Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy bringing 'positivity and energy' despite being limited in practice
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan Wolverines football’s quarterback competition hasn’t exactly gone as planned, since sophomore J.J. McCarthy, who’s hoping to take the job from incumbent and redshirt sophomore Cade McNamara, isn’t able to be a full participant in spring practices. McCarthy is dealing with lingering shoulder soreness from the 2021 season, electing to not receive surgery and instead go through rehab. He can throw some but is on a pitch count.
Despite having to watch more drills than he’d like and not being able to play in Saturday’s Maize vs. Blue spring game, McCarthy has remained engaged, Michigan third-year sophomore wide receiver A.J. Henning said Thursday.
“His mood has been high — his positivity and energy he brings every day,” Henning said. “Although he’s not throwing the ball, he’s getting competitive reps doing what he can. It’s just been good, having him still engaged and just being around. His energy is huge. When he’s not playing, he’s looking to help another guy, he’s looking to critique a guy or help him get better in any way he can, so I feel like that’s been huge.
“Even though he’s not able to consistently throw on a daily basis, he’s been a leader in his own sense, in his own right.”
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That’s a common thread between he and Michigan fifth-year senior wide receiver Ronnie Bell, who tore his ACL in last season’s opening game. Bell continued to stay up to date with the team and acted as a coach of sorts while he’s rehabbing. That has continued this spring as Bell nears a return in fall camp.
“He’s definitely stepped into that role, and it started last year,” Henning said. “When that injury initially happened, he was working in, helping guys. I’ve seen it a lot this spring; he’s helped the freshmen a lot, as well as some of the upperclassmen, getting them moving along.
“He’s been a huge part of our room. Even though he’s not directly playing, he’s been a helping hand to help bring guys along and keep making guys better around him.”
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Bell led Michigan in receiving yards in both 2019 and 2020, while McCarthy threw for 516 yards and five touchdowns in 2021. Both figure to be significant pieces of the offense when they return full-go.
A.J. Henning Talks ‘Consistent’ Cade McNamara
McNamara, who completed 64.2 percent of his passes for 2,576 yards and 15 scores last season, has the leg up in the Michigan quarterback race heading into the summer, with Saturday’s spring game giving him one extra opportunity to put an exclamation point on what’s been a productive offseason to this point. McNamara was a leader last season but has shouldered more of the burden in that regard now in his fourth season in Ann Arbor.
“One thing about Cade is that he never changes his regiment or anything,” Henning explained. “His consistency is always high, so what you get from him day in and day out is going to be the same. He’s going to be the same guy. He’s going to push you to be your best every day.
“His level of leadership and his play has risen throughout this spring. I see the same guy stepping out and coming in the building, slinging the ball around every day.”
