Spartans Bitter Rival's Former QB Transfers to FCS Mid-Major

In the past four seasons, McNamara went from being the starting quarterback on a Wolverines team that competed for a National Championship in the College Football Playoff Semifinal, to being benched with the Hawkeyes, to now being forced to find a school he will succeed at in the FCS.

Usually players want to be moving from the lower level of college football up into the FBS where the powerhouse programs compete for the most elite college football championships and draft pick positions. McNamara is heading in the opposite direction, hoping to end his career on a high note.

The former Wolverine played in just eight games last season with the Hawkeyes due to a concussion that he suffered in Week 9 against Northwestern. Following the recovery of his injury, McNamara was benched for the remainder of the season, prompting his transfer decision to leave the program.

He finished his first senior season with six touchdowns and five interceptions with just over 1,000 passing yards. The Spartans handled McNamara once again, holding him to just 150 passing yards while tossing an interception in a 32-20 win on Homecoming night for the Green and White.

East Tennessee State finished 7-5 last season, members of the Southern Division along with schools such as Mercer, Samford, and Furman to name a few. Adding a new quarterback, the Buccaneers will have also have a new head coach next season in Will Healy, former assistant at Georgia State.

Much like Wolverine fans enjoy seeing Ohio State Buckeye's head coach Ryan Day across the sideline, the Spartans felt the same way when they faced McNamara, winning two out of their three meetings.

Those times have come to an end as the talent and pressures of FBS football outweighed him over the course of his current five-year career. It will be interesting to see what happens this upcoming fall when he takes the field for his third team in four years.