Michigan freshman Jadyn Davis discusses spring game, QB competition, what he's learned from J.J. McCarthy
Michigan Wolverines football freshman early enrollee quarterback Jadyn Davis has had quite the last several months. He and eight other classmates joined the team for College Football Playoff practices while the Wolverines won the Rose Bowl and national championship game, which gave them a valuable experience. Now, Davis is competing for playing time on an offense looking to replace signal-caller J.J. McCarthy and nine other starters.
Davis came off the bench behind junior Alex Orji for the Blue team in the Wolverines’ spring game Saturday. He completed 2 of his 4 passes for 20 yards, with 1 of the incompletions coming on a fourth down in which he kept the play alive gave senior wideout Peyton O’Leary a chance at making a grab down the field.
“It was everything I could’ve imagined,” Davis told Brad Galli of WXYZ. “These fans, the weather, playing in The Big House for the first time … obviously I had been here a lot of times as a recruit, but playing in this game with so many amazing players, my teammates, my coaches, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I’m a young guy, but I can’t wait to keep doing this year in and year out.”
The 6-foot-1, 203-pounder out of Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day said he took quite a bit from learning from McCarthy and the 2023 Michigan team during an “unbelievable” weeks-long ride.
“As soon as I stepped in here, you prepare for practice like it’s the national championship, so when the national championship comes, it’s just another day,” Davis said. “Obviously, we had guys like 9 [McCarthy] and [running back] Blake Corum, guys like that. But everything from the poise and the maturity showed.
“They pulled me along. Like, 9 was preparing for the biggest games of his life, and every chance he got to coach me, he made sure I knew what I was doing, made sure that I never got too high, never got too low and just stayed even mellow.
“Some of his techniques I even use in my game now, too. It’s just great to be in the room with a guy that learns like that, a guy that’s gonna be I think the No. 1 pick in the draft — he should be. That’s my guy.
“I’m so appreciative of [former Michigan head] Coach [Jim] Harbaugh and all the guys on the team before us on team 144 so team 145 can do the same thing.”
He said he learned “everything you could imagine” from McCarthy, with whom he had a personal relationship during his recruiting process.
“How to play the mental game before you even get on the physical platform,” Davis said. “And then just all the little off-platform stuff he does, how smart he is. I don’t think he gets enough credit for how cerebral of a passer he is.”
McCarthy had a role as a freshman on Michigan’s 2021 Big Ten championship-winning squad, but he was the backup to starter Cade McNamara. He seized his opportunity as a sophomore, winning the job and going 27-1 as the starter his final two seasons before leaving early for the draft.
Davis is a competitor, and there’s a starting job up for grabs, but he’s more worried about the process of improving at the current juncture.
“I have full confidence in my capabilities, but I know that I’m in a room full of great quarterbacks, as well,” Davis said. “At the end of the day, I’m just gonna put my head down and go to work. I’m gonna be the best teammate I can be for those guys.
“Our quarterback competition has been so healthy. It’s never a situation where we’re hoping a guy fails. If a guy makes a throw, we’re all cheering for him. If a guy misses a throw, we’re coaching him up. It’s never a situation where I’m hoping a guy gets hurt or a guy doesn’t make a play so I can get my opportunity.
“Obviously, as a competitor, you want the job. But I’m just going to come here every day, earn the respect of my teammates and ultimately win on Saturdays.”
