Column: Weighing In On How Michigan Is Handling Its Quarterbacks
The Michigan Wolverines do not have a quarterback controversy on their hands, but they do have a dilemma. And it is a good one to have.
Michigan has a healthy room of signal-callers with a high floor and a ceiling that is potentially even loftier. That has not always been the case in Ann Arbor and is often the loudest criticism from Harbaugh's detractors.
The star quarterback to help turn Michigan from competitive to championship-level has eluded the Wolverines thus far, but hope springs eternal in the form of true freshman and five-star recruit J.J. McCarthy. Nothing has been handed to him, however. Junior Cade McNamara has led an efficient attack that ends its drives with points and games that end in victories.
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Michigan sits at 6-0 and McNamara has only thrown one interception and taken a single sack all year, both coming against Nebraska. While not perfect, he has been everything the Wolverines staff could have asked for as a stabilizing presence for the offense.
And yet, there is still what is behind door No. 2.
McCarthy has been given the opportunity to get mop-up snaps in Michigan's three non-conference games and more than that recently. He has looked like a freshman at times, but also displayed the special arm talent that made him a five-star recruit. He has a pair of long touchdown throws to senior wideout Daylen Baldwin that will certainly be mainstays on both of their highlight tapes.
It seemed pretty cut and dry that McNamara was the entrenched starter and McCarthy would be the backup, but a wrinkle was thrown in a few weeks back. McCarthy has slowly been sprinkled into the lineup in contested situations on the road at Wisconsin and Nebraska, respectively. He took the first snap of the second half in Madison and the sixth snap of the first quarter in Lincoln, totaling 16 over the last few weeks.
Harbaugh said during his weekly appearance on the "Inside Michigan Football" radio show that getting McCarthy into games is a way for him to ensure his backup is ready to play when his number is called. That is something he feels was important when looking back on his time at Michigan so far.
With all due respect to what came before, McCarthy is not Wilton Speight in 2015, John O'Korn in 2016-17, or Brandon Peters in 2017.
McCarthy has the potential to be the quarterback that gives Harbaugh the star that has eluded him in Ann Arbor. His talent raises the ceiling of the offense and what the Wolverines could be in the short and long-term future. It seems like the coaching staff is getting him ready to play because they know the type of upside and talent he brings to the program.
Despite all of this, McCarthy is still a true freshman. He has 14 career passing attempts to his name, most of which have come in garbage time earlier this season. Michigan does not need to rush him. They are more than getting by with what McNamara has provided so far.
McNamara is steady and has improved throughout the year. Lost in Michigan's 6-0 start is that there is a ton of pressure on Harbaugh to win games now. McNamara provides a higher floor without the volatility of freshman growing pains. Winning is still king around these parts.
People forget that McNamara has only started seven games in his career. The accuracy has been shaky at times, but his poise and ability to feel out a pass rush are aspects of his game that are not being talked about enough. He plays like a veteran despite a lack of experience in his own right.
The idea that he cannot grow and improve with snaps feels a bit misguided, as well.
It does seem like McCarthy will eventually be too good to keep out of the starting role. Whether that is this year or next remains to be seen. Harbaugh will not be stubborn about the decision when the time comes. He has been willing to burn redshirts and throw development plans out the window to get the best 11 guys he can get on the field at all times. This is also the coach that yanked a safe, winning starter in Alex Smith out of the lineup for the upside of Colin Kaepernick.
If McCarthy becomes that, they will not hesitate to make the move.
Michigan is experiencing the best of both worlds as it pertains to the plan at quarterback. They have developed a good balance offensively and McNamara continues to win games and lead scoring drives. The fact that the Wolverines have been able to give McCarthy a chance to experience live bullets in contested situations is gravy for them. That gives them a chance to accelerate McCarthy's development and gets him acclimated in case he needs to step in on a bigger basis for McNamara.
A bye week followed by a tune-up game against Northwestern will give Michigan plenty of time to plan for the quarterback situation moving forward. There are plenty of chances for defining games coming in the second half of the season and Michigan needs McNamara to improve. They also need to find ways to keep McCarthy involved. He has been used as a weapon in the QB run game, but he will have to throw in one of these moments at some point.
There are a lot of intriguing storylines on this team and with the program heading into the second half of the year. All will be settled on the field moving forward.
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