What J.J. McCarthy said in his first Michigan football press conference

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — It’s been a long time coming, but for the first time since he’s officially become a Wolverine, quarterback J.J. McCarthy spoke with the media at a press conference on Tuesday.

We’ve been speaking to McCarthy for a long time now, since, as a five-star recruit, a quarterback, and the ringleader of the 2021 class, he’s done his share of interviews with us and other outlets. On Tuesday, during the bye week, he finally met with the Michigan football beat during the usual post-practice, player press conference. He shared what it’s been like getting into games, his player-led practices after games, what it’s like playing under Jim Harbaugh and much more.

Here’s everything he had to say.

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Getting into games, what's that like?

“It’s been really cool. It’s been really — I’m really appreciative of the coaches giving me meaningful experiences in there in big-time moments. It was really awesome to get that under my belt so early.”

How different is college than high school?

“I’d say that it’s similar in a lot of ways except that I’m playing against 23-year olds and 24-year olds! Grown men out here. The defense and offensive schemes are definitely a lot more complex, but it’s been all things that are adaptable. Really having fun with it, honestly. It’s the same game I’ve been having fun with since first grade. It’s been awesome so far!”

Does he sense the buzz the fans have about him?

“Kinda. I don’t want to say that I have, but I saw these one kids paint their chests before the game. That was really cool, just to know we have the best fans in the country, honestly. These fans are awesome. They’ve been awesome since day one, win or lose. It’s just been really cool to be around them, for sure.”

What did they have on their chests?

“They had like a ‘I heart J.J.’ Yeah. Yeah, I made sure to hit them up after. Appreciate them, love them, too.”

What did he take out of the last couple weeks?

“What I’ve taken out of the last couple weeks is definitely the team coming together and this team atmosphere that’s going on in this building right now is really special. I haven’t been here in the past years, but I assume that it’s definitely different this year. It’s one of those chemistries and camaraderies that build championship teams. It’s been really special these past couple weeks.”

On the post-game practices

“I’d have to say it was me and Dono (Edwards), for sure. And then Andrel was there, he hopped in this past week. And Cristian Dixon hopped in. Hopefully we can get some more guys out there. It was definitely interesting at 4:30 in the morning out there! It was a cool experience, but it was awesome seeing the guys want to get the same work. Just chasing greatness, that’s what we’re doing. It doesn’t matter what age we are, we’ve been chasing that since we were young’uns.”

How long did they practice?

“We went for like 30, 45 minutes, yeah.”

Did they go get breakfast after?

“We went to sleep! We were tired, yeah! We went to sleep!”

What it's like to have a former pro and college coach as his head coach

“It’s unbelievable! You take all the football accolades out of his career and his life, just the man he is is just awesome. It’s really special. He cares about this game, he cares about his players more than any coach I’ve ever seen so far. I just really, really appreciate him like crazy for the human being he is.

“The football knowledge, don’t even get me started on that. That guy knows more than — I don’t even know. He knows a lot about the game, for sure!”

What was his first interaction with Jim Harbaugh like as a recruit?

“So he was — which was really special to me — he was the one to offer me the scholarship. He was already trying to make personal connections with each other. He’s a J.J. as well. He was just talking about the similar playing styles from when he was playing and me when I’m playing. It was really cool making the personal connection right away, for sure.”

On having to be patient for playing time

“100%. In chapel, I forget what chapel it was, but Pastor Robby was talking about this one story of a kid at a concert and before he left to go to the concert, he brought his guitar pick with him. And he’s going to the concert along with 10,000 other people, 15,000 other people, and he’s got that guitar pick in his pocket the whole time. And, what do you know — I forgot which band it was — they asked, ‘Who knows this song? Come up and play this song!’ And he was picked out of the crowd and had his guitar pick. That analogy really stuck because we’re doing everything we possibly can to get in the game. We’re not expecting to get in the game, we’re just ready no matter what. We got our guitar pick in our pocket and we’ll be ready to go when we’re called.”

How would he describe his relationship with Cade McNamara?

“My relationship with Cade has been really awesome. It’s been very unique, something I’ve never experienced before because I’ve been kind of the guy my whole career. It’s a little similar to my freshman year. But someone like Cade is someone that I look up to, up to as preparation, as a leader. I’ve just been doing a lot of observing of how he is around the team and around the coaches. It’s been really good, really good for me.”

