Jim Harbaugh doubles down on bold JJ McCarthy comparison

On Monday, Michigan football head coach Jim Harbaugh had a lot of high praise for second-year starting quarterback JJ McCarthy following the Wolverines’ win over UNLV last weekend. In fact, he even compared the junior QB to ex-NFL star Andrew Luck, whom Harbaugh coached during his days at Stanford before taking the San Fransisco 49ers job. When given the chance in a later interview, the 9th-year Michigan head coach doubled down on this bold take.

Jim Harbaugh has bold comparison for Michigan football QB

Here is what Jim Harbaugh said about Michigan football quarterback JJ McCarthy during his Monday presser in Ann Arbor:

“I mean, I hate to compare, right? But very much like Andrew Luck,” Jim Harbaugh said. “Quarterback, once in a generation. I knew it first with Andrew Luck, just the way he took the field for his first practice as a true freshman. It’s just the way he walks on. You see it with other players, just the presence that they have when they walk onto the field, and then first time getting into the quarterback position, the presence that they have, you go, ‘Aha, there it is.’ JJ, the first day he walked onto the practice field here at Michigan, that’s what came to mind. Oh, this is very Andrew Luck-like. The presence and the demeanor, the everything. So, yeah. Well documented, I think JJ McCarthy’s a once-in-a-generation quarterback here at Michigan or anywhere.”

Harbaugh doubles down on JJ McCarthy-Andrew Luck take

In a later interview with WXYZ, Jim Harbaugh did not back down one bit with his Andrew Luck comparison; in fact, he doubled down.

“I mean, it’s pretty obvious that that’s the league he’s in, that once-in-a-generation type quarterback,” Harbaugh said to WXYZ-TV. “The goal really is to be the best quarterback in the country, playing for the best team in the country. Deep ball, intermediate ball, off of different platforms, hitting the check down. Once to (Donovan Edwards) for 15, another one to Blake (Corum) for about 20 … Spreading the ball to all different parts of the field and to different receivers. He’s just been deadly, leaving the pocket, keeping his eyes downfield, finding the open receiver. Those are going for chunk plays. Third-down conversions and touchdowns.”

This weekend, JJ McCarthy will take the field with Michigan football for the third time this year — this time, against the Bowling Green State University Falcons. So far, in 2023, McCarthy has completed 48 of his 55 passes for 558 yards, five touchdowns, and no picks — he also leads the country in QBR (95.3) and is notably a Big Ten title-winning QB from his first year as a starter (2022).

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