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Jim Harbaugh: J.J. McCarthy has 'secret sauce in a quarterback,' compares key trait to NFL stars

Anthony Broomeby:Anthony Broome•06/01/23•

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Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy
(Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

The key to Michigan football’s 2023 season likely lies on the shoulders of junior quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who has been tabbed an early Heisman candidate and potential first round pick as early as the 2024 NFL Draft.

McCarthy has been going through a full offseason of QB1 reps for the first time in his career, and it has paid dividends. Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh has seen him take the reigns of the offense and go from there while also making strides from a physical standpoint.

McCarthy has added 10 pounds to his frame, and looks less and less like a kid every day. He has matured into his body and role for the Michigan offense.

“I mean, when you look at his face, there’s just less baby fat and he’s just… I think he’s got his man year. that some often do around 18, 19 years old,” Harbaugh told the media at Wayne State University on Thursday.

“He’s a very young guy. But his face is just more mature. Iit’s like the baby fat’s gone and, and it’s been natural. It hasn’t been [only] because he was bulking up in the gym or anything like that. But he had a great spring.

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“He had a tremendous spring. I think that everything that he does… he truly epitomizes ‘better today than yesterday. Better tomorrow than today’ as anybody I’ve ever been around.”

McCarthy started the final 13 games of the season for Michigan, throwing for 2,719 yards with 22 touchdowns and 5 interceptions and 70 rushes for 306 yards and 5 scores. The numbers could inherently improve with the staff’s desire to be more balanced, but it is the “it” factor that McCarthy possesses that stands out most to his head coach.

“Quarterbacks, there’s always something to be working on,” Harbaugh said. “The one he’s got is the willingness to do anything for anybody on the team. I look at the great quarterbacks like Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes. I’m not with them every day, but you can just tell by looking at how they play the game and what they say — especially about their teammates.

“There’s a willingness there to do [anything]. And that’s the secret sauce in a quarterback. You could have all the different attributes which Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen do, and so does J.J. But they also have that willingness to do anything for their teammates. Because of that, their teammates and their coaches, like me, would follow him anywhere. And I would recommend that anyone on the team follow J.J. anywhere that he’s leading.”

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