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J.J. McCarthy on Michigan quarterback competition: That's not for me to decide

On3 imageby: Andrew Graham09/07/22AndrewEdGraham
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Aaron J. Thornton | Getty Images

It’s J.J. McCarthy’s turn at the helm of Michigan’s offense as the Wolverines give him his starting opportunity in the ongoing quarterback competition with Cade McNamara. After McNamara, the returning starter, started and played most of the opener against Colorado State — McCarthy did appear and scored an “electric” rushing touchdown — McCarthy will make his first career start against Hawai’i this weekend.

Speaking with the media on Tuesday ahead of this milestone, McCarthy was of course asked about the impending decision on a long-term starter that head coach Jim Harbaugh said he’d make prior to Week 3 against UConn. In short, McCarthy isn’t focusing on the decision that will be made and is instead locked in on what he can do to be the best option. He had a bigger explanation in a video shared by Angelique Chengelis of The Detroit News.

“Um, I mean, that decision is something that’s out of my control,” McCarthy said. “And I never really took into the thought process of ‘Oh, I should be the guy. This is my job. I want it.’ That’s not for me to decide. It’s for me to decide what I’m doing every single day. And how I’m improving every single is my obligation. It has nothing to do with making that decision that ‘I’m the man’ or anything like that.”

The competition in fall camp between the two quarterbacks was open, despite McNamara being the returning starter who last season led Michigan to a Big Ten title — the first since 2004 — and a first-ever playoff berth. And while the senior brings back a wealth of experience, he was tasked with raising his level of play to stave off the more dynamic McCarthy.

And with McNamara looking a lot like the 2021 version of himself, and not even the best one, it’s not hard to imagine McCarthy dazzling against albeit another bad opponent and usurping McNamara for good as the starting as the starting quarterback for Michigan.

While it might not be officially up to McCarthy to make the decision, it’s all right there for him to ball out and make the decision quite easy for the person ultimately making the call: Harbaugh.