Michigan’s opening week starter in 2020 was Joe Milton. A year later Milton wasn’t with the Wolverines any longer, transferring to Tennessee.
It was Cade McNamara who claimed the No. 1 spot in camp, fending off five-star true freshman J.J. McCarthy.
“He’s fighting,” Harbaugh said about McCarthy in July. “He’s got the athletic ability and the arm talent to get it done, but Cade McNamara is not letting him take it away, and that’s probably the best thing for our team and for J.J. and all of us.”
McNamara became a big leader for the Michigan team.