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Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh hasn’t been shy in his praise of quarterback J.J. McCarthy, a second-year starter who has the Wolverines one win away from the program’s first unshared national championship in 75 years.
McCarthy is “the greatest quarterback” in program history, Harbaugh said after the Wolverines’ overtime win against Alabama in the Rose Bowl.
“I get a little uncomfortable with every compliment I get,” McCarthy said. “That’s just the personality I have. I’m just tremendously grateful for him to be my head coach. Obviously, all the great words he says about me means a lot and it’s a blessing to play for him.”
Harbaugh did specify “college football history,” drawing a clear line between McCarthy’s performance since taking over the starting role and the post-college career of former Michigan quarterback Tom Brady, who went on to experience some success in the NFL.
McCarthy has “a long way to go to get to get where Tom Brady eventually got to, which is the GOAT,” Harbaugh said.
“But in a college career there’s been nobody at Michigan better. He is that guy.”
McCarthy and Brady are linked by a shared achievement: Both led Michigan to overtime bowl wins against the Crimson Tide. Playing in his final college game, Brady threw for 369 yards and four touchdowns as the Wolverines beat Alabama 35-34 in the 2000 Orange Bowl.
“Yeah, it’s a tremendous honor,” McCarthy said. “Everything about Tom, like every aspect of his life, every aspect of his game, you want to aspire to be like it. Just hearing that just gives you that reassurance that you’re on the right path and doing the right things.”
But while Brady is established as the greatest to play the position in the…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/j-j-mccarthy-uncomfortable-jim-144453706.html
Author : USA TODAY Sports
Publish date : 2024-01-08 14:44:53
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