The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1473191
THE WOLVERINE 2022 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 49 [ Q U A R T E R B A C K S ] PLAYER BIOS POSITION COACH Matt Weiss is heading into his second year work- ing with the Michigan quarterbacks, and he was promoted to co-offensive co- ordinator along with Sherrone Moore this offseason. Under Weiss' watch in 2021, Cade McNamara earned third- team All-Big Ten honors while engineering the nation's No. 16 scoring offense (35.8 points per game). The Wol- verines threw for 228.7 yards per outing (68th in the country) and gained 8.1 yards per pass (tied for 37th). J.J. McCarthy also developed under Weiss during his freshman year, totaling 7 touchdowns (5 pass- ing, 2 rushing) and 516 passing yards. Weiss came to Ann Arbor ahead of the 2021 campaign after spending 12 seasons in the NFL with the Baltimore Ravens from 2009-20. He coached the team's running backs his last two seasons (2019-20) after previously working as an assistant with the receivers (2018) and quarterbacks (2016- 17). He also served as the organization's football strategy coordinator in 2018. The Ravens rushed for more than 3,000 yards during both seasons in which Weiss worked directly with the running backs, including a 3,296-yard 2019 campaign that broke the league record, which had been in place since 1978. They ran for 3,071 yards in 2020, which checks in No. 4 all time in NFL his- tory. Prior to coaching on offense, Weiss was part of the Ravens' defensive staff from 2009-15. Before being hired by John Harbaugh in Bal- timore, Weiss was a graduate assistant (defense and special teams) under Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh during the latter's days as Stanford's head man. A native of New Haven, Conn., Weiss began his coaching career as an assistant at Smyrna (Tenn.) High in 2003-04 after playing four years of SEC football for Vanderbilt from 2001-04. RETURNING PLAYERS ALAN BOWMAN • QB Grad • Grapevine, Texas Ht.: 6-4 • Wt.: 205 • Saw action in three games last season, completing 2 of his 4 passes for 9 yards with 1 interception. • Transferred to U-M before the 2021 season fol- lowing three years at Texas Tech. • Started six of the Red Raiders' eight games in 2020 and threw for 1,602 yards and 10 touch- downs while completing 64.7 percent of his passes (150 of 232). • During the 2019 campaign, completed 101 of 154 pass attempts (65.6 percent) for 1,020 yards with 6 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. Started the first three games, but missed the rest of the year with an injury. • As a true freshman, stepped in as Texas Tech's starter during Week 2 of the 2018 season, but injuries late in the year limited him to eight games. Completed 69.4 percent of his passes and totaled 2,638 yards and 17 touchdowns through the air. • Rated as a three-star recruit and the No. 55 quarterback in the class of 2018 by the On3 Consensus. Year GP/GS Com. Att. Yds. TD INT 2018* 8/7 227 327 2,638 17 7 2019* 3/3 101 154 1,020 6 3 2020* 8/6 150 232 1,602 10 7 2021 3/0 2 4 9 0 1 Total 22/16 480 717 5,269 33 18 * at Texas Tech J.J. MCCARTHY • QB So. • La Grange Park, Ill. Ht.: 6-3 • Wt.: 197 • Connected on 34 of his 59 pass attempts for 516 yards and 5 touchdowns with 2 in- terceptions. • Also rushed for 124 yards and 2 scores, while playing in 11 contests and totaling 166 snaps. • Named the 2020 Florida High School Player of the Year by MaxPreps, after leading IMG Acad- emy, the publication's No. 1 team in the nation on the season, to an 8-0 record. • Invited to both the All-American Bowl and Poly- nesian Bowl as a senior. • While playing for Nazareth (Ill.) Academy, was tabbed as the News-Gazette All-State Illinois Player of the Year in 2019, becoming the first underclassman to win the honor in 25 years. • Ranked as a four-star prospect, and the No. 9 quarterback and No. 48 overall player in the class of 2021 by the On3 Consensus. Year GP/GS Com. Att. Yds. TD INT 2021 11/0 34 59 516 5 2 CADE MCNAMARA • QB Sr. • Reno, Nev. Ht.: 6-1 • Wt.: 212 • Started all 14 games in 2021 and earned third-team All-Big Ten honors by the coaches and media en route to lead- ing Michigan to a Big Ten Championship. • Completed 210 of his 327 passes for 2,576 yards and 15 touchdowns with 6 interceptions, and he also rushed for 26 yards and 1 score. • Made four appearances with one start in 2020, completing 43 of 71 passes for 425 yards with 5 touchdowns and no interceptions. • Did not see game action and redshirted in 2019. • The first player in Nevada history to win the Gatorade Player of the Year award in back-to- back seasons (2017 and 2018). • Finished his prep career atop the Nevada state record book for passing yards (12,084) and touchdowns (146). • Ranked as a four-star prospect, the No. 1 player in Nevada and the No. 11 quarterback in the nation in the On3 Consensus. Year GP/GS Com. Att. Yds. TD INT 2020 4/1 43 71 425 5 0 2021 14/14 210 327 2,576 15 6 Total 18/15 253 398 3,001 20 6 NEWCOMERS JAYDEN DENEGAL • QB Fr. • Apple Valley, Calif. Ht.: 6-4 • Wt.: 215 • Enrolled early at U-M in Janu- ary 2022. • Invited to the All-American Bowl as a prep senior. • Threw for 1,545 yards and 24 touchdowns while rushing for 281 yards and 8 scores during his senior campaign. • Rated as a three-star recruit, the No. 26 quar- terback nationally and 34th-best player in Cali- fornia, per the On3 Consensus. ALEX ORJI • QB Fr. • Sachse, Texas Ht.: 6-2 • Wt.: 226 • Joined the team as an early enrollee in January 2022. • Connected on 1 of his 7 pass attempts for 9 yards and rushed 7 times for 35 yards in U-M's 2022 spring game. • In his last two years of high school combined, he passed for 3,467 yards and 38 touchdowns and rushed for 2,113 yards and 39 scores. • The four-star prospect was tabbed as the No. 405 overall player and 13th-best athlete na- tionally as well as the No. 62 recruit in Texas, according to the On3 Consensus. ROSTER No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. 15 Alan Bowman 6-4 205 Gr. 16 Jayden Denegal 6-4 215 Fr. 18 Jesse Madden* 6-2 198 So. 15 Andy Maddox* 6-4 212 Sr. 9 J.J. McCarthy 6-3 197 So. 12 Cade McNamara 6-1 212 Sr. 10 Alex Orji 6-2 226 Fr. 17 Peyton Smith* 6-3 192 Jr. 16 Davis Warren* 6-2 195 So. * Walk-on