The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1083898
BY CHRIS BALAS There are several ways to tell how good a prep recruit is and what type of player he might be at the next level. More and more analysts have emerged over the years to rank blue chippers, but many of them don't have foot- ball backgrounds. Prospects' coaches, meanwhile, are usually inclined to prop up their players no matter what. One of the best methods, then, is to look at his offer list. In the case of four- star quarterback Cade McNamara of Reno (Nev.) Damonte Ranch, the fact that he was ranked outside the final Rivals250 doesn't seem to make much sense given who wanted him. McNamara initially committed to Notre Dame before U-M head coach Jim Harbaugh stole him away. National programs from coast to coast, including USC and Georgia, offered and the best of the best even seemed to make him a priority. "Cade had visited Alabama the week after he visited here unofficially," Har- baugh recalled on his 'Attack Each Day' podcast in mid-January. "Cade visited unofficially the very last weekend of the open period in February [2018]. That was his first visit here. Then he took his official in April." There have been several changes since then. Pep Hamilton was Michi- gan's passing game coordinator until Harbaugh hired Josh Gattis away from Alabama to coordinate his offense. When Gattis arrived, he told Har- baugh that McNamara had been a huge priority for the Crimson Tide. "That was good to know," Harbaugh said. "That was a good little tidbit there, that Cade McNamara was also Alabama's No. 1 quarterback on the board. You like to hear that." McNamara chose to join returning starter Shea Patterson, a former prep five-star, and four-star recruits Bran- don Peters, Dylan McCaffrey and Joe Milton, unafraid of competition. He en- rolled early and wasted no time mak- ing a big impression. "Cade's really been organizing guys to go out there [and throw]," Harbaugh noted in February. Harbaugh called him a "gunslinger," unafraid of anything and with no con- science when it came to letting it rip. The coach was drawn to him immedi- ately because of his confidence and his hatred to lose, something McNamara didn't do much in his prep career. Within the first conversation, Har- baugh recalled, he knew McNamara was the guy he wanted as the quarter- back in his 2019 class. Everyone who saw him play live STATISTICS Year Cmp. Pct. Pass Yds. TD INT 2018 62.8 2,995 39 6 2017 58.6 3,470 44 8 2016 58.3 3,577 46 11 2015 52.8 2,042 17 10 HONORS • Named the Nevada Gatorade Player of the Year in 2017 and 2018. He was the first player in Nevada history to win the award in back-to-back sea- sons. The only other player to win this award multiple times is former Ohio State quarterback Tate Martell (who has transferred to Miami), though he did not do it in consecutive seasons. • Finalist for Gatorade's National Player of the Year honor. • USA Today first-team All-State as a junior and a senior, and the publica- tion's Nevada Offensive Player of the Year in 2017. • NevadaPreps.com All-State first- teamer in 2017 and 2018, and a sec- ond-team pick in 2016. • Two-time Northern Nevada 4A Re- gion Player of the Year. • Three-time conference Player of the Year (2016-18). • 2018 Elite 11 finalist who also com- peted at Nike's The Opening Finals. RECRUITMENT • Committed to Michigan on March 16, 2018. • Was originally committed to Notre Dame from July 17, 2017, to March 2, 2018. • He chose Michigan over scholar- ship offers from Alabama, Georgia, USC, Tennessee, Wisconsin and Ne- vada, among several others. • Recruited by head coach Jim Har- baugh and former passing game co- ordinator Pep Hamilton. CADE MCNAMARA QUARTERBACK 6-1 • 206 DAMONTE RANCH H.S. RENO, NEV. RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE Rivals ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ — 8* 1 247Sports ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 375 8* 2 ESPN ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 253 12* 1 * Ranked as a pro-style quarterback 2019 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE McNamara ended his prep career holding every passing record for his high school, and is No. 1 in Nevada history in both passing yards (12,084) and touchdowns (146). PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM 50 THE WOLVERINE MARCH 2019 Quarterback Cade McNamara Has The Potential To Be Special 2019 Projection McNamara will be able to learn and develop under experienced players and Jim Harbaugh, who was a big draw in his recruitment. After spending a couple of years in Ann Arbor, he should have a firm grasp of the offense and be ready to com- pete for the starting job.