ANN ARBOR, Mich. – J.J. McCarthy, one of the best quarterbacks in the history of the Michigan football program, is heading to the NFL after three seasons.
McCarthy announced Sunday that he’s foregoing his final year of eligibility in Ann Arbor to head to the NFL. The timing feels perfect, as he just captained the best-ever season for the Wolverines.
McCarthy was exactly what Jim Harbaugh and Michigan needed when he arrived after the 2020 season. He played a role on the team that beat Ohio State for the first time in 10 years and broke an 18-year conference title drought in 2021.
Then, after winning the starting job in 2022, McCarthy went 27-1 across two seasons with two wins over Ohio State, Michigan State, and Penn State, two Big Ten titles, a perfect 20-0 record in Big Ten play, a Rose Bowl victory over Alabama, and a national championship.
He completed 67.6% of his passes for 6,226 yards, 49 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions in his career and rushed for 632 yards and 10 touchdowns.
During the national championship season, he completed 72.3% of his pass attempts for a career-high 2,991 yards and 22 touchdowns. He threw just four interceptions and rushed for an additional 202 yards and three scores.
McCarthy’s most legendary moments came on college football’s biggest stages, like scoring four touchdowns during his only trip to Ohio State and leading a 75-yard game-tying touchdown drive in the waning moments of the Rose Bowl.
But McCarthy will be remembered most as a winner. Whether he had to sit behind a less talented quarterback for a season, sacrifice his Heisman Trophy hopes to win at Penn State, or take a back seat to Blake Corum, McCarthy did whatever it took to win a title.
Harbaugh called him the greatest quarterback Michigan has ever had, and it’s hard to argue with the results. McCarthy arrived when the program was at a breaking point, and he leaves as a national champion.