Michigan's 'cutthroat' QB competition left Cade McNamara's dad 'uncomfortable'

Competition is part of sports, and competition is especially a part of a college football two-deep — especially at a big-time school.

That was the case at Michigan last season, when the Wolverines started the season with one quarterback, Cade McNamara, who was eventually replaced by his backup, J.J. McCarthy.

McNamara is now the starting quarterback at Iowa as the Hawkeyes' big grad transfer acquisition of the offseason, but a new report from Fox Sports details McNamara's tumultuous time at Michigan.

McNamara went from head coach Jim Harbaugh's "golden boy" to being a cast-off at Michigan. From throwing for 2,576 yards, 15 touchdowns and only six interceptions in 2021 to being officially replaced by McCarthy in Week 3. From the quarterback who brought Harbaugh his first Big Ten championship win (plus Michigan's first win over Ohio State in eight tries) to sleeping on the floor of an empty office building in California after a season-ending MCL and patellar tendon surgery.

A change at quarterback isn't exactly world-ending news. What is noteworthy, though, was the fact McNamara and McCarthy reportedly had beef with each other and that their competition could get a bit spicy at times.

"By the time McCarthy arrived on campus in January 2021, the Wolverines' quarterback room had already devolved into a snake pit, according to a team source with direct knowledge of the situation. Fallout from the prior year's competition involving Milton, McNamara and Dylan McCaffrey, who also wound up transferring, fostered an environment in which players turned against each other," Michael Cohen reported.

"And Cade, honestly, was a huge part of how cutthroat that room was," the source said. "It kind of fits with his personality of when J.J. first got there, he reached out to [McNamara], ‘Hey, can't wait to learn from you,' typical stuff that would be smart stuff to say to somebody when you're coming into that situation. And Cade ghosted him, wouldn't respond to him."

Cohen also details feelings from McNamara's side that Harbaugh may not have been exactly unbiased when he opened up the full-fledged competition between McCarthy and McNamara in 2022.

"That whole process of the reality of what was going on in practice and the reality of what was being said in the public, it was so bizarre. And it made me uncomfortable," Cade's father, Gary, told Cohen.

Ultimately, McNamara is now at Iowa. He'll try to make the Hawkeyes as competitive as they can be in the Big Ten while McCarthy tries to lead Michigan to a third straight Big Ten championship and berth in the College Football Playoff.

Because of the schedule, if the two do meet in 2023-24, it would be in the Big Ten championship game.

"Let's just say, I hope it happens," McNamara said of that scenario.