All of the latest buzz on star Michigan football quarterback

This week, we spoke with breakout wide receiver Tyler Morris, offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore, and head coach Jim Harbaugh. All three were asked about star Michigan football quarterback JJ McCarthy, who has been on the rise ever since the 2023 season began. Heading into Week 3 of the season, here is all of the latest on the Wolverines’ impressive starting QB.

Latest buzz on star Michigan football quarterback

Last fall, as a true sophomore (in his first year as the Wolverines’ starter), star Michigan football quarterback JJ McCarthy led the Maize and Blue to a 13-win season (best in program history), a second-straight Big Ten title, and a second-straight College Football Playoff berth. Since the conclusion of last season, McCarthy reportedly made massive strides as QB1, which he has proven on the field through two games thus far.

On the season, JJ McCarthy has completed over 87% of his passes for 558 yards, five touchdowns, no picks, and a nation-leading 95.3 QBR. Tomorrow, McCarthy looks to lead the Wolverines to a third-straight victory; leading up to the game, here is what is being said about the junior quarterback.

Latest on JJ McCarthy from Tyler Morris

Tyler Morris, a sophomore wide receiver for Michigan football who also played high school ball with JJ McCarthy, spoke with the media on Tuesday. There, he was asked about the biggest changes in JJ’s game since they played together in past years.

“I would say the biggest thing that I’ve noticed now is just about him running,” Tyler Morris explained. “He wasn’t doing a lot of that in high school. But now he’s just — like physically, he’s bigger, stronger, faster, and is a legit dual-threat.

“… It’s funny to me that everybody sees him as picture-perfect, but he’s just one of the guys,” Morris continued while talking about JJ. “He’s a normal 20-year-old. But he’s a real good dude. He’s a real good person, really down to earth. But to me, it’s funny. Everybody’s seeing him as more of a celebrity. It’s kind of me just seeing him as a friend.”

Jim Harbaugh gives his thoughts on the star Michigan football quarterback

On Monday, Jim Harbaugh had a lot to say about his second-year starting quarterback.

“I just loved the way how we’re starting these football games — long drives, so explosive in the passing game,” Jim Harbaugh said. “JJ (McCarthy) is phenomenal. So on fire, so on point. The throws that he is making from the pocket, doing severe damage when he leaves the pocket, keeps his eyes downfield, and getting big chunk plays and yardage.

“This year, the passing game is hitting on all cylinders, phenomenal, the quarterback — We’re two steps into the process, two games in with JJ, we’ll come back and reload for the third one, but the goal is for JJ to be the best quarterback in the country on the best football team.

“… Just great guys, and JJ (McCarthy) is — there’s none better, he’s great,” Harbaugh continued. “He’s a tremendous worker by example for the team. It’s infectious, and rubs off  — we’ve got probably 70 other guys just like JJ in that regard. But really makes it a pleasure to be their coach. It’s darn near a walk in the park to coach these guys.”

The Michigan football head coach also compared his starting QB to former Stanford and Indianapolis Colts star Andrew Luck, whom Harbaugh coached a number of years ago.

What did Sherrone Moore say about JJ McCarthy?

Finally, offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore — who will be interim head coach this weekend for the Bowling Green game — gave us the latest on JJ McCarthy following Jim Harbaugh’s Monday press conference.

“(JJ McCarthy) has worked tirelessly this offseason for his fundamentals to be perfect,” Sherrone Moore said of the Wolvernies’ QB1. “And he prides on being perfect in practice, he prides on being perfect, whether it’s a walk-through — he doesn’t want balls to touch the ground. So it’s a credit to him and the kid as who he is and who he’s always been as a worker, to make sure that he’s perfect, and it’s really what he’s done, what coach Campbell has done as a quarterback coach, and those guys have really trained him the right way. He just goes through his reads and his progressions. He knows exactly where he’s gonna go with the ball, pre-snap, post-snap, he goes there, and he does a great job.”

As Tyler Morris pointed out, JJ McCarthy has added a more versatile skill set to his game — he is now a true dual-threat quarterback. That said, JJ has taken a few shots instead of sliding to the ground, which is something Sherrone Moore wants to see change this week.

“Yeah, I just want (JJ) to get down and get out of bounds,” Moore explained. “Whenever he pulls the ball, or he takes off running, there’s always that (*gasp*) until he gets out of bounds or gets down. But he’s a hockey player at heart, so he’s a physical mentality. I call him a psychopath sometimes, and he loves it. I’m like, ‘Dude, you gotta get down.’ He’s like, ‘I want that contact coach.’ But we’d much rather him get down.”

Thank you for reading Blue by Ninety. For more Michigan Athletics and Big Ten content from Blue by Ninety, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. You can also subscribe to our YouTube Channel. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email our Publisher at [email protected]. Also, be sure to check out our shop and our podcast, which is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all other streaming platforms. It is because of your support that we have become one of the fastest-growing and most influential Michigan media outlets there is!