Cade McNamara threw a first-quarter interception in his East Tennessee State debut and was promptly replaced. That was the plan all along, however — the substitution, not the pick.

McNamara, who spent four years at Michigan and was the starting quarterback on the 2021 team that broke a long losing streak against Ohio State and won the Big Ten, is with his third school in his seventh season of college football. His new team visits No. 22 Tennessee on Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+).

McNamara transferred to the FCS for his final season only to find himself in another quarterback battle, just as he faced with J.J. McCarthy in 2022. McNamara was a captain that year but lost the job early in the season. This time, he’s going up against Jacolby Criswell, who transferred in following stints at N

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