Two spring ball updates from Michigan’s JJ McCarthy

ANN ARBOR, MI — Michigan football has a rising junior sensation on its hands right now. After leading the Wolverines to a 13-1 record (10-0 Big Ten), Big Ten title, CFP appearance, and more just a season ago, Michigan’s JJ McCarthy is poised for even bigger and better in 2023. This week, we received two updates on the second-year starter in Ann Arbor.

Two spring updates on Michigan’s JJ McCarthy

On Thursday, two bits of information were released about Michigan’s JJ McCarthy — both of them coming from within the program itself. First off, Michigan’s new quarterbacks coach, Matt Campbell, has been impressive thus far in camp. Here is what Michigan’s JJ McCarthy and head coach Jim Harbaugh had to say about their new QB coach:

“I absolutely love Kirk,” McCarthy told MLive. “Not just the fact that he’s a wizard in the pass game and with developing QBs, just because he’s a great friend, a great brother. When you can have that relationship with a coach, you can push through so many limitations and exceed expectations with my growth and his. That’s the thing we feed off each other, and it’s really special, just extremely grateful to have him here.

“Coach Weiss hit me with more of a stoic approach of, ‘OK, let’s break this down in meetings and all that,’” McCarthy said. “Kurt was like, ‘Let’s break it down on the field right now. Let’s get to the root of it right away.’ He just has this live energy to him that we all gravitate toward. He’s very relatable to us, so it’s just really awesome to kind of just be open and vulnerable with him. It makes it easier for us to grow because that’s the biggest place where you need to grow.”

What does Jim Harbaugh say about Kirk Campbell?

Here is what Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh had to say about Kirk Cambpell in late-February:

“Super excited about Kirk,” Harbaugh said. “He’s a fantastic coach. He was with us all last year as an analyst and just gained the respect of everybody on the staff.

“He was somebody that was offered a full-time staff job at a couple other colleges and wanted to be here. It’s worked out really well for him. He thinks fast on his feet. Tremendous work ethic studying the game. Just really excited about what he can bring our football team.”

Michigan’s JJ McCarthy has put one some solid weight during the offseason

After a solid season in 2022, Michigan’s JJ McCarthy has put on some serious weight over Michigan’s offseason. Here is what McCarthy told reporters this week:

“I was playing at like 193 last year, now I’m around 207, 205,” McCarthy said. “Fluctuating in that range. Herb definitely did a good job and some outside influences for sure.

“It’s helping with my growth,” McCarthy said. “Bigger, stronger, faster. Every single year, just trying to improve those areas of my game. I don’t know how it’s gonna improve it, but I know it’s gonna be for the better.”

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