Could Cade McNamara transfer out of Michigan?
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (BVM) — The Michigan Wolverines are coming off their best season (12-2) under Jim Harbaugh. Helping lead the way was No. 12 Cade McNamara. Despite accomplishing so much in 2021, McNamara now finds himself on the bench. So it begs the question: Could McNamara transfer?
It wouldn’t be hard for one to argue that football is a quarterback-driven game. And last season, McNamara showed why he was not only one of the Big Ten’s top QBs but one of the country’s top signal callers. McNamara threw for 2,576 yards and 15 TDs in 2021. He also had a passer rating of 141.9, which was good for sixth in the Big Ten Conference. Along with these individual awards, McNamara and the Wolverines won their first Big Ten title in 17 years.
Michigan's 2021 team:
-First win over Ohio State since 2011
-First Big Ten title since 2004
-First top-five AP Poll finish since 1999
-First 12-win season since 1997
-First-ever College Football Playoff appearanceWolverines got a lot of monkeys off their backs this fall.
— Zach Shaw (@_ZachShaw) January 11, 2022
Despite these accomplishments, McNamara now finds himself on the bench behind J.J. McCarthy. And coming into the 2022 season, one could imagine, especially McNamara, that the Wolverines wouldn’t even entertain the idea of a QB battle. However, Harbaugh calls the shots and knew he had two great QBs in his program.
“As I’ve been saying, we’ve got two good quarterbacks, two championship quarterbacks,” Harbaugh told CBS Sports.
Even so, it wasn’t something that McNamara expected to happen. Especially after the year he had.
“I would definitely say it’s pretty unusual,” McNamara told ESPN. “It was kind of a thing I wasn’t expecting by the end of camp. I thought I had my best camp. I thought I put myself in a good position, and that was just the decision that coach went with.”
Where could McNamara transfer to?
The possibility of McNamara transferring remains small. Especially if McCarthy were to suffer some sort of injury or transfer, McNamara would find himself at the head of the offense again. Nonetheless, the transfer portal does exist, which remains an option for McNamara. But where would the best destination for him be?
Big Ten West
If McNamara wanted to show that Michigan made a mistake benching him, he could potentially head over to the West division. There he could join an up-and-coming Illinois program, give Iowa new life or join Minnesota, which always seems to be one piece away from making it to a Big Ten title game. And when he potentially joins that division, he would give that program two years of eligibility and stable QB play.
Texas A&M
With Max Johnson’s broken hand, one looking from the outside could easily assume that Aggie fans are panicking over the QB situation. However, this provides a rich opportunity for McNamara. He’d get to play SEC football for one the best college coaches in the sport, Jimbo Fisher. There may still be a QB battle next spring when Johnson returns from his broken hand, but McNamara would be more than able to win the starting job in College Station.
Cincinnati
This move may be a long shot, but it wouldn’t be hard for one to assume McNamara would be interested in a team that made a trip to the College Football Playoff last season. With that to think about, McNamara would join another stand-out head football coach: Luke Fickell. Fickell has seemingly turned around this AAC, future Big 12 team. And with McNamara, the Bearcats can succeed more on the football field.
