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Michigan QB commit J.J. McCarthy now a 5-star, No. 2 QB in recruiting class

McCarthy is No. 13 overall player in 2021 class

Michigan quarterback commit J.J. McCarthy (Photo: J.J. McCarthy/@jjmccarthy09)

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Michigan quarterback commit J.J. McCarthy is now a five-star recruit and a top 20 player in the 2021 recruiting class.

McCarthy is the No. 1 player from the state of Illinois and the No. 2 quarterback in the class, according to 247 Sports.

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The Nazareth Academy standout from La Grange Park, Illinois, committed to Michigan on May 11.

He also had Big Ten scholarship offers from Ohio State, Michigan State, Penn State, Purdue, Northwestern, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Indiana and Illinois. LSU, Miami, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Washington State also offered McCarthy scholarships.

McCarthy is considered one of the most accurate passers in the 2021 recruiting class. He has very good arm strength and can make throws on the move.

He also got a scholarship offer from Yale, so Jim Harbaugh knows he's getting an intelligent player.

While he's not as mobile as current Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson, McCarthy has good size and a great arm, so he could be in the mix for playing time as soon as he arrives on campus.

Behind Patterson, Michigan currently has former four-star recruits Dylan McCaffrey (2017 class), Joe Milton (2018 class) and Cade McNamara (2019 class) on the roster.

J.D. Johnson, a four-star prospect and the No. 16 pro-style passer, is committed to Michigan's 2020 class.

McCarthy is ranked only behind Washington quarterback commit Sam Huard in his class. He is one of two players committed to Michigan's 2021 group, along with four-star offensive tackle Giovanni El-Hadi, from Sterling Heights.


About the Author
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Derick is the Lead Digital Editor for ClickOnDetroit and has been with Local 4 News since April 2013. Derick specializes in breaking news, crime and local sports.