The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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APRIL 2018 THE WOLVERINE 61 COMMITMENT PROFILE I t wasn't necessarily a surprise that Reno (Nev.) Damonte Ranch four- star pro-style quarterback Cade Mc- Namara picked Michigan — the 6-1, 170-pounder was considering the Wolverines along with USC and Ala- bama — but the timing of his pledge did catch some off guard. McNamara, the top player in the state of Nevada and the No. 9 pro- style quarterback in the country ac- cording to Rivals.com, managed to discretely visit U-M in January while he was still committed to Notre Dame. That visit proved to be a game changer in McNamara's recruitment. "I felt it as soon as I got there," Mc- Namara said. "Just with Coach [Jim] Harbaugh, as soon as I got there he was there. With everyone else it was like you have to have a meeting with the head coach and an appointment set up. "He was with me the entire day do- ing all the measurements with me. He was doing everything with me, and I felt like we really clicked from the be- ginning. Him being there is definitely huge for me because we already have a really good relationship." Rivals.com national recruiting ana- lyst Adam Gorney has been covering McNamara's recruitment for a long time and even he felt like he was in the dark a bit when it came to how everything played out for the four- star signal-caller. "He doesn't really open up and talk about why he decommitted from Notre Dame," Gorney said. "I think it was sort of one of those things where he took the visit to Michigan and re- ally liked it and just decided to move on from Notre Dame." With that said, Gorney did know that the Harbaugh factor was going to be big for McNamara, regardless of when he decided to commit. "I knew he loved Harbaugh, and they really clicked," Gorney said. "That kind of stuff is important to him and it obviously led to a commitment." Harbaugh's path and background really appealed to McNamara and sped up the bond. "He was a quarterback himself, he played at Michigan, he went to the NFL and he gets guys to the NFL," McNamara said. "That's huge for me since I want to get to the next level." McNamara also touched on the timing of his commitment. To outsid- ers it seemed a bit out of left field, but to McNamara, it was right on time. "I had every offer I wanted, so when it came to going through each college I couldn't argue that why wouldn't I go to Michigan? That was my feeling," he explained. "It was just, how could I not go here when this is how I feel about them? "I saw it as my opportunity. The defense is always good at Michigan so I could always rely on the defense and a good run game." McNamara has the skills to compli- ment a reliable running game perfectly. He's smart and can manage a game, but he can also let it rip down the field or move the chains with his feet. As a sophomore, McNamara was 218-of-374 passing (58.3 percent) for 3,577 yards with 46 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, and led Damonte Ranch to a 12-2 record and a trip to the Nevada 4A state semifinals. He was named the Sierra League Offensive Player of the Year. As a junior, he com- pleted 225 of 384 throws (58.6 percent) for 3,470 yards with 44 touchdowns and just eight interceptions. He also scored four times on the ground. McNamara, who was named Gato- rade Player of the Year in Nevada af- ter his stellar junior year, also excels in the classroom, carrying a weighted 4.07 GPA. — Brandon Brown Cade McNamara Surprises Many By Picking Michigan FILM EVALUATION Strengths: Cade McNamara has good athleticism for the quarterback position and really throws well on the run and while under duress. He manages to escape pressure and complete passes at a pretty high clip. He has a strong arm and seems to re- ally have a knack for throwing receiv- ers open and giving his teammates a chance to run under deep balls. Areas Of Improvement: At 6-1 and 170 pounds, McNamara doesn't have elite size for the position. He occasionally has a tendency to spray the ball around. Some believe it's because he's under constant pres- sure in high school. When he has time to set his feet in a game setting or if he's directing an offense at a seven-on-seven event, he's much more accurate but there are still some slight concerns in that area. Michigan Player Comparison: Many people compare McNamara to Shea Patterson and, even though no one has seen the transfer play in Maize and Blue yet, the similarities are there. Both are a little short at the position at about 6-1, 6-2 and both have more mobility than most pass-first quarterbacks. Patterson has shown that he can throw very well on the move and has a knack for extending plays, and McNamara has been billed as the same type of player at the position. — Analysis from TheWolverine.com Rivals.com ranks McNamara as the best player in Nevada and the No. 9 pro-style quarterback in the country. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM McNamara on U-M head coach Jim Harbaugh "He was a quarterback himself, he played at Michigan, he went to the NFL and he gets guys to the NFL. That's huge for me since I want to get to the next level."