J.J. McCarthy to be honorary captain for Michigan vs. Oregon?

He’s gonna get an incredible ovation! #GoBlue

There won’t be many former Wolverines who go down in history more beloved than former quarterback J.J. McCarthy.

The three-time Big Ten champion and quarterback who led Michigan football to its first national championship since 1997 was a leader, a playmaker, and a favored son in the Ann Arbor vicinity. As a former five-star recruit, when the maize and blue were struggling in 2020, McCarthy beckoned Michigan fans to ‘take a deep breath’ and trust that the coaching staff would get things right. And he was right, in part, because he got on campus and took the offense to another level (as did running back Blake Corum).

Corum returned to The Big House for the first game since leaving on Saturday and now it appears that McCarthy is following suit. According to WXYZ’s Brad Galli, McCarthy will be an honorary captain for the Week 10 game against Oregon.

McCarthy is available to come to the game because he suffered a season-ending injury in the preseason for the Minnesota Vikings. McCarthy was selected by the Vikings with the No. 10 overall pick making him the first first-round NFL draft pick since his former head coach, Jim Harbaugh, was picked by the Bears in 1987.

Update:

Despite Galli’s report which came from his conversation with head coach Sherrone Moore, it appears that McCarthy won’t be able to make the game after all.