Mac Jones, the Heisman runner-up, had a mind-boggling rating of 203.1) So while McNamara was certainly more consistent than Michigan's other QB, Joe Milton, McNamara was nothing special. Given the way the Wolverines have played during Harbaugh's tenure, one would think that Harbaugh might want a little more than "nothing special" at the game's most pivotal position.
By all accounts, McCarthy is the real deal. A 5-star prospect with All-American tools, McCarthy is the future of Michigan's program. The only thing McCarthy lacks is experience, so why not begin the future right now? Let him get his feet wet against Western Michigan at home. A bigger test awaits in Week 2 as the Washington Huskies come to Ann Arbor. But even then, Washington is facing questions about their defense and might provide a higher profile opportunity for McCarthy to shine.
By the time Michigan travels to Wisconsin in Week 5, McCarthy could be a seasoned Big Ten quarterback. Instead, should Harbaugh stick with the plan, McNamara will be under center for the biggest game of the season to that point. Will that be enough?
Another factor that works in McCarthy's favor is the very desperate need for Harbaugh to win and win now. Not that Harbaugh is big on making excuses, but starting McCarthy bakes the excuse right in: gaining reps and experience for McCarthy is a tradeoff. Maybe McNamara gives the Wolverines the best chance to win in Week 1 or 3, but an experienced McCarthy may be the only way Michigan will compete against Ohio State. Why not give him the chance to get better in real time against real competition, instead of just working it out in practice?
It remains to be seen how Cade McNamara will play this season for Michigan. Can he improve on his performance from last year? Or will he be the same steady but unspectacular QB? Either way, it seems unlikely that J.J. McCarthy will remain on the sidelines for long. That being the case, I don't see any reason why he shouldn't take the ball right on that first Saturday in September.
