Previously: Last year’s profiles. P Tommy Doman Jr. S Rod Moore. CB Ja’Den McBurrows. LB Jaydon Hood. LB Junior Colson. LB Tyler McLaurin. DE Kechaun Bennett. DE TJ Guy. DE/DT Dominick Giudice. DT George Rooks. DT Rayshaun Benny. NG Ikechukwu Iwunnah. C Greg Crippen. C/G Raheem Anderson. T Giovanni El-Hadi. T Tristan Bounds. TE Louis Hansen. WR Cristian Dixon. WR Xavier Worthy. WR Andrel Anthony Jr. RB Tavierre Dunlap. RB Donovan Edwards. QB JJ McCarthy.

La Grange Park, IL (via IMG) – 6’3”, 197
[courtesy Tim Racki]		247:                4.62*	4*, 97, #38 overall #6 QB, #9 IL
		Rivals:                4.73*	4*, 6.0, #45 overall #5 Pro-Style, #11 FL
		ESPN:                4.80*	4*, 88, #13 SE, #25 ovr #2 Dual-Threat, #7 FL
		Composite:                4.73*	5*, .9866, #25 overall #5 QB, #9 IL
		Other Suitors	Everyone.
		YMRMFSPA	Jim Harbaugh but nothing.
Previously On MGoBlog	Hello post by Brian.
Notes	Twitter. Early enrollee. All-American. Mr. Football. Elite 11. Hockey.
Film:
Senior Highlights: More Film: Pylon 7v7 All-Star Game. Workout. Another. Another. Duncanville. Every throw/run vs Ravenwood (Colson’s team). Elite 11.

The final recruit we need to talk about barely needs an introduction. He is the architect of his own class, a composite five-star quarterback, though he finished a super-high four-star to all the sites. He is the national recruit who bought in early, committing to Michigan the spring after the program’s dismantling at the hands of Ohio State’s crossing routes, and the *same day* John Beilein bolted for the NBA. Even the hockey didn’t look great back then, and McCarthy would have known, because he’s enough of a skater to have appeared on the Chris Heisenberg google sheet all the hockey nerds keep bookmarked.

But this is what McCarthy does. When Michigan’s at its lowest, he pops up to say “It’s fine. We’re great. We’re going to be greater.” This is the guy who organized that visit for all the 2021 and 2022 recruits for last year’s Wisconsin game, watched *THAT*, and then had several five-stars close to committing here in the aftermath. He singlehandedly turned Chicago into a pipeline as productive as Don Brown made Massachusetts. The most negative thing he’s said in the two years and change since his commitment was he wants the fans to be more supportive of the guys.

Positive rah-rah guys are uncommon, but of limited use. What sets McCarthy apart from others who set ludicrous expectations is McCarthy has an extraordinary track record of meeting them. He also plays quarterback.

[After THE JUMP: Michigan is a hockey school.]

Afflicted with Jim Harbaugh brain. The consensus around people who have interacted with McCarthy is that he might have the makeup for a great quarterback, because the great quarterbacks are unlike all the other people in the world. EJ Holland titled his interview “Meet Michigan QB Commit JJ McCarthy, the Hardest Working Recruit in America,” and began…

JJ McCarthy might be a little crazy.

This is after Holland followed McCarthy around for a day, posting his schedule on Twitter.

“His work ethic is unbelievable,” said private quarterback coach Greg Holcomb. “He’s arguably the top quarterback in the class, but he has the ability to consistently keep learning. He’s not one of those guys that feels like he’s reached his peak because of his ranking. He’s constantly asking questions. He’s very cerebral.

Every year there are Marinovich Project-types whose parents forced them into a pro training regimen as soon as they saw a hint of athleticism. McCarthy had that kind of education, but the difference with him is he was the one doing the begging for a private QB coach. His parents were supportive--his dad even coached--but were also sure this was all nuts right up until they went to an Iowa State camp and got offered. Ethan Sears wrote a feature on McCarthy for HTTV this year, and I titled the piece after this quote from the S&C coach referencing when J.J. was 11:

Where other kids skipped sessions for birthday parties or occasions, McCarthy showed up. “He had a lot of those days,” Donato said, “where he was the only one in there. … He’s like, ‘Just me tonight?’ It’s like, ‘Yeah man, just you tonight.”

