CBS Sports ranks the Michigan football QB room as one the best in the nation
Michigan finds itself in a quarterback controversy heading into fall camp between incumbent starter Cade McNamara and five-star sophomore JJ McCarthy.
McNamara led the Wolverines to 12-2 record last season while making it to Michigan’s first College Football Playoff appearance, where it lost to the eventual champion, Georgia.
Many people believe McNamara is more of a game manager type, but he put up solid stats last year for the maize and blue throwing for 2,576 yards, 15 touchdowns and six interceptions.
Then you have the clamoring for the gun-slinger McCarthy to start the season. In spurts of playing time last year, the dual-threat quarterback threw for 516 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions. McCarthy also showed off his running ability by rushing for 124 yards (4.6 yards-per-carry) and ran for two scores.
CBS Sports came out with an article on Thursday listing the top five quarterback rooms in the country. The Wolverines came in at No. 3 behind Alabama and Ohio State. Here’s what was said about the maize and blue.
Key players: Cade McNamara, J.J. McCarthy, Alan Bowman
The Wolverines are perhaps the only team in the country with three quarterbacks who could absolutely start in the Power Five. Cade McNamara led the Wolverines to the College Football Playoff with his reliable play but was later benched against Georgia after former five-star recruit J.J. McCarthy found success moving the ball. While McCarthy was primarily used in run packages, he threw for 131 yards and a touchdown in playoff relief. Strangely enough, that pushed former Texas Tech star Alan Bowman to third string. The Texan threw for more than 5,000 yards and 33 touchdowns before transferring to Ann Arbor, and now can’t get off the bench. It’s an embarrassment of riches for Jim Harbaugh at Michigan.
As you can see, Alan Bowman was also mentioned in this article, but he has seen very little play in Ann Arbor. The former Texas Tech starter has thrown four total passes and has thrown for nine yards while throwing one interception.
Whoever starts game one against Colorado State will have earned the job, like Jim Harbaugh has said the best player will start. One thing that is certain though, the Wolverines are just fine at the quarterback spot, and Jim Harbaugh truly does have an embarrassment of riches.
The other two teams mentioned in the article were Georgia and LSU at four and five respectively.
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Ranking the Big Ten head football coaches
