College Football

Jim Harbaugh: J.J. McCarthy 'on path to be the best QB in Michigan history'

Updated Oct. 16, 2023 9:16 p.m. ET

Take a glance at the names among Michigan's all-time passing leaders, and you will see the likes of Tom Brady, Chad Henne, and the Wolverines' current head coach, Jim Harbaugh, atop the list.

It's a list that is filled with talent and spans over 143 years, but according to Harbaugh, the Wolverines' current signal-caller could be the best of them all.

Harbaugh explained to reporters Monday that he feels J.J. McCarthy is on his way to becoming the best quarterback in Michigan football history, if he's able to keep pace with his current play.

"I feel like I stand corrected from what I've been saying the last several months, which is I think J.J. is a once-in-a-generation quarterback," Harbaugh said. "J.J. has shown to be on path to be the best quarterback in Michigan history."

After Harbaugh made that declaration, he looked down at a sheet to provide statistics in order to help make his case for the junior quarterback.

"The statistics I'm sure speak to that," Harbaugh said. "And the statistic that speaks to it the most is the amount of drives [that ended with a score]. He's had 213 drives. We've scored on 130 of those drives, and 96 have been touchdowns, 34 field goals, 61%.

"So, it's really remarkable. There's no stat that demonstrates the quality of quarterback play more than that statistic, in my mind."

Harbaugh laid the foundation of comparing McCarthy to other Michigan greats in July at Big Ten media days after he went undefeated in his first regular season starting under center, leading the Wolverines to a conference title and College Football Playoff bid.

"I have searched my memory for somebody who has been a first-time starter and had a better first year as a first-time starter, and I can't come up with one," Harbaugh told reporters of McCarthy. "He's a once-in-a-generational type of quarterback at Michigan, and his progress continues to grow. Daily, he's at the top of his game right now, really in all aspects.

"Everything that he does athletically, everything that he does throwing the football are at the elite level. Then I think the thing that makes him the most special, differentiating good and great, is that he's willing to do anything for his teammates, anything for his team."

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McCarthy has certainly backed up his coach's stance. The talented junior QB is completing 78.2% of his passes for 1,512 yards, 14 touchdowns and three interceptions, posting a 195.9 passer rating through Michigan's first seven games. He's also produced on the ground, rushing for 160 yards and three touchdowns this year.

While McCarthy's stats might not be the most eye-popping, his efficiency has helped lead second-ranked Michigan to dominant wins in each of its first seven games this season. McCarthy and the Wolverines are outscoring their opponents by an average of 32.7 points per game, which ranks second among all FBS teams.

McCarthy has also built his case as a Heisman Trophy contender. He is currently tied with Oklahoma's Dillon Gabriel for the second-best odds to win the award following Week 7. Michigan has had three Heisman Trophy winners in its program's history, but none of them played quarterback.

McCarthy put up another strong and efficient performance this past weekend, completing 14 of 17 passes for 222 yards and three touchdowns in a 52-7 victory over Indiana. With the win, McCarthy improved to 19-1 as Michigan's starting quarterback. He is looking to do something that Brady, Henne or Harbaugh didn't do during their time as a starter in Ann Arbor: win a national title.

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Michigan is looking to keep its perfect record intact when it travels to East Lansing to take on in-state rival Michigan State on Saturday. As Harbaugh was asked about the Spartans, he interrupted his answer to share one last thought on McCarthy.

"I think, going forward, J.J. will be the quarterback that all future quarterbacks are compared to."