Michigan football legend has high praise for JJ McCarthy

Over the weekend, quarterback JJ McCarthy — a junior — had an incredible game in the Wolverines’ Week 1 opener against East Carolina. The star quarterback broke program records en route to a 30-3 victory over the Pirates, which caught the eye of Michigan football legend Jake Butt, who recently gave McCarthy some high praise heading into Week 2 of the 2023 season.

Michigan football legend loved what he saw from JJ McCarthy against East Carolina

With Jim Harbaugh suspended and a number of injuries last weekend, Michigan football was right to expect a more modest outcome from its Week 1 matchup. While the Wolverines’ 30-3 victory was not the offensive explosion that some fans were anticipating, it became clear that the Wolverine passing attack is as dangerous as ever right now.

All said and done, JJ McCarthy completed 26 of his 30 passes for 280 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions — he also set a program record for completion percentage in a game (min. 30 pass attempts). This incredible Week 1 performance against the ECU Pirates prompted Michigan football legend Jake Butt, who was a member of Jim Harbaugh’s first two Michigan teams, to give the junior QB some high praise after the game on Big Ten Radio.

What Jake Butt had to say about the Wolverines’ junior quarterback

“With Jim Harbaugh being out, I thought they (Michigan football) were going to lean heavily on the run game,” Michigan football legend Jake Butt explained. “That has been the history of Michigan. It’s easy, I think; the O-line is deep and experienced, the best running back room in college football. I thought they were going to lean heavily on the run game. Here’s why I’d be encouraged if I was a Michigan fan. It wasn’t a dominating, rushing performance by your offensive line, or your running backs. That’s no problem.

“You can tap into that at any point in the season, but to see (JJ McCarthy) go do what he did to me, he confirmed the speculation of the offseason of clear strides, a clear step in the right direction, a clear improvement. He looks really, really good, and that dictates their ceiling, how good JJ can be.”

This weekend, Michigan football has offensive play-caller Sherrone Moore back on the sidelines — with the Wolverines’ offense still working out a few flaws and the running game still as dangerous as ever, there is a chance that the junior quarterback could air it out a good bit once again. As the 2023 season progresses, keep an eye on JJ McCarthy, as he could have an incredible year with the Maize and Blue this fall.

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