Michigan football: Cade McNamara, JJ McCarthy both earn national attention

We are currently less than a month away from kicking off the 2023 Michigan football season, which will begin on September 2nd against East Carolina at the Big House in Ann Arbor, MI. Last year, the Wolverines started their 2022 season against Colorado State with Cade McNamara as the starting QB. Since then, JJ McCarthy has won the starting job, and McNamara has transferred out. That said, leading up to the new season, both quarterbacks are earning national attention and have been named to the Maxwell Award watch list.

2 Michigan football quarterbacks make Maxwell Award watch list

The Maxwell Award is given annually to the most outstanding player in college football. The last time a Michigan football player won was in the early 1990s when former Heisman Trophy-winning wide receiver Desmond Howard brought it back to Ann Arbor.

This fall, one former and one current Michigan football quarterback are in the running for the Maxwell Award.

Cade McNamara, who led the Wolverines to an impressive 12-2 season in 2021, resulting in a Big Ten title and College Football Playoff appearance, will be taking over the Iowa offense this fall. While the Hawkeyes don’t have extremely high expectations like Michigan football does, McNamara is a player to watch for Big Ten fans as he is gunning for his second conference title win.

On the other hand, JJ McCarthy, who beat McNamara for the starting role just two weeks into the 2022 season, is also gunning for much of the same and is on the watch list for this year’s Maxwell Award. Like McNamara did in 2021, JJ McCarthy led Michigan football to a Big Ten title and College Football Playoff berth during his first season as the Wolverines’ starting quarterback. That said, the Maize and Blue ended up finishing one game better, concluding the year with wins over Penn State, Michigan State, and Ohio State, all by over 22 points each.

Keep an eye on these two (current/former) Michigan football quarterbacks this year, as they both have the potential to be some of the best players in America this fall.

Thank you for reading Blue by Ninety. For more Michigan Athletics and Big Ten 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 Publisher at [email protected]. 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!