The Five Most Interesting Things JJ McCarthy Said

Michigan starting quarterback JJ McCarthy is THE guy in Ann Arbor this fall and he's ready and raring to go. The one-time coveted youngster is now the standalone starter entering his junior year. Time flies when you're having fun, and McCarthy and his teammates have been having lots of fun over the past two seasons and show no signs of slowing down. On Monday, McCarthy met with the media after with several practices under his belt and had a lot of really encouraging things to say about the upcoming season.

1. "It's been the most fun in my entire life playing football right now. Everything is just clear. Everyone knows what's going on. It's just — things are effortless."

Man, that is a scary thought. As good as Michigan has been over the last two years, they're likely even better this year and McCarthy, along with every other Wolverine on the roster, likely knows it. A confident team is a dangerous team and Michigan is supremely confident, as well as supremely talented. The Wolverines are ready to make a run in 2023 and it's because of the comfortability that McCarthy speaks of.

2. "We've been more heavy-focused on the passing game these first five practices, so it's been great to be able to get those reps."

Michigan can run the ball on anyone with its polished, experienced and talented offensive line coupled with stud running backs Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards, but a large faction of the fanbase still wants to see JJ McCarthy uncork that thing more often. So this line might be music to their ears. However, the Wolverines are playing in full pads just yet, so it makes sense that the passing game would be the focus until full contact begins. Still, we might see a touch more of an air attack this year, but don't expect Jim Harbaugh and Sherrone Moore to fix something that isn't broken. The Wolverines passed the ball on just 39.21% of snaps in 2022, 120th nationally. That's obviously not a lot, but look at the results. Expect big years from Corum and Edwards, with just enough McCarthy, tight ends and receivers mixed in to be dominant.

3. "Tyler Morris — he's going to make a name for himself this year. That's like a special connection, going back to high school."

Darrius Clemons and Amorion Walker got all the fanfare last year as potential star freshmen receivers and for good reason. Both are north of 6-3 and physically looked like prototypical pass catchers. Tyler Morris, on the other hand, entered the season with a banged up knee at just 5-11, 185. But his preexisting bond with McCarthy and overall skill set at the position earned him more snaps and more receptions than Clemons and Walker combined. Now, Morris is healthy and thriving in year two and McCarthy has taken notice. Cornelius Johnson and Roman Wilson have spots 1 and 2 locked up, but with Ronnie Bell gone, someone needs to jump into that WR3 role. It sounds like it might be Morris.

4. "Probably the biggest thing this offseason was just being more of a vocal leader and really embracing holding people accountable and holding myself accountable."

McCarthy has always been a great lead-by-example guy. He's a very hard worker, he's extremely positive and he's always going to encourage his teammates. If he's now leading with his voice and maybe even getting in someone's ass occasionally, he's going to enter into the elite category when it comes to being a leader as a quarterback. Couple that with his arm talent and overall athleticism and Michigan has itself an elite signal caller heading into his junior year with a phenomenal team around him. Look out.

5. "Don't eat the cheese."

And with all that said about McCarthy, both physically and mentally, he still understands the concept of staying balanced and not leaning too far out over his skis. He's been taught from a young age to stay grounded, humble and hungry and he's flat out built for it. He's not going to let himself or his teammates get a big head even if they start out the year pounding everyone. That's what makes the end of the season so exciting even though we haven't even kicked the thing off yet.