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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — As the Michigan offense found itself struggling to do what was long anticipated with offensive coordinator Josh Gattis leading the charge, it gained something of a spark midseason — or what was supposed to be midseason — when Cade McNamara took the reins.
Joe Milton started the season as QB1. While he showed his potential in the first game of the season, the offense sputtered in subsequent appearances. But when McNamara came in, first against Wisconsin and again against Rutgers, suddenly, there was life. And while we didn’t get to see much of McNamara’s overall capability, as the bulk of his showing was in one game — a triple-overtime thriller at Rutgers — the promise was certainly there.
Former Wolverines tight end Nick Eubanks was the recipient of one of McNamara’s touchdowns in Piscataway. As he reflected on what the now-third-year quarterback was able to do once he entered the game, he’s still not surprised that he had a mastery of the offense when called upon.
“Overall, Cade was a good dude,” Eubanks said. “In terms of everything he did, he did to his fullest. Especially with him, at that time, with Joe being up front as quarterback one, he always played the role of being ready instead of getting ready. When he came into the game, it was like he prepared for that moment. When he came in and took four drives, four drives down for a touchdown, we knew that was gonna happen.
“We knew he was gonna develop into that person of knowing what his role is now, in terms of how he competes. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for him this season coming up.”
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So, where does the offense go from here?
Eubanks is gone, preparing for the NFL draft, but having worked with McNamara last year and getting rumblings from spring ball this year, he feels like the Wolverines offensive attack is headed in the right direction with the Reno, Nevada, native at the helm — especially considering how well he can utilize the run-pass option, a staple in Gattis’ offense.
“Yeah, for sure, because the RPO worked in our favor (in 2019), being able to run it with Shea and the other dudes,” Eubanks said. “They got better in terms of the way they do things now, especially getting a glimpse of how they’re practicing and do things. I would say the RPO scheme is getting better than it’s ever been. Especially running with Cade now. Cade knows the option of being able to run, too. You could see last season, he had a couple of good runs, especially against Rutgers. I could see how that works in our favor, the offense in general, getting those dudes accustomed to it.”
Of course, this spring, McNamara is battling with true freshman and former five-star signal-caller J.J. McCarthy, widely thought to be the future of the program. He’ll get even more competition in the QB room this fall when Alan Bowman, the former Texas Tech starter who has thrown for 5,260 yards, arrives in Ann Arbor.
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