The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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28 THE WOLVERINE APRIL 2022 him out while he was helping me basically with my play. There was some stuff going through reads, footwork, all that stuff. "What he's done for me from a perfec- tion standpoint, the development of my career, was something I was able to apply to last season. I'm looking to build on that this year, too." McNamara's first priority is to lead his Michigan teammates to the best of his ability, he said. But he also has some per- sonal goals. "I feel I can grow in my footwork a little bit in the pocket," he said. "Maintaining a really good base to make sure I can be ex- tra accurate on the intermediate throws. "The offense … it's early, but I think I have a long way to go. I think this team has a long way to go, and I'm happy to be at the forefront and pushing that devel- opment." STARTING QB POSITION FOR LEASE But there's no guarantee he'll be the first guy taking the snaps this fall. It's not that he's not good enough, of course — he's a proven commodity and leader — but McCarthy is an uber-talented prospect who played extremely well in spots last year, too. He threw for 516 yards and five touchdowns, completing 57.6 percent of his passes. Like the Tom Brady–Drew Henson years of the late 1990s, the Wolverines will have two outstanding options and open competition. "Like you do at any position, we're go- ing to play the best players," Harbaugh said this spring. "Then the question goes, 'How do you know who the best players are?' Well, they're going to play the best. It's really simple." And they make no apologies for having two great quarterbacks, the head coach noted after the Wolverines' loss to Geor- gia in the Orange Bowl, a game in which both McNamara and McCarthy played a lot. Harbaugh had been noncommittal even in November, after McNamara had led Michigan to an outstanding season. "As far as long-term, who it's going to be, that prediction — everyone rents that position," Harbaugh said when asked if McNamara had secured the position for 2022. "Nobody owns the position — any position on the field. Not even the head coach. You lease, at best." McNamara bristled at times when asked about the competition this spring. To his credit, he also didn't take anything for granted. He was looking forward, not backward, to his next challenge rather than what happened last year. "It's not really my personality to think about it a lot or to really feel good about it or whatever," he said of the Big Ten ti- tle. "Obviously, we achieved some great things. I'm sure when the time comes, I'll appreciate those even more. "For right now, I'm taking the experi- ence we had and applying it … for me — as a leader of this team— to now make sure we do everything to repeat that." He even left after the first week of spring practice to work with his personal coach, Jordan Palmer, in Los Angeles. McNamara was named an All-Big Ten third-team selection in 2021. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL