Michigan football: Roman Wilson and J.J. McCarthy have been elite

Michigan football tandem J.J. McCarthy and Roman Wilson have looked elite, but the numbers have also backed up that assessment.

Going into the 2023 Michigan football season, one of the biggest question marks was about the passing game.

Yet, so far, it’s been one of the Wolverines’ strengths.

Michigan football quarterback J.J. McCarthy is completing 87 percent of his passes. He also has five touchdown passes and zero interceptions.

Wideout, as it turns out, isn’t devoid of talent as many pundits acted like it was this offseason. Cornelius Johnson was a proven commodity coming into the season and he’s only upped his production.

Wilson has taken a leap too. He has 10 receptions for 167 yards and five touchdowns. Johnson has 10 catches too, as well as 153 total yards.

You can argue I suppose about the lack of competition so far in 2023 as East Carolina and UNLV aren’t world-beaters. However, the numbers don’t lie neither does the film.

Wilson has already started to garner more attention as an NFL draft prospect, and according to Pro Football Focus, Wilson is also the highest-rated wide receiver in the Big Ten.

From Hawaii, Wilson has always been underrated. But he donned the No. 1 for Michigan football prior to the season and so far, he’s lived up to that.

Yet, he’s also looking like one of the top pass catchers in the entire Big Ten conference. Wilson isn’t Marvin Harrison Jr. But he’s been really good and so has Johnson, who hasn’t gotten as much publicity but has also been really effective.

McCarthy is the top-rated QB in college football

Michigan football is blessed to have a “generational” quarterback as Jim Harbaugh has said more than once and after two games, Pro Football Focus actually grades McCarthy as the No. 1 quarterback in all of college football.

If J.J. can sustain his performance through Big Ten play, he’s going to be a serious contender to not just get invited to New York (for the Heisman ceremony), but to win the 2023 Heisman Trophy.

We have all been wondering if Michigan football can win a national championship. This offseason, wrote that McCarthy was the key and so far, he’s delivered.