J.J. McCarthy on Kirk Campbell: 'A wizard ... I'm extremely grateful'
Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh hired Kirk Campbell to coach his quarterabacks after Matt Weiss was relieved of his duties, and it was no surprise. There were plenty in the building who were adamant Campbell should get the job, including a few whose opinions really mattered.
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One big one — junior J.J. McCarthy. The Michigan quarterback made it clear Thursday he was all about the Campbell promotion, adding it’s been great for him and the room this spring.
“I absolutely love Kirk,” McCarthy said. “Not just the fact that he’s a wizard in the pass game and with developing QBs … just because he’s a great friend, a great brother. When you can have that relationship with a coach, it can push through so many limitations and exceed expectations with my growth … and his.
“That’s the thing … we feed off each other, and it’s really special. I’m extremely grateful to have him here.”
The early word has been how well Campbell relates to his players, and how astute he is in developing a passing game. McCarthy isn’t certain how much the run/pass split will change after the Wolverines were run heavy a year ago, but there’s been talk McCarthy will throw more this year.
Campbell is the guy to help. He was heavily involved last year, in fact, when he was an analyst.
“Last year, I was in charge of all first and second down pass game for the game planning, so I would present all of that to the coordinators as we would go into the game plan,” Campbell said on the In The Trenches podcast with host Jon Jansen. “But I was also in charge of a lot of things behind the scenes. I would script a lot of the practicing … I would be in charge of our operation on a daily basis, as far as making sure that we’re flowing in and out of the huddle and lining up fast … making sure, organizationally, we’re aligned.”
Michigan was ranked 16th nationally with 9 yards per pass on first and second downs, per Sports Info Solutions.
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Weiss was reportedly the man responsible for the red zone offense. How much of a say Campbell will have in that remains to be seen, but it makes sense they’ll lean on him a bit there, too.
Sherrone Moore will be the sole coordinator, so he’ll have final say on everything — as he should, having proven himself as one of the bright young coordinators in the country a year ago. Campbell, though, has a great mind, too, and the respect of everyone in the building.
“Coach Weiss hit me with more of a stoic approach of, ‘Okay, let’s break this down in meetings,’” McCarthy said. “Kirk was, ‘Let’s break it down on the field right now. Let’s get to the root of it right away.’ And he’s just has this live energy to him that we all gravitate toward.
“He’s very relatable to us, so it’s really awesome to just be open and vulnerable with him. It makes it easier for us to grow.”
The entire room, he said — not just him — proving once again the internal hire is often the right move. Campbell is just the latest example.
