Michigan Football Quarterback Earns Comparison To Alabama QB

In about a month, Michigan football quarterback JJ McCarthy and Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe will face off in the College Football Playoff semi-final Rose Bowl Game. The two electric and versatile quarterbacks have their teams among the nation’s top four right now after winning their respective conferences on Saturday, leading Head Coach Jim Harbaugh to point out the similarities between the two elite QBs ahead of next month’s high-stakes matchup.

Michigan football quarterback JJ McCarthy leads U-M to third straight Big Ten title

On Saturday, JJ McCarthy and Michigan football went back-to-back… to back as Big Ten Champions. The Wolverines are now headed to their third straight College Football Playoff, ranked as the No. 1 team in the country, and slated to face No. 4 Alabama in the Rose Bowl — Michigan’s first Rose Bowl since 1997, Lloyd Carr’s national title team.

Jim Harbaugh has been around a lot of elite football — from the college ranks all the way up to Super Bowl-caliber teams in the NFL. On Sunday, Harbaugh pointed out how similar JJ McCarthy is to Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe, who has truly come into his own throughout the course of the 2023 season.

Jim Harbaugh praises Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe, compares him to McCarthy

This is not the same Alabama team, or Jalen Milroe, that lost to Texas in Week 2. This Bama team looks like a classic Nick Saban squad — one good enough to beat No. 1 Georgia, just as they did last weekend in the SEC title game. Below is more from Jim Harbaugh himself.

“Yeah, (Jalen Milroe) is playing at an elite level, and you can see the improvement throughout the season,” Jim Harbaugh said of the Crimson Tide’s quarterback on Sunday. “Just really seems like he hit an inflection point there right before the halfway mark. Got also a special set of athletic skills. But as far as timing, decision-making, and accuracy, he’s playing really well within (Alabama’s) system. They’ve designed some great stuff for him. We have a similar quarterback (JJ McCarthy), so we just have noticed the level he’s playing at. He’s elite.

“The precision in the passing game (for the Alabama Crimson Tide offense) has been noticeable,” Harbaugh added. “The improvement to where it’s at now is at an elite level.”

JJ McCarthy and Michigan football have a shot at the national title game

Jim Harbaugh and JJ McCarthy have the Wolverines ranked No. 1 with a 13-0 record (10-0 Big Ten) heading into the College Football Playoff, though the Wolverines are unfortunately slated to face the next best team in the CFP: Alabama.

Beating Nick Saban after he has had a month to prepare for you is no small task; in fact, there is perhaps nothing harder to accomplish in all of college football than doing exactly that. Still, Michigan football is the early favorite to get the better of the Crimson Tide in the Rose Bowl, which would punch their ticket to the national title game to face either Washington or Texas.

The good news for the No. 1 Wolverines? If Michigan can beat Alabama, there is a good chance that they will be national champions — I don’t see either the Huskies or Longhorns being on Bama’s level at this point in the season. Regardless, on New Year’s Day, all will be worked out.

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