The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1340560
major coaching changes (including now-absent QBs coach Ben McDan- iels), McCarthy stayed rock solid in the Michigan pocket. "He never wavered once," Jim Mc- Carthy said. "I was so proud of him for that. Even though other schools were still calling, he was going to Ann Arbor no matter what." J.J.'s dad says McDaniels will al- ways be a friend and mentor to his son. But he notes the young man un- derstands the business and doesn't shy from audibles. "J.J. is going to be coached by a Heisman Trophy finalist, an NFL quarterback, the head coach of his football team," Jim McCarthy said. "It goes on and on with Coach Har- baugh, the experience he has. "Once J.J. heard that, he was very excited for the challenge, very excited to learn from one of Michigan's great- est quarterbacks ever." An early entrant, J.J. McCarthy is al- ready at Michigan — trying to become one of Michigan's best quarterbacks ever. "You dream about it, ever since he committed — coming out of that tun- nel, slapping that banner," his father mused. "I get chills thinking about it. It's knowing your son is working to- ward achieving all of his goals and his dreams, with all the hard work he's put in. It's a sense of happiness, paren- tal pride — he's living his dream." ❑ MARCH 2021 THE WOLVERINE 25 Chad Henne's Standard Looms Large Michigan freshman quarterback J.J. McCarthy turned 1 year old 10 months before another freshman quarterback, Chad Henne, led the Wolverines to their last Big Ten cham- pionship, in 2004. Is it fair to hope for a repeat from another hugely talented rookie in maize and blue? In a word, no. Histori- cally speaking, no true freshman had ever led a Big Ten team to the league championship before Henne. In McCarthy's case, he would need to first beat out two quarterbacks — red- shirt sophomore Joe Milton and red- shirt freshman Cade McNamara — to even put himself in position to com- pete for that championship. Second, the quest for the Big Ten crown looms tougher than ever. There's a conference title game (which Michigan has yet to appear in) and a juggernaut in Columbus that con- tinues its assault on conference titles and playoff appearances. All of that said, McCarthy stands as the latest rookie quarterback in a winged helmet with a chance to try and recreate the Henne magic. Henne completed 60.2 percent of his passes as a true freshman, finishing 240- of-399 passing for 2,743 yards, with 25 touchdowns and a dozen interceptions. The Wolverines lost a tough one to Notre Dame in the second game of the season, then reeled off eight straight wins — including one over regular-season co-champ Iowa — prior to a 37-21 defeat in Columbus. The Wolverines then dropped a wild, 38-37 shootout in the Rose Bowl against Texas. It wasn't how Henne wanted his freshman season to end, but he'd already put himself into the history books. — John Borton STATISTICS Year Comp. Pct. Yards TD INT 2020 57 1,392 16 0 2019 60 2,820 34 8 2018 76 3,448 39 4 HONORS • Named the 2020 Florida High School Player of the Year by MaxPreps. • Invited to both the All-American Bowl and Polynesian Bowl as a senior. • Led IMG Academy to an 8-0 record in 2020, finishing No. 1 in the country in MaxPreps' final rankings. • Participated in the Elite 11 QB Com- petition during the summer of 2020, and was one of 20 invited to the finals. • Tabbed as the News-Gazette All-State Illinois Player of the Year in 2019, becom- ing the first underclassman to win the honor in 25 years. • Chicago Tribune Pioneer Press' Offen- sive Player of the Year in 2019. • EDGYTIM/Rivals.com All-State selec- tion in Illinois in both 2018 and 2019. • Chicago Sun-Times All-Area honoree in 2019. RECRUITMENT • Pledged to Michigan May 11, 2019, after picking up his offer from the Maize and Blue in November 2018. • Was the second commit in U-M's 2021 class, behind only Sterling Heights (Mich.) Stevenson four-star offensive tackle Giovanni El-Hadi. • Picked U-M over other notable offers from LSU, Miami (Fla.), Ohio State, Penn State, Tennessee, Texas A&M and others. DID YOU KNOW? • Began his high school career at Naza- reth Academy in La Grange Park, Ill., but spent his senior season at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. • Guided Nazareth Academy to the Class 7A state title game from 2017-19, coming out on top in 2018. • Went 36-2 as a starter in his prep career. • Enrolled early at U-M. THEY SAID IT • Rivals.com Midwest recruiting ana- lyst Josh Helmholdt: "McCarthy has one of the strongest arms I have ever cov- ered. He can absolutely sling the rock. The other elite attribute that needs to be highlighted is McCarthy's will to win. It's fitting he's from Chicago, because he has a [former Chicago Bulls legend] Michael Jordan-like desire to win at everything he sets out to do." • Brentwood ( Tenn.) Ravenwood four-star linebacker and fellow U-M signee Junior Colson: "He means a lot to the class and was a big part of my re- cruitment, texting me a lot throughout my recruiting process. As a player, J.J.'s game speaks for itself and he's usually the best player on the field. Having him as one of the vocal leaders, I can see us going far." 2021 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE A true freshman quarterback, Chad Henne, led the Wolverines to the program's last Big Ten title, in 2004 — not long before McCarthy turned 2 years old. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN