Few expected Michigan Wolverines football quarterback Cade McNamara to be the starter in 2021, but here he is at No. 1 heading into season opener with Western Michigan. The third-year redshirt freshman has had a great offseason and a very good fall to earn the right to lead the Wolverines into battle.

First-year quarterbacks coach Matt Weiss has been working diligently to prepare all of his quarterbacks for the season, and he's impressed at what he's seen from QB1.

"Cade’s done a great job. Obviously, he’s our starter," he said. "I'm looking forward to seeing what he can do in a game. It’s been a long process building up to this, and it's still a work in progress. We’ll be better in Week Three than we are in Week One, better than we are in Week Three, but I'm looking forward to seeing what he can do on the field.

"I don’t think there’s any secret to it. He’s got to do what he’s been doing all spring and all fall – go through his progressions, be true to the reads. He doesn’t have to go out and win the game for us; he just has to go out and do his job. That’s been the focus when we talk to those guys, and that’s what we expect him to do on Saturday at 12 o’clock."

McNamara showed a lot in leading the Wolverines back from 17 down in a win at Rutgers last year, but being 'the man' is a different duty altogether. He's taken it upon himself to lead the room in addition to his training, and he's got a bright future because of it, Weiss said.

Weiss raised eyebrows last year when he said McNamara was the kind of guy people didn't give enough credit because of his build, predicting an NFL future. He stood by that Wednesday.

"I said he’s the type of guy that will surprise people and end up playing beyond college football," Weiss said. "Exactly what I’m talking about—the ability to read things, the ability to see things, make good decisions, understanding of the game, his approach. All those things are like a veteran type of player.

"Cade is really impressive in his ability to make decisions, to see things, do the right thing. He has experience in the offense; he’s played in games before. All those things are impressive, and we feel like we can win with him."

He saw immediately that McNamara was the kind of quarterback who "really wants to be good," and that goes a long way.

"First impressions ... he works hard. I think he has the respect of his teammates because they pick up on that, too," Weiss continued. "He picks up on things well; he makes good decisions. He’s somebody that maybe people are always going to question or doubt in terms of, 'he’s not enough of this' or 'he’s not enough of that.' But ultimately, when you watch him play, he gets the job done, and he’s a guy that has a bright future."

Freshman J.J. McCarthy has done a great job and is pushing him, as well, but McNamara has done enough to stay a step ahead. It started in the spring, continue into the summer and Weiss hopes and expects it to show up on Saturday against Western Michigan.

Texas Tech transfer Alan Bowman, too, provides experienced depth, but McNamara is the guy ... at least for now.

"Cade put in a lot of work and he also did a great job with all the player-led things in the summer of organizing that," Weiss said, "and having a leadership role and helping our team get better. You want a quarterback to have a collective effect to make everyone around him better.

"We want our quarterbacks in the room to make each other better, too. Good quarterbacks do that. I think Cade is starting to show that he can, too."

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