Michigan QB Cade McNamara could become logical transfer portal target for Miami if Van Dyke departs

Could a Cade McNamara-Josh Gattis reunion be possible in Miami?

McNamara, the Wolverines starting quarterback last season under then-offensive coordinator Josh Gattis who lost his job to J.J. McCarthy and also suffered a season-ending leg injury this season, entered the transfer portal Monday morning. He was the starting quarterback for the Wolverines in 2021 under Gattis when Michigan made it to the College Football Playoff.

So with Miami in a bit of a state of flux at quarterback, trying to determine who would and should return, the pursuit of McNamara could make sense with a catch. McNamara would almost certainly want to be the starting quarterback at whatever school he chooses.

Enter Van Dyke, who has options. Miami is believed to want Van Dyke back in 2023. But Van Dyke, like many other quarterbacks around the country, could also choose to go to portal himself as could Jake Garcia and Jacurri Brown. If that happens, McNamara could become Miami’s top target at the position because of his success with Gattis and what would be a need for an experienced starting quarterback.

It’s something to keep in mind as Miami players go through exit meetings this week with Head Coach Mario Cristobal and his staff.

McNamara played in three games for the Wolverines this season while in a quarterback battle with McCarthy before ultimately suffering the leg injury against UConn in mid-September. He only attempted more than six pass attempts in one game this season and threw for one touchdown and one interception and quarterbacked Gattis’ highest-scoring offense as the sole coordinator.

Last season, McNamara threw for 2,576 yards, 15 touchdowns and six interceptions under Gattis – the 2021 Broyles Award winner as the nation’s top assistant coach. He posted a 75.4 quarterback rating while completing 64.6% of his passes. But he never threw for more than 259 yards.

Nobody knows yet how Van Dyke feels after a disappointing 5-7 season that opened with ACC title game aspirations and a No. 16 ranking in the AP Top 25. Van Dyke threw for more than 1,000 fewer yards in 2022 than in 2021 and finished the season with a 2:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio after posting a greater than 4:1 ratio last season under Rhett Lashlee’s guidance. He exploded for nearly 500 yards passing in a loss to North Carolina and threw for 351 yards and a pair of touchdowns against Virginia Tech, but struggled with injuries down the stretch of the season.

Van Dyke did not attempt more than 16 passes in the last month of the year due to injury, which he re-aggravated against Florida State and then again last Saturday against Pittsburgh. He never threw for more than 83 yards in his final three appearances and finished the season with a 63.2 completion percentage, 10 touchdowns, five interceptions and a quarterback rating of 52.1.

Tulsa quarterback Davis Brin also entered the transfer portal Monday and could be another possible target for the Hurricanes this offseason if Van Dyke were to depart. Both McNamara and Brin would be immediately eligible to play after McNamara spent three seasons with the Wolverines and Brin spent two seasons at Tulsa. Brin threw for 3,254 yards as a junior in 2021 and 2,138 yards as a senior in 2022. Brin’s announcement came one day after Tulsa head coach Philip Montgomery was fired Sunday.