THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - Once Cade McNamara arrived on Michigan’s campus, he knew it would probably be where he played college football.

“I felt it as soon as I got there,” McNamara said this past weekend at the adidas West Coast Invitational. “Just with coach (Jim) Harbaugh, as soon as I got there he was there. With everyone else it was like you have to have a meeting with the head coach and an appointment set up.

“He was with me the whole entire day doing all the measurements with me. He was doing everything with me and I felt like we really clicked from the beginning. Him being there is definitely huge for me because we already have a really good relationship.”

On top of McNamara’s budding relationship with Harbaugh, everything else at Michigan was perfect as well and it’s why the four-star quarterback who had previously been committed to Notre Dame decided on the Wolverines.

“Love the facilities and everything,” McNamara said. “The fan base is great. I’m excited I can fit in their system.”

But Harbaugh was absolutely a huge selling point.

“He was a quarterback himself, he played at Michigan, he went to the NFL and he gets guys to the NFL,” McNamara said. “That’s huge for me since I want to get to the next level.

“I kind of had every offer I wanted so when it came to going through each college I couldn’t argue that why wouldn’t I go to Michigan? That was my feeling. It was just, how could I not go here when this is how I feel about them?”

USC and Alabama were the other serious contenders for McNamara, who said he’s excited about Ole Miss quarterback transfer Shea Patterson in Ann Arbor and then he sees it as his chance to take over what has been a struggling Michigan offense.

“I saw it as my opportunity,” McNamara said. “The defense is always good at Michigan so I could always rely on the defense and a good run game. With Shea coming in as a passer, I feel like I kind of clone with Shea in the same way.

“Coach Harbaugh is feeling really good about Shea right now and sees him and the future of the program and hopefully I can be the next one after him.”