Erin Reid / TN Top 100
JJ McCarthy Has A Cannon
Michigan fans can't wait until Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy pro-style quarterback JJ McCarthy gets to Ann Arbor, and after watching this video clip, you can add even more anticipation to his arrival.
You can hear and see the wind assisting the toss just a bit, but an 80-yard throw is impressive no matter how you slice it.
Playing quarterback isn't all about throwing the ball a mile, but we already know that McCarthy can do everything else. He's got a very live arm that can generate a lot of zip on the ball and a very quick, compact release, which allows him to be insanely accurate, but heaving it downfield like he does in this clip hasn't necessarily been a part of his scouting report. He's got a ton of natural arm talent, but he's never really been described as having a huge arm.
Maybe now that will change.
The big throw is noteworthy for a couple of reasons. One; McCarthy has always been slighter and less of a physical specimen than other quarterbacks in his class, but that's changing. He's listed at 6-3, 190 pounds by 247 Sports, but he looks much thicker as an IMG Ascender and it's clear that the arm strength has improved. He still has some lanky whips for arms, which obviously allow him to wing it all over the field, but they're starting to fill out and so is his core.
Two; throwing the ball that far downfield means that now there's literally nothing McCarthy can't do from the quarterback position. The SI All-American candidate is extremely driven, an outstanding leader, a plus athlete who is actually viewed as a dual-threat quarterback by some, very cerebral and a winner. Combine those traits with the arm talent discussed earlier, and the new and improved power, and you really have a complete and potentially special QB.
I've long thought that McCarthy might not be ready to compete for the starting job at Michigan as a true freshman because he was on the skinny side and did need to get stronger, but I think I'm singing a different tune now. A year ago, if you would've stood McCarthy next to Michigan starter Joe Milton and said that both guys can throw the ball 80 yards in the air, I would've said, "yeah right." But now, it appears that McCarthy could go toe to toe with Milton in a long ball contest, which puts him in elite company.
