Michigan Wolverines: JJ McCarthy ranked No. 3 quarterback in the Big Ten

Despite the outstanding performance of JJ McCarthy during the 2022 season, leading the Michigan Wolverines to a remarkable 13-1 record, securing a Big Ten title, and clinching a second consecutive College Football Playoff appearance, he appears to be ranked lower than expected by the College Football Network. Although many consider him a potential Heisman Trophy contender, he is not even among the top three quarterbacks in his conference according to the latest rankings.

JJ McCarthy ranked top 3 in the Big Ten by the College Football Network ahead of a crucial 2023 season for the Michigan Wolverines.

Last fall, JJ McCarthy made an impressive debut for the Michigan Wolverines in Week 2, earning the starting quarterback position over former starter Cade McNamara. Despite McNamara leading the Maize and Blue to a Big Ten title in 2021, McCarthy’s exceptional performance secured him the starting role. As he heads into the 2023 season, reports suggest that he is in excellent form and better than ever before.

In his first year as a starter, the sophomore quarterback came close to breaking Michigan’s single-season passing touchdowns record, finishing with 22 touchdowns, just shy of the 25-touchdown record held by Chad Henne from the 2005 season. McCarthy’s main priority is to help the Michigan Wolverines win a national title, a feat they haven’t accomplished since the 1997 season when Lloyd Carr and Charles Woodson led them to a perfect 12-0 season and finished as the No. 1 team in the AP poll.

In 2022, McCarthy led his team to the brink of a national title, but they lost to Texas Christian in the Fiesta Bowl (College Football Playoff semi-final) by a margin of six points. TCU went on to suffer a humiliating defeat against Georgia in the national title game, with a score of 65-7.

According to the latest rankings released by the College Football Network, JJ McCarthy is one of the top three quarterbacks in the Big Ten for the upcoming 2023 season. While some sources rank him as the best in the conference, CFN has placed him a bit lower, behind Tanner Mordecai from Wisconsin and Taulia Tagovailoa from Maryland.

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