Donovan Edwards said JJ is “a lot like Tom Brady” in his competitive mindset and attention to improving. Rivals Midwest analyst Josh Helmholdt compared McCarthy’s competitive nature to the gold standard.

"It's fitting he's from Chicago, because McCarthy has a Michael Jordan-like desire to win at everything he sets out to do.

…while arguing for a fifth star. Trent Dilfer—himself a legendary QB brain—said McCarthy was like himself but with his hair on fire.

McCarthy backed up his guarantees. His sophomore year he led Nazareth Academy to the Illinois state championship, going 15/24 for 201 yards in the title game with a broken thumb. As a junior and senior he made all-state at the highest level in two different states, transferring from Nazareth (totals: 6,268 yards and 73 TDs) to IMG last fall because Illinois delayed their season until spring, when McCarthy planned to be enrolled at Michigan. Within months, his new teammates elected him captain.

Harbaugh said what he loved about McCarthy was the thumb and the “it factor.” The other recruits in the class come off like the Children of Yost (if they ever liked a goalie): “He’s the man” and “not just the man, but a vocal leader” and “not only the leader, but he’s also the glue,” “not just the glue but super charismatic; his energy during our workout was unmatched,” and “not just his energy, his loyalty,” and “his loyalty to his commitment. JJ is a great guy that has a motor that I haven’t seen anyone else have but me, and I respect him for that.”

There was never a flinch in McCarthy’s commitment. When the team fell to 2-4 and water-carrying recruiting reporters were dispatched by their Franklin and Saban and Meyer overlords to ask pointed questions about whether McCarthy would still be solid to Ann Arbor if Harbaugh’s not there, the kid shot back, “Are they moving Michigan?” Our own agents unanimously confirmed McCarthy was the key to keeping his classmates from wandering.

He wasn’t always so true blue. Early on McCarthy was very interested in Ohio State, but OSU said they wouldn’t be accepting a QB commitment until the end of summer 2019, before taking Kyle McCord that April. Take that how you will; via this Ari Wasserman piece in the Athletic, McCarthy’s reaction was “I used to love them. Now I want to kill them.” EJ Holland said the prospect comes with “a chip on his shoulder and an enthusiasm unknown to mankind.”

Throws a football dang good. We could be here all day if I posted everything said about McCarthy’s passing ability in the last four years. The Hello Post has loads just from McCarthy’s 77% completion sophomore campaign. One highlight: He was the QB MVP of his first Rivals camp, competing against guys a year or two older than him.

247’s initial evaluation in August 2018 saw an incredible arm, a million dollar head, and a ten-pound chest. These would be themes. Rivals’ Adam Friedman said the “ball placement is uncanny” short or long, and reported the WRs were cutting in line to make sure they got matched with McCarthy. He debuted at 11th overall, 3rd at QB in their initial 2021 rankings. Then-247 recruiting director Bart Simmons said McCarthy “blew our guys away that saw him in person in terms of his consistency and accuracy.”

He would do this.

@overtime pic.twitter.com/f5i5bgWAGC

— J.J. McCarthy (@jjmccarthy09) August 1, 2019

And do it again, and tore up the 7v7 circuit (two more) (three) until an injury to Cristian Dixon sank them in the championship.

Shortly after his late transfer was announced, McCarthy showed up to the Elite 11 in August 2020 more physically developed (195 lbs.), and thanks to a Covid rule that forced the reporters to stay in the stands, they all had to write about football scouting (yay!) instead of getting the recruiting quotes they were sent for. The result was a lot of new takes, many of them contradictory. 247’s Jordan Palmer, a former UTEP and NFL QB, thought McCarthy’s “ability to spin it is pretty incredible”:

“He can create a ton of energy with the ball, even though he's going put on 20 pounds here in the next two years, just because it's going be time. So I was just really impressed with his ability to spin it.”

