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Tom Brady may have attended Michigan and went on to become the greatest quarterback we’ve ever seen, but he’s not the greatest to ever grace the field while a Wolverine.
According to coach Jim Harbaugh—another Michigan great in his own right—that distinction will soon fall at the feet of J.J. McCarthy.
“I feel like I stand corrected from what I’ve been saying the last several months, which is I think J.J. is a once-in-a-generation quarterback,” Harbaugh said, per Grant Grubbs of On3. “J.J. has shown to be on path to be the best quarterback in Michigan history.
“The statistics I’m sure speak to that, and the statistic that speaks to it the most is amount of successful drives. He’s had 213 drives. We’ve scored on 130 of those drives, and 96 have been touchdowns, 34 field goals, 61 percent. So, it’s really remarkable. There’s no stat that demonstrates the quality of quarterback play more than that statistic, in my mind.”
McCarthy has been nothing short of brilliant since taking over as Michigan’s full-time starting quarterback early last season. He’s thrown for 1,512 yards and 14 touchdowns against three interceptions. On a shortlist of candidates who will likely be making a trip to New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony, McCarthy is alongside Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. and Oklahoma’s Dillon Gabriel among the favorites.
Three Michigan players, Charles Woodson, Desmond Howard and Tom Harmon, have won the Heisman; no Wolverines quarterback has ever won the award.
Most would consider Rick Leach, who led Michigan to three straight Rose Bowls in the 1970s, the greatest quarterback in program history.
McCarthy would have to keep performing at a high level to reach Leach’s resume, but his NFL draft resume remains on the rise. Harbaugh is the only Michigan quarterback to ever be taken in the first round, and McCarthy may wind up being the second if he keeps the Wolverines on a playoff trajectory.
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