Michigan Football: What effect will J.J. McCarthy have on 2024 class?

I know we’ve beaten a dead horse with our constant talk about the class of 2023 recruiting for Michigan football and its highs and lows, but for all the talk about the class of 2023, it’s the next class that has the potential to be special.

Barring some extreme luck (or, if you don’t believe in luck, blessings from the Gods above) Michigan’s class will finish in the top-15, and top 10 if again, they get a lot of blessings somehow.

Basically, it’s almost a given that the class of 2023 will end up at least a little disappointing with all the expectations from the previous season and Michigan football’s perceived momentum, but that doesn’t mean the Wolverines have to make it two classes in a row.

There’s one simple reason why Michigan’s 2024 class could be the special one and it all has to do with a certain former five-star QB currently splitting duties with a veteran starting QB.

Enter the J.J. McCarthy effect…

Why McCarthy is key to a potential elite 2024 haul

What is the J.J. McCarthy effect you may ask? Well, thanks for asking, and let me explain.

Basically, the J.J. McCarthy effect is the likelihood that high-level recruits will want to play with and for McCarthy.

Let me explain it further. We’ll use the NBA as an example. You know how when certain superstars (think LeBron, Kawhi, or Kevin Durant) hit the open market, there is a mad frenzy from other role players that see that superstar and want to play with them?

Those same role players don’t seem to particularly care about the destination that the superstar ends up at, as long as that role player can be on that team.

If the role player is a veteran and sees an easier path to a championship, then they will sign with that team. Even if that role player has to take a pay cut on their contract to make it work.

See what I mean? I know football and basketball don’t exactly compare (there are just a few similarities though) but think of NBA free agency and college football recruiting as one and the same.

(This phenomenon does obviously happen somewhat in the NFL too, but not to the extent of the NBA).

If McCarthy earns (and this is a BIG IF) the starting job sometime in the 2022-23 season over Cade McNamara, then it’s pretty much a given that he won’t relinquish the starting gig from then on (unless he got hurt, which would obviously suck).

At that point, it’s J.J.’s team. And when he finishes out the season, Michigan football fans and the media will know who the starting QB spot will go to for the 2023-24 season.

Yeah, yeah, the meritocracy, blah blah blah. But although McCarthy will still be pushed for his starting spot every off-season, nobody will take the starting spot from him.

And those high-level recruits? They’ll see a guy with elite arm talent, probably a sub 4.5 40-yard dash, a leader that always puts his teammates ahead of him, and they’ll want to play with him.

Guys might be lining up left and right that will want to play with the five-star QB. Obviously, McCarthy will have to prove to us that he’s the five-star talent that we all thought he was, but if he does, and recruits will see Michigan football’s high-flying offense with a potential future Heisman contender, they will want to play with him.

Yes, NIL will still have a big impact on what Michigan will and won’t be able to do on the recruiting trail, but I think with the new president hire, and J.J.’s tantalizing talents, recruits (like free agents) will really want to play with and for J.J., because he has the making of a superstar.

And those role players? Those are the recruits that have talent but will need to wait a year or two for their talent to be fully unleashed. They will be willing to ride the bench, barely playing significant snaps for a year or two just to be on a potential championship contender.

That’s like with those NBA players and them willing to take a pay cut or fewer minutes just to play with a superstar and potentially win a championship.

All of that is the J.J. effect. Good players attract good talent. Guys want to play with superstars. It’s that simple. Look at all the talent that Alabama has. Look at Ohio State. Look at USC. What do all of those teams have in common? They all have Heisman-contending QBs.

Those are the teams that get five-star talent after five-star talent. Those are the winners. Yes, they give out massive NIL deals as well, but, you have to have the QB in place first.

Michigan should factor this into its recruiting efforts. The chance to play with J.J. McCarthy on a playoff contender needs to be one of the main selling points to recruits for the class of 2024.

Final Thoughts

Again, this all depends on IF J.J. McCarthy is in fact the real deal, and he takes the starting job next season. This also largely depends on if Michigan has a really good season again for 2022-23.

Michigan can’t afford a significant drop-off this year. A fine season would keep the momentum wave going into the offseason, and that’s when the McCarthy hype train can go into full effect.

Just imagine how many high-level prospects Michigan football could pick up in 2024 if J.J. is the real deal and they sell J.J.’s tantalizing talents to various recruits. McCarthy is a great recruiter himself. He single-handedly kept the 2021 class together and stopped it from falling apart. He could give his two cents as well.

All of this is probably a little bit of wishful thinking, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility of happening. I know the class of 2024 is a little ways out, but it’s never too early to start thinking about the future.

Coaches always have to do that in recruiting (offering guys 2-3 classes ahead of the current class), so I don’t think it’s too premature. For now, though, it’s just a thought.