He won “best zip” from 247 for putting passes on target across the middle, impressed Rivals with his ability to throw on the move, made one of his signature “wow” throws, “caught everyone’s attention with his elite level arm talent,” and earned applause from Trent Dilfer.

“I like his twitch. He’s wiry. He’s twitchy. It’s like his hair is on fire. I like that. He’s got a ton of talent… His body is super twitchy. He’s doing those 360 jump passes that I’ve never seen anybody do before. He’s always bouncing off the walls. His feet are always moving. He’s got a lot of energy, which I like.”

In the aftermath Josh Helmholdt at Rivals pushed for a 5th star and a 10/10 in arm.

However, McCarthy finished 9th out of 11 in the official scoring, which was 75% based on junior film (ED: huh?), and 6th to both sites. 247’s Andrew Ivins thought “The ball doesn't exactly pop out of McCarthy's arms.” McCarthy himself was pretty hard on his performance.

But he was 2nd to one scorer. Holland met up with John Garcia, the former 247 analyst that Maven hired to perhaps get into the market (please replace ESPN!). Garcia had a UFR-esque scoring system where 3 is perfect, 2 works, 1 is bad, putting McCarthy, at 2.44, in first place over “alpha dog” Ty Thompson and OSU commit Kyle McCord on the first day. Holland and Garcia proceeded to have a two-part discussion (part II) on what they saw over the next few days, and didn’t see.

His arm strength has really improved. The ball jumps off of his hand. He can maintain a tight spiral. I just like that he can be effective off platform and on the move. … We didn’t get to see another of his strengths that he shows on tape, which is his decision making.

.. There’s room to improve on some of the throws with the timing. He was a little early on a couple of throws during the Pro Day beyond the throws that we really highlighted. Maybe he was eager. He could show more restraint to some degree. He is a good athlete, so maybe he can center and balance more on some of his throws. But really, there’s not a lot to nitpick with JJ. He’s in a really, really good spot at this point.

The whole thing is free, and worth your time.

Half of a senior season against the kind of competition IMG plays and 247’s Midlands analyst was ready to amend the official eval to this:

Possesses requisite height and frame with lean build that provides space to add mass in college. Already flashes plus vertical arm capacity and good velocity in the short-to-intermediate game. Capable of pushing the ball down the field even when forced to remain flat-footed with pressure in his face. Consistently makes on-target throws from the pocket, but also is dangerous breaking the pocket and throwing on the move. Pro-style QB with functional athleticism to hurt defenses as a scrambler, whether via off-schedule throws or tucking it. Fit the ball in some tight windows as a senior and owns requisite arm strength to drive the ball to the perimeter when required. Aware in the pocket and feels pressure.

They gave him a 9/10 in accuracy, 8/10 in Intangibles, Outside the Pocket, Pocket Presence, Delivery, and Arm Strength, a 7/10 in Mobility, and a 6/10 in Size. 247’s recruiting director Steve Wiltfong gawked at the career stats from two years at the top level of Illinois and a third leading IMG to a national championship against the toughest schedule:

McCarthy’s resume includes a 36-2 record as a starter completing 69 percent of his passes 7,905 yards and 94 touchdowns. He was only picked off 13 times, and zero as a senior.

Andrew Ivins got to take in McCarthy’s IMG games once he moved to Florida, and laughed off earlier concerns:

One of the questions about McCarthy coming into the season had to do with his arm strength, but he has shown thus far that he has the ability to push the field down the field while remaining an efficient passer. McCarthy has also started to fill out in the upper half, which is likely one of the reasons why he has gotten more comfortable exiting the pocket.

The IMG performances also impressed Wiltfong with McCarthy’s toughness. Rivals’ EdgyTim was impressed by McCarthy’s physical progression. On signing day Harbaugh described “a playmaker. He’s a very exciting player. A competitor,” and went back to the broken thumb and the hockey.

He was Edmond Dantès. Because nobody seems capable of waiting for MGoBlog to deliver the final YMRMFSPA verdict, quite a few people discussing McCarthy offered a comp.

