Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh: 'Who said [Cade McNamara] wasn't the starter entering fall camp?'
INDIANAPOLIS — Michigan will have a quarterback battle this fall — not much question about it. But head coach Jim Harbaugh stopped a reporter who suggested senior Cade McNamara wasn’t the U-M starter heading into fall camp.
The Wolverines will take the field for the first time a week from Wednesday (Aug. 3), at which point it’s game on. But Harbaugh made it clear who would take the first snaps.
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“Who said he wasn’t entering as the starter to fall camp?” Harbaugh said in correcting the reporter. After the questioner said something about the competition with sophomore J.J. McCarthy, Harbaugh added, “but I didn’t say he wasn’t the starter.”
Asked directly if the Michigan senior was the starter, then, Harbaugh answered in the affirmative.
“Yeah. Cade’s the starting quarterback,” he said. “When we line up for the first practice, he’s going to be taking … he’ll be with the first team.
“Now, eventually, over the training camp, J.J. will get the same opportunity that Cade will. They’re both going to get a ton of reps. There will be time to have that competition, determine who the starting quarterback is for the first game.”
Which makes perfect sense. McNamara led Michigan to the Big Ten title last year, and he took the majority of the snaps with the first string this spring while McCarthy nursed a shoulder injury.
But both have skillsets that helped Michigan last year, and it stands to reason both will play again. Quarterbacks coach Matt Weiss will be the guy to help prepare them, and now he’s added offensive coordinator duties to his job.
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“Matt Weiss is incredibly smart. He is one of those persons that, when you’re doing a project, so detailed,” the Michigan coach continued. “He thinks about it from every angle, plans everything out. I’ve never met a play I don’t like, and I always feel that our players can execute anything. Just give them the chance. Let’s just get started and get the project going. Damn the torpedos.
“I’ve never screwed up anything so bad that I couldn’t change it or throw it away. So, we make the perfect, perfect blend really between Matt and myself.”
He credited the rest of his Michigan offensive staff, too, for their contributions.
But Harbaugh also made it clear the Michigan competition would remain civil between his two competitors.
“It’s a great word, competitive — not combative. That’s what we strive for,” he said. “And that’s exactly what we had last year [at Michigan in 2021]. And both guys are great guys — both team guys, and they’re both driven. They’re both dreaming of being that guy. They’re both putting in the work the entire offseason to make that happen.
“So, that’s what we’ll be shooting for again — competitive, and not combative.”
Starting August 3 when the Michigan team takes the field for the first time in preparation for the Sept. 3 opener.
