Michigan Bond: Blake Corum Believes J.J. McCarthy Can Win Another QB Battle

A Michigan brotherhood will never change, and Corum knows what McCarthy has already been through.

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The Michigan brotherhood will live on forever, especially the one between quarterback J.J. McCarthy and Blake Corum. The two former Michigan stars played together from 2021-23, making it to three straight College Football Playoff appearances, along with winning the whole thing in 2023.

Both players are entering Year 3 in the NFL, and both players are in totally different situations. Corum, in Los Angeles, is already viewed as one of the top backup running backs in the league, carving out a role spelling Kyren Williams.

McCarthy, however, is under a lot of scrutiny entering Year 3 with the Minnesota Vikings. A meniscus injury ended his entire rookie season. Then last year, McCarthy won the starting job after the Vikings traded up to No. 10 in the 2024 NFL Draft to select the former Wolverine star.

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But 2025 was a mixed bag for McCarthy, along with another injury. Now, heading into 2026, McCarthy is battling former No. 1 pick Kyler Murray to win the Minnesota starting job. The Vikings signed Murray, and most analysts believe Murray will win the job.

But Corum believes McCarthy is still writing his story. Appearing on Good Morning Football, Corum backed his former Michigan quarterback.

"The ceiling is so high for J.J.," Corum said. "You've got to think, his rookie year, he went down with the injury. Last year, he had a bunch of injuries, as well, so he hasn't been on the field much. He hasn't really had a lot of playing time that quarterbacks need. It's a lot different going from college to the NFL. J.J. is a field general. I think he's going to take the challenge that they've given him, obviously bringing in Kyler Murray, there's gonna be a competition. That's going to light a fire under him. But he's just an overall good human being. He's a competitor.

"I know he's not someone who's going to let naysayers or outsiders determine the type of player he's going to be. He still has the pencil in his own hand. He's still writing his story. I think this is going to be a great year for J.J., and I'm super excited to see him prove everyone wrong."

McCarthy knows all about winning QB battles

The Chicago native came to Michigan as a five-star quarterback, with expectations sky-high in Ann Arbor. After a disastrous 2020 season, fans were hopeful McCarthy would win the job in 2021 and show why he was heavily recruited.

But it was Cade McNamara who started. And the Wolverines would win the Big Ten and beat Ohio State with McNamara under center, and McCarthy spelling him.

Following the 2021 season, McNamara was a representative for Michigan during Big Ten Media Days, which led some to believe he was in line to start the 2022 season. He did. For one game. It was McCarthy who started in Week 2 for the Wolverines, and the rest is history. He would go down as one of Michigan's best quarterbacks to play in Ann Arbor.

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McCarthy was never asked to do too much during his time at Michigan, but he usually made the play when asked. McCarthy's dual-threat ability wasn't fully utilized but it was effective when it was. He made all the throws, even the deep ball in Columbus, which is what led Minnesota to trade up to pick him.

The 2026 season is a mystery for McCarthy, but as Corum noted, McCarthy is writing his story.