Bart Simmons and Allen Trieu, and this entire Rivals article used Shea Patterson when McCarthy committed, since in those heady days before 2019 we were pretty sure that was good. It got ridiculous from there.

• "Kyle Allen." –247 analyst Gabe Brooks
• "Our analysts compare him to legendary NFL QB Drew Brees" –247’s Steve Lorenz, referring to analyst Allen Trieu
• "McCarthy is a smooth prospect at quarterback who makes many things look effortless. He reminds me of Brady White because they have similar builds and a good command of the field." –Rivals’ Mike Farrell
• "McCarthy reminds me of a guy that throws like (Drew) Brees but moves around like Baker (Mayfield).”—JJ’s QB coach
• “Like I’ve said before, he’s going to be like Tom Brady at Michigan.” –Donovan Edwards
• “He reminds me a lot of myself, actually.” –Trent Dilfer
• “Who wouldn't wanna be Ryan Tannehill?” –Jim Harbaugh
• “I immediately thought of Johnny Manziel ... I do think you could compare him to guys like Gardner Minshew or Mitchell Trubisky.” –Rivals EJ Holland
• “I think there is some Drew Lock there. Locke is a really good athlete. He’s a really energetic, young guy and a first round pick who is really coming into his own in the NFL.” –SI’s John Garcia
• “…a lot of freshman stuff mixed in with things that bring up old quarterback greats. The specific great he gets compared to most often is the one coaching him.” –My insiders at the end of spring practice

Kyle Allen is another one of those choices where the comp-maker is saying something and that’s “this kid has the arm and won’t stay down” but is also sorta thin-framed. It’s also a very “I scout the Midlands” pick. Kevin Sumlin (and the A&M fans) legendarily botched having Allen and Kyler Murray at the same time, and Allen lost his mojo, reemerging from obscurity to start in the NFL whenever Cam Newton was hurt.

This is what happens when there’s an entire industry for scouting quarterbacks that gets a guy made like McCarthy once in a generation.

Can he run or can’t he? The coda for ESPN’s season off from covering recruiting is they ranked McCarthy the pro-style passer throwing 40 times a game at a Chicago powerhouse and the national powerhouse as a dual-threat. It’s also some small evidence that McCarthy could be a 6 or 7 on my Navarre (1) to Denard (10) scale.

Farrell noted McCarthy is naturally a pocket guy but “almost more comfortable getting out, keeping his eyes downfield and then finding open receivers. He’s also really good with pressure coming right at his face and McCarthy can run when needed as well.” Trieu said about the same:

Is not a big big running threat, but shows very good pocket presence, ability to escape the rush and make throws on the move.

His Nazareth coach Tim Racki says this is athleticism not breakaway speed.

“His athleticism is off the charts,” Racki said. “He can make something out of nothing. He makes it crazy for people to plan for. You can have everyone covered, but his mobility allows him to break the pocket and make a play. It’s amazing. His decision making is key, too.”

He also put a move on Junior Colson that everyone around here should remember. The QB coach credits McCarthy’s hockey background for his slippery pocket-breaking ability:

"He wasn’t a very big kid playing hockey, and I think probably one of the things that has benefited him playing quarterback is being able to skate away from guys who are probably coming to just clean him up," Holcomb said. "He’s got very good instincts to move in the pocket and almost anticipate when things are breaking down. He also has good patience to stay in there and let things develop even when there’s a lot of chaos around him.”

He’s got the tools but he’s not a carpenter yet. We talked about the lean frame. This was still an issue in April 2020.

Played well on the 7-on-7 circuit. Arm talent is there, athleticism is there. Still needs to continue physical development, but capable of making throws to every part of the field.

Helmholdt noted physical growth and consistency as the things standing between McCarthy and earning a fifth star at IMG. The size/strength was getting better by the Elite 11, when the other thing emerged.

"Physically, McCarthy is filling out his frame, but the next thing we need to see from him before considering a fifth star is limiting mistakes."

