J.J. McCarthy 'uncomfortable' with Jim Harbaugh calling him the greatest MIchigan quarterback
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Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh hasn't been shy in his praise of quarterback J.J. McCarthy, a second-year starter who has the Wolverines one win away from the program's first unshared national championship in 75 years.
McCarthy is "the greatest quarterback" in program history, Harbaugh said after the Wolverines' overtime win against Alabama in the Rose Bowl.
"I get a little uncomfortable with every compliment I get," McCarthy said. "That's just the personality I have. I'm just tremendously grateful for him to be my head coach. Obviously, all the great words he says about me means a lot and it's a blessing to play for him."
Harbaugh did specify "college football history," drawing a clear line between McCarthy's performance since taking over the starting role and the post-college career of former Michigan quarterback Tom Brady, who went on to experience some success in the NFL.
McCarthy has "a long way to go to get to get where Tom Brady eventually got to, which is the GOAT," Harbaugh said.
"But in a college career there’s been nobody at Michigan better. He is that guy."
McCarthy and Brady are linked by a shared achievement: Both led Michigan to overtime bowl wins against the Crimson Tide. Playing in his final college game, Brady threw for 369 yards and four touchdowns as the Wolverines beat Alabama 35-34 in the 2000 Orange Bowl.
"Yeah, it's a tremendous honor," McCarthy said. "Everything about Tom, like every aspect of his life, every aspect of his game, you want to aspire to be like it. Just hearing that just gives you that reassurance that you're on the right path and doing the right things."
But while Brady is established as the greatest to play the position in the NFL — and he was no slouch in Ann Arbor, either — Harbaugh is right: Even before facing Washington in Monday's College Football Playoff National Championship, McCarthy has a strong argument for being seen as the best to ever do it for the Wolverines.
"If I took that as too much pressure I would have to take someone saying that I'm the worst quarterback to ever come through here as pressure," McCarthy said.
"If you're going to take the good, you have to take the bad naturally. I just try to keep everything as noise and opinions everyone is entitled to and focus on what I'm doing on a day-to-day basis."
He is 26-1 across his two seasons as the starter, with the loss coming against TCU in last year's Fiesta Bowl. Beyond representing the best overall record of any Michigan quarterback with more than 20 career starts, this winning percentage of 96.2% is the best of any Bowl Subdivision starter in the past decade.
"Yeah, it all takes the team," he said. "It all takes everyone, coaches, strength staff, nutrition staff, everyone goes into that 26 wins. It's not just myself."
McCarthy is one of only four quarterbacks in Michigan's modern era with an unbeaten and untied record against Ohio State across multiple starts, joining Brian Griese (1995 and 1997), Michael Taylor (1988-89) and Howard Yerges (1946-47).
He's the program career leader in completion percentage (67.9%) and, at 73.2% entering Monday's game, is poised to set the Wolverines' single-season record. That percentage is only a fraction behind the Big Ten single-season record of 73.5% set by Northwestern's Dan Persa in 2010.
McCarthy also owns the program's career mark for efficiency rating (161.6) and adjusted yards per attempt (9.5) while ranking second in career yards per attempt (8.8) behind Harbaugh.
McCarthy's touchdown-to-interception ratio of 4.6 scores for every turnover — he has 49 touchdowns and 11 interceptions — is the best among Michigan quarterbacks with at least 20 career touchdowns. Despite not making his first start until the second game of last season, McCarthy ranks fifth in program history in career passing yards (6,086).
According to Michigan, McCarthy has led the offense to 121 touchdowns and 44 field goals on the 284 drives in which he started and ended the possession, for a touchdown rate of 43% and an overall scoring rate of 58% of all possessions.
"He checks every box," Big Ten Network analyst and former Michigan tight end Jake Butt said of McCarthy.
He also has another year of eligibility. The top-heavy quarterback class in this year's NFL draft is led by Southern California's Caleb Williams, North Carolina's Drake Maye and LSU's Jayden Daniels, with all three expected to land among the top handful of picks.
McCarthy has been pegged as a potential first-round talent this April, should he choose to forego his final season. If he returns to Ann Arbor in 2024, however, the rising senior would begin the year as the Heisman Trophy favorite and potentially as the top NFL quarterback in his class.
Before that decision — and he's shrugged off questions since the end of the regular season — McCarthy can solidify his place as the greatest passer in program history with a win Monday night.
The Wolverines shared the national championship with Nebraska in 1997, with Brian Griese as the starter. The last Michigan quarterback to lead the team to an unshared crown was Pete Elliott in 1948.
"He's prepared his entire life for this," quarterbacks coach Kirk Campbell said. "Tell everybody to get their popcorn ready because they're about to watch the show of the best player in the country."
