How quarterback transfer culture has forced college football coaches to get creative in naming starters

Jim Harbaugh knew exactly what he was doing. It hurt like hell, but he had to know.

Michigan conducted a quarterback competition two weeks into the season that included the possibility of incumbent starter Cade McNamara being sent to the bench. There weren’t many more accomplished quarterbacks in college football last year.

In leading Michigan to its first Big Ten championship in 17 years and its first College Football Playoff berth ever while improving to 14-2 in his career as a starter, McNamara more than established himself. He was a Michigan Man.

Or so he thought. McNamara was also loyal, a leader voted captain by his teammates yet destined for the bench in 2022. McNamara might have been Harbaugh’s best quarterback at Michigan, but now he’s the best backup in the Big Ten — maybe the entire country — playing behind the guy who he backed up last season, sophomore J.J. McCarthy.

Next to no one is surprised. In today’s altered quarterback culture, talent evaluation must be mixed with winning, the reality of the transfer portal, and in some cases, job security.

“As I’ve been saying, we’ve got two good quarterbacks, two championship quarterbacks,” Harbaugh said.

Yes, but for how long?

McCarthy was the No. 5 quarterback in the Class of 2021, according to 247Sports. If he didn’t get the job, long-established history suggests McCarthy was a likely transfer candidate. He has two years of eligibility remaining after this season.

That might be all you need to know about the Michigan quarterback battle because, well, McNamara (No. 15) wasn’t a top-five prospect when he enrolled in 2019.

Using that top-five delineation, if McCarthy was anywhere close to as talented as McNamara, Harbaugh couldn’t afford not to elevate the younger prospect.

Among the quarterbacks rated top five at their position by 247Sports through recruiting classes spanning the last 20 years (2002-21), 46 of 100 transferred at least once. Seven transferred multiple times.

The reasons ranged from the obvious to the obtuse: playing time, changing positions, even changing sports.

Call it what you want — impatience, entitlement, free will or free agency — the numbers show the process was well established before the transfer portal debuted in October 2018. (The one-time transfer exemption was not legislated until August 2021.)

All of five of the top-rated quarterbacks in the Class of 2016…