Michigan's Newest Quarterback Is Coming For The Top Spot

The transfer quarterback from Texas Tech has every intention of taking the No. 1 spot as fall camp draws near.

A new challenger will enter the quarterback battle in Ann Arbor this fall as Texas Tech transfer quarterback Alan Bowman is set to arrive on campus.

Not only will Bowman be bringing a lot of talent with him to Michigan, he will also be bringing a lot of experience - something that is currently lacking in the quarterback room at Michigan.

In a recent post to Instagram, Bowman made clear that he's coming for the top spot in Ann Arbor.

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During his three seasons in Lubbock, Bowman suffered multiple injuries that prevented him from fully hitting his stride - but was still extremely productive when healthy. After winning the starting job during his freshman year in 2018, Bowman went off against the Houston Cougars - completing 43-of-59 passes for 605 yards with five touchdowns in a 63–49 win. Bowman's performance that day set a new Big 12 record for passing yards in a single game by a true freshman, a record that still stands today.

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In spite of battling a string of injuries, Bowman finished his freshman year with 227 completions out of 327 attempts for 2,638 yards with 17 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. For a comparison, his 227 single-season completions would have put him 5th all-time at the University of Michigan and his 2,638 single-season passing yards would have put him at No. 8 all-time - just ahead of Tom Brady.

In total, Bowman's three-year career numbers at Texas Tech included a completion percentage of 67 percent on 713 attempts, 5,260 yards (7.4 per attempt), 33 touchdowns and a QBR of 139.5.

As it currently stands, junior quarterback Cade McNamara is leading the pack at Michigan.  Though McNamara has limited experience on the field, he earned the starting position in 2020 after leading Michigan to a triple-overtime come from behind victory in week five against Rutgers.  An injury the following week would bring an end to McNamara's brief run as the starter.

Behind McNamara is sophomore quarterback Dan Villari and true freshman JJ McCarthy.  Though McCarthy figures to be the next in line at Michigan, head coach Jim Harbaugh recently indicated that Villari would be used in special packages throughout the season - similar to the way the New Orleans Saints utilize Taysom Hill.

With fall camp just weeks away, the quarterback position at the University of Michigan is far from settled.  Given all of the experience that Bowman is bringing with him to Ann Arbor, it's hard not to view him as the current favorite to eventually win the job.