5 early bold predictions for Michigan football in 2022
By John Buhler
4. Jim Harbaugh will power through the awkwardness because, of course, he will
It may have blown over already, but Harbaugh did kind of cheat on Michigan by dipping his toes into the Vikings’ sea. Though he had a previous working relationship with new Minnesota general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah from their days with the San Francisco 49ers, the Vikings decided to hire former Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell as opposed to Harbaugh.
He may have conducted the lengthy interview in the middle of National Signing Day, but as expected, Harbaugh will power through the awkwardness of it all because, of course, he will. As long as the Wolverines keep on winning, nobody is going to care about this entanglement of sorts. However, should Michigan struggle this year, him playing flirt with the Vikings will be brought up.
The best thing Harbaugh can do is stay focused on the task at hand, which is winning the Big Ten.
3. Cade McNamara will remain the starter, but J.J. McCarthy will get more run
Had J.J. McCarthy been able to take part in spring practice, things might be a little different up in Ann Arbor. Unless he goes on an absolute tear during fall camp, it will be The Cade McNamara Show under center once again for Michigan. The good news is he has been the most consistent starting quarterback throughout the Jim Harbaugh era. However, McCarthy has the higher ceiling.
It is not going to be a massive quarterback battle that everyone is expecting, but iron will sharpen iron. McCarthy will get even more run this fall than last season. Heck, he might overtake McCarthy if it hits the fan early for the Wolverines. However, if Michigan is able to stay in playoff contention throughout, it will be hard for Harbaugh to orchestrate a full-blown quarterback change of sorts.
Unless McNamara stinks or gets hurt, he should be able to retain his starting job for this season.