Cade McNamara is exactly the leader Michigan Football needs

A lot of Michigan football fans are hoping Cade McNamara won’t be the starter this season but whether he is or not, he’s the perfect leader for the Wolverines.

Quarterback competitions can sometimes be messy. After all, there is a reason why some people say if you have two quarterbacks, you don’t have one.

In today’s world of college football, it’s hard to have two good ones that are both able to play. Michigan football has that and one reason it has stayed that way is Cade McNamara.

As good as he is as a quarterback, and he’s damn good — remember he did lead Michigan football to a Big Ten title and earned third-team all-Big Ten honors — he’s even better as a leader.

As much as I enjoyed listening to Jim Harbaugh on Tuesday, Cade McNamara stole the show in my book, saying things like winning is the only thing matters when asked about the QB battle.

Harbaugh said McNamara will get the first reps in fall camp and I believe he will get the first reps against Colorado State too and unless I’m mistaken, he might get the first snap against the Buckeyes.

I know I’m not betting against him.

"“I feel like it’s my team,” McNamara said Tuesday at Big Ten Media Days. “Nothing against anyone. I just think I’ve put myself in a position that, if I say something, I will be listened to. If anything, really, I’m confident in myself.”"

Bet against Cade McNamara at your own risk

Cade might not have McCarthy’s talent, but he’s a winner, and this season, he’s going to be a better quarterback, and somehow, people have forgotten that.

Yes, McCarthy is going to improve too. He’s also going to mature and he’s going to play more next season. It’s going to be harder for him to be kept on the bench.

Whether Harbaugh splits it up by drives or by quarters or by who has the hot hand, the guy who starts the game might not always finish. We saw that in the Orange Bowl and even if Cade was healthy, it was the move to make.

One worry is always how teams will handle success. Harbaugh’s have been pretty good at that. He led San Francisco to three straight NFC title games and had Stanford in major bowl games at the end.

Yet, I’m not worried about this team and McNamara is a huge reason why.

How many Big Ten championship-winning quarterbacks are doubted by huge segments of their own fanbase?

Not many.

And with a five-star right on his heels, McNamara had every motivation in the world to improve and prove everyone wrong again.

Sort of like Jim Harbaugh did throughout his playing career (no wonder Jim loves him).

Doing it again is going take killer instinct and this team will have it, in part because of their quarterbacks, who despite both wanting to start, care about winning more than anything else.

Talk about championship culture.