How does Jim Harbaugh work to not overcoach him? (Referencing the first TD throw to Daylen Baldwin)

“Yeah, he’s been awesome with that. When you have a coach that just lets you play and lets you do what you do, it opens up so many doors for you and allows you to be creative out there. You see a guy like Patrick Mahomes, a lot of guys can’t coach what he does. What he brings to the team is something special, and one day I hope I can get to his point, but it’s really awesome to know that a coach is gonna let me play and not confine me into a system and kinda limit my capabilities.”

So they never say 'don't make throws like that again?'

“I mean, I’ve made some mistakes coming in here! I’ve definitely had my learning experiences and what I can get away with. They’ve kind of fine-tuned it down and that’s something I’ve really needed, so on situations where I need to play, he’s not putting that thought into my head, like oh, I can’t do this. Yeah, he’s been approaching it like awesome, awesome.”

Did he expect to have his redshirt burnt in year one?

“Um, I mean, I never even really thought about the redshirts, at all. I just came in here wanting to play, wanting to learn, wanting to get better. And whatever was gonna come of that was gonna come of that, for sure.”

What kind of conflicts has he presented defenses in recent weeks?

“Honestly, I feel like I can run the ball very well, I feel like I can throw the ball very well. But the thing that I bring the most is I want to win as bad as anyone out there — or more. My competitiveness as a competitor is huge. I believe that’s my No. 1 attribute to my game. No matter what it is, I just want to make the right reads for the team and win, that’s it. Win the play, win the down, win the game overall.”

How much did his year at IMG Academy prepare him for college?

“Oh, huge! Huge. I mean, football aside, unbelievable. The terminology stepped up incredibly for that senior year going into college, it was huge. Living, too. My living situation was different. It was the first time I was away from my family. Being from Illinois and going to Florida and spending six-to-seven months there is a lot different from going from Illinois to Ann Arbor. So, having that distance, having to manage a long-distance relationship with my girlfriend and my parents, it was really something I really needed, for sure.”

What has he learned from watching Cade play on the field in games

“A lot! This guy does a great job of managing our offense, getting the ball out quick, making the right decision. But the (lack of) sacks thing, that offensive line! That O-line is just unbelievable! They work their butts off. Coach Moore is a great coach, great, great offensive coach. Just the way that Cade prepares himself is what sets him apart in exactly that. He knows where to go when he’s hot, he knows his reads like the back of his hand. That’s definitely contributed to the no sacks.”

How much has he recruited guys in future classes?

“Recruiting right now has kinda been — in general, I’m always offering to help any way I can in recruiting. I know how big of a part that is to a successful football team. You need the right guys in the program to win the games that we need to win. Honestly, whenever they need me, I’m gonna do whatever they ask and talk to whoever I need to talk to. And tell them straight up that they need to come here. It’s not too hard to recruit Michigan, it’s not too hard at all! This is the place to be, for sure!”

On his connection with Daylen Baldwin on the field

“He knows how to get open, that’s for sure! I have full trust in all of my receivers, but with 85 out there, I have a lot of trust in that guy to go up and get it, for sure!”

On his bond with the freshman class

“Yeah, it’s so exciting. I love this class. Guys like Donovan to guys like Christian Boivin, the walk-ons, all of them. We just have such a strong corps that is really special and is so tight-knit. We all are here for the right reasons and it’s going to be a lot of fun with these next coming years to see how we grow as a group. The mindset’s there, the physicality’s there, the chemistry’s there. I really love it, I really love it.”

The TV announcers sometimes don't know he's in. Is that a stealth move putting him in?

“Honestly, you’d have to ask Coach Gatt that question! I just go in there when my number’s called. That would be pretty smart, I’m not gonna lie, doing something like that. That would be — I could see that. I didn’t know they missed it, I’m not gonna lie.”

On people clamoring for the backup QB

“It’s like, it’s really awesome, because I feel like me being committed for so long and me being loyal to this university and this program for so long has been huge for the fans. I love the heck out of them, so it’s kind of one of those things: treat others how you want to be treated. I don’t know, I just feel like that might have something to do with it. I hear a little bit of it for sure, and definitely around on campus, but I try to let everyone know I’m just as normal as you. We’re all human beings here and just try to develop relationships with the fans as much as possible.”

Does he get recognized on campus a lot?

“Yeah, yeah!”

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