The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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12 THE WOLVERINE ❱ MAY 2024 ❱ INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS EVALUATORS BELIEVE HARBAUGH IS ALTERING MCCARTHY'S DRAFT STOCK It is no secret that former head coach Jim Harbaugh is fond of quarterback J.J. McCarthy after a 27-1 record over the last two years and a national title win in 2023. The McCarthy hype has boiled over into a potential top-five selection in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft, and the now-Los Angeles Chargers head coach continues to fuel the fire. "He's the best quarterback in this draft," Harbaugh said at the NFL's An- nual Meeting. "He plays quarterback the best of all the quarterbacks. He's a winner. … That was the best workout I've ever seen by a quarterback during a pro day. The best throwing day I've ever seen. To hear coaches and GMs come to me and say, 'Great job with J.J.' Like I predicted. It was absolutely no surprise whatsoever." However, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports spoke to evaluators in the NFL who think it might serve a dual purpose. McCarthy is projected as the fourth quarterback off the board in the event, which just so happens to favor the Chargers, who hold the No. 5 selection and can feasibly grab the best non- quarterback on the board. "There definitely could be a little bit of an ulterior motive to get someone pushed to him, for sure. That would be a Harbaugh-type move," one evalua- tor said. "There's a plan there, I would say. Because they're sitting there like, all right, if top four are QBs, we get our pick of whatever the hell we want. They're probably in the best position of any team up there, because now the first four probably are going to be quarterbacks." "He's definitely been pumping [McCarthy] a lot," another evaluator said of Harbaugh. "It seems like he's doing it every time he sits down with anyone. I'm sure that's what most coaches would say about their guy who wins a na- tional championship and has that [27-1] record as a starter. But it's definitely convenient that McCarthy going in those top four picks is really a best-case scenario for the Chargers, too. I do think there's something to that." Time will tell, but McCarthy's selection might just serve a dual purpose for his former head coach. RODRIGUEZ ADDRESSES SOFTBALL FUTURE, CONTINUES CANCER RECOVERY Kaylee America Rodriguez missed the 2022-23 academic year and softball season after a partial hip replacement surgery in January 2023. A large tumor had formed in her left hip in a rare bone cancer called Ew- ing sarcoma. Ringing the cancer-free bell on Aug. 16, 2023, after a grueling run of treat- ments, Rodriguez took a major step in her recovery and returned to campus later that month. Since then, she has been working with U-M's training staff and is a visible presence at softball games and practices. She was never re- moved from the roster, but her playing future is still uncertain. "When you go through chemotherapy, your muscles don't recover as quickly as if you pull a muscle," head coach Bonnie Tholl told ESPN's Adam Rittenberg in a feature story. "She's in that phase of trying to get all of that strength back, and really walking without any limp or hitch." The ESPN feature reported that Rodriguez is playing catch and taking grounders with teammates, and recently started swinging off a tee. "I am not at all dismissing her goal of getting back on the ball field," Tholl said. "It's way too early to reevaluate whether that's going to occur. You see signs of her gaining strength." Tholl and Rodriguez are set to meet later this spring about how realistic a comeback might be, but Rodriguez said the future is still up in the air. "Especially after seeing what my family's gone through, I don't think I could ever rule out anything," Rodriguez said. "I can never rule out just completely taking myself out of the race when I even think that there's a slight chance that I could make a full recovery, or just even a recovery to the point that would get me back on the field again. This is just going to take a route of its own. "I just have such a different appreciation for it all now. It means so much more just to be a student at the University of Michigan, to be a player on the Michigan softball team. I'm just so fortunate for the life that I have." — Anthony Broome MAIZE AND BLUE NOTEBOOK It's no surprise that Jim Harbaugh is a big believer in J.J. McCarthy's ability to be a successful pro quarterback. McCarthy went 27-1 as a starter for his Michigan teams. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL Cancer-free since August 2023, senior infielder Kaylee America Rodriguez remains an inspirational presence on the U-M softball roster, but her playing future is still uncertain. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY