Despite making the College Football Playoff last season for the first time, there’s a bit of trouble brewing in the quarterback room at the Big House for the starting job with the Michigan Wolverines. Everyone knew this battle was coming, and it's only intensifying as we get closer to time for fall camp to begin. That fight is between senior Cade McNamara and hotshot sophomore J.J. McCarthy.

With head coach Jim Harbaugh reaffirming at Big Ten Media Days that the best player would be on the field, Michigan is set to host a fierce competition between the two to determine who will be tasked with leading the Wolverines through 2022 and potentially into their second consecutive College Football Playoff appearance if things go well.

It's worth mentioning as well, that last year's offensive coordinator, Josh Gaddis, made good use of both quarterbacks over the course of the season. There's only one problem with that, however, and it's that Gaddis left Ann Arbor and took his talents to South Beach to become Mario Cristobal's offensive coordinator at Miami. This could potentially affect the race, as with a slightly new system, both players will have to adjust.

That all being said, here's something you need to know about each of the quarterbacks in this Michigan football race.

What you need to know about Michigan football's QB battle

2. J.J. McCarthy

The five-star wonderboy came to Ann Arbor last season and immediately competed for playing time with McNamara. Gaddis recognized he brought something different to the table compared to McNamara and threw him into the fire. He racked up a passing record that shows him with 34 completions, 516 passing yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions to pair with 27 carries, 124 rushing yards and a further two scores on the ground.

McCarthy is much more the modern quarterback of the two as the better athlete compared to McNamara. He's able to escape the pocket with ease and create chunk yardage on the fly, which is something that coaches love as long as the ball stays in the right hands. For him to beat out McNamara this fall, he's going to have to show improvement in his efficiency, though he definitely has the tools to do so.

Even if he doesn't win the job right away, McCarthy should get plenty of playing time early in the year. Michigan football's non-conference schedule featuring UConn, Hawaii and Colorado State can be described as cupcake at best. This is a battle that could very well be decided later in September than you might think depending on fall camp.

1. Cade McNamara

The experienced pocket passer, McNamara has led this team since the tail end of the pandemic shortened 2020 season, and he has done so wonderfully. With a 2021 stat line that reads 210 completions, 2,576 yards, 15 touchdowns and six interceptions, McNamara has the early leg up on his younger counterpart. Jim Harbaugh said as much at Media Days, affirming that McNamara would get the majority of the first team reps to begin fall camp.

McNamara's calmness in contrast to McCarthy's flair is what allowed Josh Gaddis to use both quarterbacks effectively last season. But with Gaddis gone, it remains to be seen whether using both is even an option. McNamara is of course a senior, but he does have eligibility after this season. Expect it to be very tough for McCarthy to supplant McNamara in fall camp, even with his skill set. McNamara boasts a very efficient game, in addition to being the only Michigan quarterback in the last decade to beat Ohio State.

The early leg up may be to McNamara's benefit in winning the job, but we'll have to see how everything unfolds in Michigan football's fall camp.