Michigan finally won a College Football Playoff game on Monday night, defeating Alabama in overtime in the Rose Bowl. And Wolverines coach Jim Harbuagh – who has been creating headlines quite a lot this season – said something pretty ridiculous after the Michigan victory.
Wolverines quarterback J.J. McCarthy had a solid game and largely played mistake-free football. He completed 17-of-27 passes for 221 yards and three touchdowns, took just one sack and didn’t throw an interception or fumble the ball.
But Harbaugh got a little carried away when praising the junior quarterback.
Jim Harbaugh on JJ McCarthy: “I've said it before, but right here, this is the greatest quarterback in University of Michigan – college football history. Got a long way to go to get to get where Tom Brady eventually got to, which is the GOAT. But in a college career there's been…
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) January 2, 2024
Just to be clear, again, Harbaugh said McCarthy is “the greatest quarterback in University of Michigan – college football history.”
I mean. Come on.
One could argue that McCarthy wasn’t even the best quarterback in the Big Ten this season. He was fourth in yards and fourth in touchdowns. He did, however, post the league’s best passing efficiency rating at 170.3.
But let’s quickly remember some dudes who have played quarterback at the University of Michigan.
Among them is a guy named Tom Brady, who you may have heard of, who had a pretty solid career at Michigan before he went on to win seven Super Bowls.
Then there’s Brian Griese who quarterbacked Michigan’s last national championship team and was the MVP of the 1998 Rose Bowl and went 3-0 against Ohio State.
And McCarthy’s got a long way to go before he sniffs the records Chad Henne set at Michigan: 9,715 passing yards and 87 passing touchdowns. Henne was also the MVP of a Citrus Bowl win over a Tim Tebow-led Florida team.
And hey, even Denard Robinson got a video game cover for being really fun, fast and entertaining to watch. Are we about to put McCarthy on the cover of the next college football game?
Should Michigan win a national championship, we can revisit this discussion, but let’s pump the brakes on crowning McCarthy the greatest of anything. Besides, if there’s a Michigan offensive player who deserves praise, it’s running back Blake Corum, who led all of FBS in rushing touchdowns and points scored this season.