The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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44 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2022 FOOTBALL PREVIEW How do you see the quarterback bat- tle between Cade McNamara and J.J. McCarthy playing out? Bender: The fact that Harbaugh was able to keep both on the roster given the amount of transfer portal movement was impressive. This is going to evoke comparisons to Tom Brady and Drew Henson in 1999, with the difference being McCarthy is going to get more snaps in 2022 than Henson did that season. McNamara likely begins the season as the starter, especially with McCarthy working back from a shoulder injury that kept him out of the spring game. The upside with McCarthy will continue to be a talking point with each "wow" play, and he is going to take that starting job at some point. As long as Michigan keeps winning, how- ever, McNamara will hold on to the job. The Michigan State game will be a turning point either way. Fornelli: Approaching this from the per- spective of an opposing defensive coordina- tor, I respect Cade McNamara and would not take his ability to effectively lead the Michi- gan offense for granted. That said, I'd rather see him under center than J.J. McCarthy. Looking at the two as prospects, McCar- thy is the more dynamic option. He has the stronger arm, and you can see the difference in the way the ball leaves his hand compared to McNamara's as clearly on television as in person. There's also his impact with his legs. Basically, it comes down to would you rather have the QB less likely to make the crucial mistake that beats you [McNamara] or the QB more likely to make a spectacular play that wins a game [McCarthy]? I lean McCarthy. My prediction is McNamara starts the season at QB, but by the time the year ends, it'll be McCarthy's job. Lassan: Everyone in college football knows the cliché with quarterbacks: "If you have two quarterbacks, you really don't have one." However, that's certainly not the case at Michigan. I believe they have two talented and capable quarterbacks to direct this of- fense and carry the team to another season of double-digit wins. McNamara is certainly the safer pick with a year of starts under his belt and is likely to make fewer mistakes with his efficiency. However, McCarthy has a higher upside and brings more big-play capability. Considering his success last year and Mc- Carthy coming off an injury this spring, Mc- Namara seems like the safer pick to start. However, I'll roll the dice a bit and say Mc- Carthy starts at least one game — and may need to play a major role in the matchup against Ohio State to win. Maisel: As much as we talk about the soap opera, I don't expect this season to be much different than last. McNamara's the guy, McCarthy's the changeup, and one plus one will equal more than two. Rittenberg: I think ultimately they're going to have to give J.J. McCarthy a real run. I hate to say that because it's a shot at Cade McNamara, but I think you kind of know what Cade McNamara is. Now, maybe there's a jump in his game with another year in the system and a lot of the same receivers and tight ends who are back, but especially with the way Michigan enters the season, Our national media panel remains intrigued by sophomore J.J. McCarthy's dual-threat skill set and high-potential upside at quarterback, while ac- knowledging senior Cade McNamara's steady leadership and winning ways. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL