Michigan Football: The case to start J.J. McCarthy from day one

A buzz has been building as to whom will be the starter at quarterback on September 4th when Michigan football opens the gates with Western Michigan.

The returning Cade McNamara, transfer Alan Bowman, and freshman sensation J.J. McCarthy are all viable candidates to battle for the most popular position on the Michigan football roster this fall. McNamara is the favorite for most, but some have speculated what if it isn’t McNamara who takes the first snap this fall?

Everyone knows what McNamara can bring to the table and Texas Tech followers are aware of what Bowman is capable of, but McCarthy is the unknown in the equation. He was a record-setting signal-caller in high school, but that doesn’t necessarily translate into instant success at the college level, especially at such a prestigious place like Michigan.

To achieve it he’ll unquestionably need time to learn the scheme once he enters camp in August. That’s not always the case though. McNamara could struggle or get injured, Bowman can do the same, leaving McCarthy to lose his training wheels and enter the fire head first ready or not.

Another option would be for him to win the competition even before the season commences and turn heads all around the program.

Let’s assume that McCarthy earns the job outright and becomes the first true freshman to do so since Tate Forcier in 2009. The wait for the moment that he takes the field would be one of the most anticipated events in Michigan football history.

What if Michigan football starts McCarthy right away?

The five-star wouldn’t be tested until the Washington affair though and therefore the Michigan family would be unaware of what it has in store for them with McCarthy calling the shots.

Then there is the situation in which McNamara or Bowman or both can’t handle the pressure of being the focal point of the offense. McCarthy would then step in at an unknown instant and have the weight of the world on his young shoulders.

Depending upon when that sequence comes McCarthy would have to show that he can live up to the hype and be the one who leads Michigan football to heights it hasn’t experienced in far too long.

Finally, what if Harbaugh already has his mind made up and stamps his approval for McCarthy from the get-go?

Since McCarthy is his highest-rated quarterback recruit, maybe he wants to start fresh and go through the growing pains knowing that Warde Manuel extended him.

That would be a no-brainer decision for Manuel unless McCarthy did the unthinkable and returned Michigan football back to glory faster than anyone could have dreamed.

That’s why this predicament must be handled with the utmost responsibility. Harbaugh’s reputation is on the line and he cannot afford any more mistakes that will set him back.

Whether it’s McCarthy, McNamara, or Bowman, Harbaugh must find his groove that he held a decade or so ago with the talents of Andrew Luck and Colin Kaepernick.