Kirk Herbstreit on Michigan QB battle: 'Cade McNamara's the man in Ann Arbor while he's there'

Michigan Wolverines football has a quarterback competition. Not a controversy, because both options appear to be good (at the least), but it’s a battle between senior Cade McNamara and sophomore J.J. McCarthy.

McNamara is the incumbent, having led Michigan to the 2021 Big Ten title and a College Football Playoff appearance. He completed 64.2 percent of his passes for 2,576 yards and 15 touchdowns with six interceptions.

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McCarthy has the big arm and is more mobile, having thrown for 516 yards and five touchdowns and rushed for 124 yards and two scores last season. He rotated in but didn’t see extended playing time other than when Michigan had games well in hand.

The competition has been described as “neck and neck” between the two, each of whom have different strengths.

McNamara excels with his leadership and the mental side of the game. An example of his high-level awareness is his ability to average 10.6 yards per attempt and throw 10 touchdown passes when blitzed last season. McCarthy has upside with his physical traits, but McNamara has improved, too, especially with his footwork and accuracy, he’s revealed.

In his annual ‘Herbie Awards,’ ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit labeled McNamara as ‘underrated,’ and pointed to his football smarts as a reason why.

“I do think he’s an extension of Jim Harbaugh,” Herbstreit said. “He does a good job of reading the defense and getting them into the right play.

“To me, a quarterback can be effective in college — it’s not just always about being a [former Clemson and current Jacksonville Jaguars standout] Trevor Lawrence or [former Ohio State star and current Chicago Bears second-year player] Justin Fields and being an NFL guy. It’s about just trying to win, move the ball, move the sticks down the field, get the ball in the end zone. Nobody epitomizes that more than Cade McNamara. Just take what the defense gives you. It’s not always flashy, but it’s incredibly effective.”

That’s why Herbstreit, a former Ohio State quarterback, would stick with McNamara if he was the Michigan coaching staff. McCarthy has potential — maybe more than McNamara — but the Wolverines’ offensive line and skill position players are good enough where sticking with last year’s starter could be the right play.

“I’m sure they’ll still find a way to get J.J. McCarthy in there. But man, how do you take Cade McNamara out of there or even talk about it after the year that he had last year?” Herbstreit said of the Michigan situation. “It’s kind of like Stetson Bennett at Georgia. Seems to always be dealing with people questioning him. Cade McNamara’s the man in Ann Arbor while he’s there, in my opinion.”

Kirk Herbstreit: ‘Master motivator’ Ryan Day gunning for Michigan

Herbstreit weighed in on the Big Ten, predicting that his beloved Ohio State Buckeyes will come out on top this season. The Scarlet and Gray fell flat on their face last season in the regular-season finale, losing to Michigan 42-27, but are picked as the No. 2 team in the nation this preseason and are expected to be right in the mix for the College Football Playoff again.

“My sense is that Ryan Day is a master motivator,” Herbstreit . Remember when they lost to Clemson at the end of the ’19 season and they felt they could’ve and should’ve won? They were on a mission, even through COVID, to get to Clemson, and they end up playing them and dominating that game. I kind of sense the same thing with Michigan, and the way they lost up in Ann Arbor has really fueled this team in the offseason.

“So, they get Michigan at home. I think Michigan’s going to have a great year, but coming to Columbus will be tough. I think Ohio State will win the East.”

Herbstreit has Nebraska winning the Big Ten West division.