![]() ![]() He was a backup this year at Nevada with five tackles in 11 games. Defensive back Darion Green-Warren was a McNamara teammate in Ann Arbor in 2020-21. It already has a former Michigan player on its roster. The Pack might also have a secret weapon when it comes to recruiting McNamara this offseason. Northern Nevada would be happy with the Ty Gangi 2018 Pack right now. But McNamara should know that nobody is expecting the return of the 2010 Pack anytime soon. He might not have enough time to turn this Pack football program around, at least not to Kaepernick 2010 levels. McNamara has just two years of eligibility remaining and he’s coming off a knee surgery. The biggest hurdle the Pack will have to cross when it comes to enticing McNamara to come home is that god-awful 2-10 record that featured a season-ending 10-game losing streak. Beating Boise State in front of the 15,000 that showed up at Mackay Stadium this year won’t faze him. The young man, after all, beat Wisconsin in front of 74,855 at Camp Randall Stadium, Nebraska in front of 87,380 at Memorial Stadium, Penn State in front of 109,534 at Beaver Stadium and Ohio State in front of 111,156 at Michigan. The Pack didn’t think the pressure would overwhelm McNamara back in January 2017 when it first offered him a scholarship and it would certainly be a non-factor now. But take the pressure Babbitt and Johnson felt in basketball and quadruple it for McNamara as the Pack quarterback. Galena’s Luke Babbitt and Hug’s Armon Johnson experienced the pressure of trying to leading the hometown college to greatness in basketball. First of all, there would be tremendous pressure on McNamara at Nevada. There are a few factors, of course, that would make the Pack’s chances of signing McNamara slim at best. Pack fans are more than ready to go dancing in the streets once again and McPack or Packnamara is just the quarterback to do it. McNamara is now coming off four years under Harbaugh at Michigan after getting to the College Football Playoff. Kaepernick left Nevada to go play for Jim Harbaugh with the San Francisco 49ers and got to a Super Bowl. There is a solid Kaepernick-McNamara connection already. McNamara was just 10-years-old and likely was a bit impressed when Kaepernick and the Pack beat Boise State in 2010, sending Pack fans dancing in the streets. Maybe now he would like to become the next Colin Kaepernick at Nevada. He first chose to become the next Joe Montana at Notre Dame and then changed his mind to become the next Tom Brady at Michigan. McNamara was offered scholarships when he was at Damonte by, among others, Notre Dame, Michigan, USC, Georgia, Alabama, Wisconsin and, yes, even San Diego State and Nevada. And then, by the way, he went on to lead Michigan to a Big Ten title. But McNamara is certainly in the conversation, given that no high school quarterback in the state’s history has ever passed for more yards or touchdowns. Hug (Bart Hendricks), Reno (Jeff Dankworth), Wooster (Glenn Carano) and McQueen (Jeff Rowe) graduates will certainly argue that. McNamara is arguably the best quarterback that Northern Nevada has ever produced. McNamara can save Pack football from itself. So, there is already a strong connection between the McNamara family and the Pack. Wilson, a former college baseball player himself, was frequently seen in the Peccole Park press box watching baseball games. McNamara’s father Gary, after all, was a Wolf Pack assistant baseball coach when current Pack football head coach Ken Wilson was a Pack football assistant. Now that he’s had his taste of big-time college football does he want to come back to Northern Nevada and become a hometown hero and a legend? The Wolf Pack owes it to Northern Nevada and to its struggling football program to find out. This past season he suffered a knee injury and played parts of just three games (beating Jay Norvell and Colorado State in the season opener). He played in the semifinals of the College Football Playoff that season, falling to Georgia. He led Michigan to the Big Ten title in 2021, beating Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin, Iowa and others along the way. McNamara spent the last four years at Michigan (redshirting in 2019 and getting an extra year of eligibility in 2020 because of COVID-19), throwing for 3,181 yards and 21 touchdowns. What better way for the Wolf Pack to restore its severely damaged connection to its Pack-apathetic community? And all it might take is a simple text followed by a phone call.ĭamonte High graduate Cade McNamara, the Nevada high school record-holder for passing yards (12,084) and touchdown passes (146), is now in the NCAA’s transfer portal and looking for a new home to play his final two years of college football. One of Northern Nevada’s own comes back home to turn the Wolf Pack football program around. ![]()
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