:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71683036/1438186427.0.jpg "Cade McNamara transfer news: Michigan quarterback enters portal after losing job to J.J. McCarthy")
A big quarterback name in college football is on the move.
Max Olson of The Athletic reported on Monday that Michigan quarterback Cade McNamara has entered the transfer portal. He lost his starting job to J.J. McCarthy early in the 2022 campaign and spent a bulk of the season as a backup in Ann Arbor, MI.
A highly touted 2019 four-star prospect from Reno, NV, McNamara spent his first two seasons as a backup at UM before solidifying himself as the starter in 2021. It was during that season where he broke out, helping the Wolverines win the Big Ten Championship, make the College Football Playoff, and most importantly for them, end their long drought against Ohio State.
However, that didn't guarantee him the starting job for the 2022 season and he spent the offseason entangled in a QB competition with McCarthy. Head coach Jim Harbaugh decided to use the first two games of the season to evaluate both guys, with McNamara starting the opener against Colorado State and McCarthy starting against Hawai'i the following week. Harbaugh ultimately picked McCarthy and McNamara would appear in just one more game after the decision was made.
Now in the portal, he'll have a number of options where he could land. He was originally committed to Notre Dame before flipping to Notre Dame and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees is still in South Bend, IN. He could also land at Maryland, where OC Dan Enos currently calls the plays for the offense. Enos recruited McNamara at Alabama and that relationship could still carry over. He could also potentially go back home and easily win the starting job at Nevada.