Former Michigan quarterback in question ahead of first year with new team

In 2021, Cade McNamara guided Michigan football to a Big Ten title. However, in 2022, he lost the starting job just two weeks into the season — under JJ McCarthy’s guidance, the Wolverines finished with 13 wins, a conference championship, and a playoff appearance. As the 2023 season approaches, concerns have emerged regarding the former Michigan quarterback’s ability to handle pressure from opposing defenses.

Former Michigan quarterback in question ahead of the 2023 season

According to Athlon Sports, an anonymous opposing coach has expressed doubts about Cade McNamara being able to manage a stagnant offense in Iowa City as he begins his first season with the Iowa Hawkeyes. While McNamara demonstrated his talent by leading a remarkable Michigan football team to a conference title in 2021, this year’s Hawkeyes do not appear to possess the same level of quality.

“[Iowa] portaled out a lot of their best offensive players, which is a really scary situation when you’re that bad to begin with, and it puts a stupid amount of pressure on the transfer QB (Cade McNamara) to make something happen,”said this opposing coach, per Athon. “Whatever you think of Cade, he’s not going to have the same kind of weapons he did at Michigan.”

During the 2021 season, it was clear that Cade McNamara is a good quarterback. That said, he was never a great quarterback, hence why JJ McCarthy inevitably took the starting role just a few weeks into the season. McNamara was always a solid game manager, but never showed signs of being an elite college football quarterback.

Heading into the 2023 season, Cade McNamara will be looking to get his new program to the Big Ten title game for the first time since he beat Iowa in the conference championship by 39 points two years ago. If successful, there is a solid chance that he will face his former program, Michigan football, as the Maize and Blue hunt for their third-straight Big Ten title game victory.

This is an odd situation for the Wolverines as two of their former captains — Erick All and Cade McNamara — will be gunning for their crown. For McNamara, going from Michigan’s stellar offense to Iowa’s weak offense will be a bit of a challenge, and is cause for concern ahead of the new season.

Thank you for reading Blue by Ninety. For more Michigan Athletics content from Blue by Ninety, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. You can also subscribe to our YouTube Channel. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email our Managing Editor at Cj@BluebyNinety.com. Also, be sure to check out our shop and our podcast, which is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all other streaming platforms. It is because of your support that we have become one of the fastest-growing and most influential Michigan media outlets there is!