Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy: 'Like he was in a video game' this spring
Michigan will need a few players to take another step this year if the Wolverines are going to reach their ultimate goal of winning a national title. The good news — most of them have the upside to do that, especially the ones that matter most.
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Junior quarterback J.J. McCarthy is at the top of that list. He took it harder than he should have when he threw two pick-sixes in a semifinal loss to TCU, and it was clear how much he hurt him. He rebounded with some outstanding moments against the Horned Frogs before he and his team fell just short, but he’s used it as fuel for the 2023 season.
He couldn’t have been much better this spring, onlookers said, and offensive coordinator/line coach Sherrone Moore confirmed it in on the recent In the Trenches podcast with Jon Jansen. And yet there’s still room to improve, a scary thought.
“Just trusting himself, trusting his progressions, trust all that and just go through it like he did in the spring,” Moore said. “You really saw that carry over from the fall. Sometimes he was out there just making plays, and now he’s going through the progressions, going through the reads … he’s exactly on time with his feet and everything just looks so comfortable.
“He looks like he’s in a video game sometimes. I’m just excited to watch him do that and continue to do that into the fall.”
So are Michigan fans. Many, of course, want to see more balance between run and pass, even with the elite running game the Wolverines have boasted the past few years. Moore said earlier this spring some would still likely be disappointed this fall — at least at times. If they’re running teams over on the ground, they’re going to continue to go to that well.
But there are games, too, in which they’ll need McCarthy for his arm. Asked if he’d like to be “more explosive” in the passing game, Moore said there were some things he’d like to fix.
“There are [areas] we need to be able to exploit defenses more, and we need to be more consistent,” Moore said. “Whether that’s ball placement, catches, and those things that give you more confidence when you game-plan those things. I think in the spring we fixed a lot of those areas, which is really going to help us when we get to the fall.”
There were signs of it late last year, too, of course. McCarthy torched Ohio State, and there were a lot of positives in the Fiesta Bowl, too. His deep ball is becoming more and more consistent.
More than anything, though, is his confidence. The Michigan QB1 is humble, but he carries himself like a leader should, very sure of himself as the quarterback of one of the nation’s best teams.
“He was always a quiet, confident kid, but now you can see it exuded in the way he walks around,” Moore said. “The way he approaches the film room, the way he walks on the field. When he gets out of the huddle or he looks to the sideline for the play, the dude just looks dynamic just in the way he approaches everything. He always had the arm talent and strength and stuff like that, what he’s done now with his body … he’s starting to form his body more.
“Mentally, in the game, he knows the playbook like we do. I think when a quarterback does that … he’s always around. When he’s not in class, he’s here. So when a quarterback starts doing that, especially your starter, it really changes the game.”
In short, he’s taken ownership of the team with a lot of great leaders. He has the “trump card,” Moore said, on how he wants it to be done, and he has the respect of everyone in the room if he chooses to use it.
That’s where most great teams start, and why Michigan is a favorite to win the Big Ten for a third straight season.
