Cade McNamara Earns Unshaking Confidence from Quarterbacks Coach Matt Weiss
As Michigan quarterbacks coach Matt Weiss prepares for his first game on staff this Saturday against Western Michigan, there are undoubtedly countless variables swirling around in his brain. One thought, though, is unwavering — his confidence in junior quarterback Cade McNamara.
“Cade’s done a great job,” Weiss said. “Obviously he’s our starter, and I’m really looking forward to seeing what he can do in a game. I’m really looking forward to seeing what he can do on the field.”
With McNamara only having one start for the Wolverines under his belt, a view from the outside looking in leaves many unanswered questions about what McNamara needs to do in order to be successful against the Broncos. Weiss, meanwhile, sees the situation with much more clarity.
“I don’t think there’s any secret to it,” Weiss told reporters with confidence. “He’s got to do what he’s been doing all Spring and all Fall. Going through his progressions, making good reads. He doesn’t have to go out and win the game for us, he just has to do his job. That’s what’s been the focus when we talk to him, and that’s what we expect him to do Saturday at 12 o’clock.”
McNamara has been Michigan’s expected starter for the upcoming season since Spring practices, but there was certainly no lack of upward pressure coming from former 5-star recruit and true freshman JJ McCarthy.
The fact that McNamara was able to stave off McCarthy, especially in light of all of the positive comments that coaches and players have been making about the latter, speaks glowingly about McNamara’s presence and ability. Weiss expands on those unspoken compliments in describing what set McNamara apart from the remainder of the quarterback room.
“Cade is really impressive in terms of his ability to make decisions and see things,” Weiss said. “We can count on him to do the right thing and he has experience in the offense. He’s played in games before. So, all those things are impressive, and we feel like we can win with him. We’re excited for him.”
By the very nature of quarterback competitions, there must have been a timeline across which McNamara set himself apart from others contending for the starting position, but, even before that distinction became clear, Weiss knew that he liked what he saw in McNamara.
In fact, McNamara impressed Weiss from the first time the pair met.
“My first impression was that he really wants to be good, and that goes a long way,” Weiss said. “He works hard, and I think he has the respect of his teammates because they pick up on that too. … He’s somebody that maybe people are always gonna question and doubt in terms of “he’s not enough of this” or “not enough of that.” But ultimately, when you watch him play, he gets the job done. He’s a guy that has a bright future.”
This first impression and the character traits that it embodied positioned McNamara for success in Michigan’s quarterback competition, but Weiss’s satisfaction with the junior did not stop at the point at which McNamara was named the Wolverines’ starter. It is truly what has come since that forms the foundation on which Weiss’s belief in McNamara sits.
“Cade put in a lot of work,” Weiss said. “And he also did a great job, with all of the player-led things that go in the summer, of organizing that, having a leadership role, and helping our team get better. You want your quarterback to have a collective effect, to make everybody around him better and make everybody in the quarterback room better, and I think Cade is starting to show that he can do that too.”
There are many open questions about the Wolverines coming into Week One, but, from Weiss’s standpoint, at least one matter is settled. Cade McNamara will be ready to perform and to help his teammates perform alongside him.
