Michigan Football: Could J.J. McCarthy Win the Heisman?
By Cullen Corr
![]Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh, Donovan Edwards (7) J.J. McCarthy (9) celebrate after a touchdown against the Michigan State Spartans during first-half action at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023.](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape%2Fcover%2Fsport%2F5ecec67f7ea820ba661b92bb6d7c40c8e9fb08f4a7987792e1eeccec5c77d6de.jpg "]Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh, Donovan Edwards (7) J.J. McCarthy (9) celebrate after a touchdown against the Michigan State Spartans during first-half action at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023.")
What’s Holding J.J. Back?
One word — statistics. Michigan football is still a run-first offense. They want to be physical and let star players like Blake Corum, Donovan Edwards, or Kalel Mullings (who would have thought he would deserve to be in this category starting the season) lead the way. And rightfully so, this is the formula that has beaten OSU the past two seasons. Physicality has shown to be the Buckeyes’ Kryptonite. While J.J. has an expanded role, it would be foolish to get away from what is working.
Despite being the most efficient, and likely most talented QB in the country, J.J. McCarthy is getting just a fraction of the chances to showcase what he can do compared to other top Heisman candidates. It’s not his fault either, he barely plays in the second half because the games are so lopsided at that point.
And I know that people are going to fight me on this saying that Caleb Williams is in fact the most talented QB in the country, but I think anyone who wants an ownership stake in the team that drafts them needs to be ego-checked a bit.
Micheal Penix Jr. threw for 473 yards against Michigan State when they met in week 3. He also stayed in the game until late in the third quarter. J.J. simply doesn’t have the ego to demand he get more passing attempts or stay in blowout games to inflate his stats. He, like the entire Michigan team, just wants to win.