On Aug. 27, Michigan hinted at how it would build on its breakthrough 2021 season. It came in the form of a tweet titled "QB Update" and began with this tease: "We have made a decision."
Coach Jim Harbaugh had not decided the team's starting quarterback, but rather on an in-season competition to determine his QB1. Cade McNamara, who led Michigan to its first outright Big Ten championship since 2003 and the program's first College Football Playoff appearance, would start the opener against Colorado State. J.J. McCarthy, the decorated recruit who had backed up McNamara in 2021, would start Week 2 against Hawai'i.