Michigan QB Cade McNamara has 'a blast' giving back, learning through teaching at TUFF camp

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — It wasn’t long ago that Michigan Wolverines football senior quarterback Cade McNamara was in the shoes of the youth and high school players at the TUFF Takeoff camp. The Big Ten title winning signal-caller constantly went out of his way to work on his craft and prove himself when he was coming up in Reno, Nev. Now, he’s contributing to an event that helps others do the same, and also has a charitable aspect.

TUFF, which stands for ‘The Uniform Funding Foundation,‘ provides uniforms, equipment, and mentorship to underserved youth athletes. Per the organization, the majority of the funds raised from the Sunday camp at Ann Arbor (Mich.) Father Gabriel Richard High School featuring over 10 Michigan football players will be put directly towards that mission.

“I’ve gone to multiple TUFF events, and [founder and former Michigan linebacker] Adam Shibley, [CFO and former Michigan defensive lineman] Jess Speight and these dudes do a great job out here,” McNamara told TheWolverine.com. “What I think is so unique is none of these dudes got paid out here. In a world of NIL and a lot of camps, every single one of these dudes came out to volunteer and give back to the community. The fact that these dudes were able to do that and make sure the kids have such a great time is awesome.”

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McNamara was one of the most engaged Michigan players that served as coaches to high schoolers and youth campers during the two Sunday sessions, both of which ran for two hours. The 6-1, 212-pounder knows what an event like this can do for an aspiring big-time football player.

“Being from Reno, a place that wasn’t really highly looked at, I really relied on going to camps,” McNamara noted. “I think a lot of it gave me perspective, allowed me the chance to compete. I was learning how to compete against other kids while also being able to take as much knowledge as you can in a short period of time and being able to apply it.

“Especially at our level, you can be in a meeting room, you can be told to do something different in a meeting room or even in warmups, and you’re going to be expected to do that at a high level when you’re at practice, because you’re not going to have any excuse. The coach is going to say, ‘I told you!’ That’s just part of being coachable and gaining that skill out here at camps like this.”

McNamara has done a great job of applying what he learned being in the campers’ shoes. He led Michigan to the College Football Playoff in 2021, completing 210 of his 327 passes for 2,576 yards and 15 touchdowns, and is one of the Wolverines’ top leaders heading into the 2022 campaign.

The Michigan quarterback pointed out that it speaks to the togetherness of the U-M team that they were able to put the event on.

“The guys who come out here, obviously they want to do something cool for the community and they want to give back. But it also shows how close we are as teammates that, hey, my brother needs something from me, and I’m going to always do it,” McNamara explained.

“We just have such great chemistry on this team. We have guys from all ages out here. Even the earlier camp, we had freshmen, guys who just got here, and it shows how they’re already part of the group, part of the unit. It’s something special.”

Beyond that, McNamara enjoyed his time and is even looking to use the experience to improve as a player and leader for Michigan.

“I had a blast out here,” he said. “A lot of passion, not just from me, but from the other guys as well.”

Seneca, a Roman philosopher, said, “while we teach, we learn.” The notion is called ‘The Protégé Effect,’ and McNamara is a big believer in it.

“This gives me another perspective, too,” McNamara continued. “Like, I might think of something a certain way, but it can help me as a leader, it can help me as a quarterback as to how I can learn a different way to communicate, and those are tools that I’m able to develop out here.

“I’ve spoken at camps ever since I was in middle school, just because I was either advanced in the knowledge or whatever it was. I was always put in a position to teach, and I think that’s just another repetition to test myself on how well I actually know.”