Before all hell broke loose up in here I was working on a summer UFR of McCarthy and Bowman. It’ll never get done but I got deep into this 49-14, four-TD demolition of Miami-Northwestern, who was sending their whole secondary to the Power 5. I was starting to get nervous when the Bad Reads column climbed to three. McCarthy on that game:

"I missed a lot. Just some brain farts," McCarthy told InsideTheU's Gaby Urrutia after the game. "I was kind of messing up on some of the protections, so I have a lot to learn from, for sure. I can't wait to watch it and get better."

There were also 7 DO’s at that point. His rain game against Edgewater wasn’t great either. Nitpicking weather games is just that; the rest of the season he was boss, and Bart Simmons chose McCarthy for the QB of the class most likely to play immediately, and this before Joe Milton left.

Bud Elliott put McCarthy in perspective on The Cover 3 Podcast:

I just don't, I don't go in there, assuming that you know McCarthy is somebody who….to me he's not a transcendent. Everybody else get the hell out of the way, you know? Justin Fields. Well, I guess, Georgia didn't get everybody else hell away from Justin Fields and they screwed it up. You know, Trevor Lawrence type. I think he's one of these quarterbacks that we have put a really good rating on, (I) think he's really a quarterback, but he's not somebody who just to clear the deck for, I don't think. I think he's gonna have to go out there and learn.”

As of last week Jim Harbaugh said the consistency was coming along:

He flashes all the time; every practice. The plays that are big plays. They're excellent throws or using his athleticism. He's grown in the area of being a 'steady Eddie' type player.

He’s a five-star. He’s not an instant star.

Trolololololotomloy. As of last December Tom Loy thought McCarthy was “bigger, stronger, and noticeably more physically prepared.” Loy also looked back on how ND’s class came together.

Notre Dame knew it could have landed McCarthy if they wanted him, but they simply liked Buchner too much during his summer camp workout and he was the guy.

Could he play hockey too? JJ. said he was recently picking up the hockey stick again. However with Mel’s squad recently returning 3 of this year's top 5 draft picks and picking off its fourth and fifth five-star of the 2022 class from Notre Dame’s…

After some more digging on this we can confirm McGroarty will be committing to Michigan. The 5 ⭐️ decommitted from Notre Dame last week & is expected to make an announcement soon. McGroarty is our #4 ranked NA 2004 & will join an already loaded 2022-23 Michigan recruiting class. https://t.co/LHiaXRNdAe

— Puck Preps (@PuckPreps) August 26, 2021

...I gather Harbaugh's team has the easier path to playing time.

Etc. Most social media follows of his class. I trust none of them tweet at him.

Why Jim Harbaugh but nothing? Tall-ish scrawny kid with mobility, a 1st rounder’s arm and accuracy, legendary competitiveness and work ethic. Pocket style guy who likes to roll out of the pocket and make the insane throw. Going to a team known for a smash-mouth running game that sometimes asks its quarterback to run the option, and uses a lot of the same QB techniques Jerry Hanlon taught in the 1980s. A jackhammer who doesn’t take days off. Has no idea what to do with the front of his hair, and probably never will.

But nothing because we’re done with the bit. Next week we preview the season.

Guru Reliability: Exacting. Most scouted player in America this cycle.

Variance: None. All four services sidled up so closely to five stars that they tipped the composite over.

Ceiling: Michigan beats Ohio State.

General Excitement Level: ?

Projection: He attacks each day with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind, but McNamara starts at least until he does something that gets him pulled. Year two is the takeoff point, and coincides with a veteran OL and a good running game, and Michigan gets to start two seasons with a shot at quarterbacking of a quality to keep up in The Game. The rest is up to luck not being as wretched, which has nothing to do with McCarthy. We are reminded at the end that it’s not really about the coaches, but the players on the field, and always was.

I want all Michigan fans to do this. Take 3 deep breaths... And have faith. Faith that every single Coach, player, employee in that building is doing everything they possibly can to be great.

— J.J. McCarthy (@jjmccarthy09) November 15, 2020