Cade McNamara believes in himself and so do his teammates. And that's all that matters to the fourth-year quarterback.
Michigan football had its annual player-only vote for team captains Thursday afternoon, selecting McNamara along with Erick All, Mazi Smith, Mike Sainristil, and Ronnie Bell.
"I'm extremely honored to be elected captain, and for it to be a player-only vote, for your teammates to recognize you as a team leader, there's no greater accomplishment, I don't think, especially at this level," McNamara told the media on Thursday.
While the senior signal-caller spent the offseason in a battle to keep his job with sophomore J.J. McCarthy, McNamara believes he's coming out of it playing the best football of his career.
Yet the external narratives continue to allude to an inevitable takeover from McCarthy because of McNamara's limitations.
McCarthy has a stronger arm, runs the ball at will, and came to Michigan with lofty expectations as the third highest-ranked quarterback in program history.
McNamara is a former Notre Dame commit who was a four-star recruit, the eighth-best pro-style quarterback nationally, and the top recruit from Nevada.
While one's ceiling is higher than the other's, there's no ignoring the public opinion that the one who isn't starting, McCarthy, is unequivocally better than the one who did and still is.
His teammates notice it. He notices it. To be elected captain by his teammates says all he needs to know about his perception from the ones who matter most in his football career.
"This is a representation of that (his teammates' belief in him). No matter how people viewed me, whatever the case may be, whatever it is, I take a lot of pride in the fact that they (his teammates) were able to recognize me for who I am and for what I bring to this team. And for them to choose me as a captain, I think, is a great representation of my relationships with my teammates and what they believe about me as a member of this team. And again, I'm just really honored."
Sainristil, who switched from wideout to cornerback this offseason, is a former Virginia Tech commit who eventually flipped to the Wolverines.
One reason he did was his relationship with McNamara, who came in with him as a recruit in 2019.
"Ever since I met Cade, he's been a leader; even in recruiting, I feel like he was one of the more vocal guys in our class. It was obviously harder when we first came in because he was a freshman quarterback. He was behind Shea (Patterson), Dylan (McCaffrey), Joe (Milton) ... a good amount of guys where the vocal presence isn't viewed as high," Sainristil said to the media. "In 2020, when he got the opportunity to turn the Rutgers game around, his message in the locker room was, what happens if we still win it out? I feel like from that point on, guys view Cade very differently … I don't think anyone here doesn't trust Cade in anything. I feel like since then, Cade has really been a true leader."
Defensive tackle Mazi Smith, a West Michigan native, is the vocal leader of the defense.
He recognized McNamara's consistency and ability to stay true to himself, no matter the situation.
Whether he's in a quarterback race, elected captain, leading a comeback at Rutgers, or beating Ohio State, he's never changed.
"You want to look at your quarterback and see somebody who embodies a team, and can bring the team together when he needs to, and keep the team going," Smith said. "(Cade) is the same guy every day: competing, always trying to get that edge. Cade is one of the hardest working guys I've seen and one of the biggest competitors. He's been that way since he got here. Lately, now that he's the starter and the odds are on him, you can see him now, but he's always been the way he is. You appreciate having a guy like that who wants to win all the time."
McNamara, who is 14-4 as a starter, proved he's a winner last year, doing something no quarterback has done for the program since 2004 when Michigan beat Iowa 42-3 to win the Big Ten Championship.
Still, the public continues to cross his name off in favor of McCarthy.
How does the outside noise affect him?
"It's fuel."
Michigan kicks off next Saturday at home against Colorado State.
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