It has been said that one man’s trash can be another man’s treasure.
Perhaps that is the perfect way to describe Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy who was a Notre Dame recruit roughly a half-decade ago.
McCarthy originally played his high school football at Nazareth Academy in the Chicago suburbs (same school as Notre Dame great Julian Love) before spending his senior year at IMG Academy in Florida. He was right in Notre Dame’s back yard and seemed to love the school.
McCarthy made several reported trips to Notre Dame during his high school career as a recruit but never received a scholarship offer. Instead, Brian Kelly and Tommy Rees put their quarterback recruiting chips in the basket of Tyler Buchner in the 2021 class.
McCarthy wound up at Michigan and has his team playing for a national championship. He very well could enter the NFL draft and make a handsome amount of professional money.
If you can stomach it Notre Dame fans, below are a few quotes from McCarthy himself about the excitement of being pitched by Notre Dame back in the day and what might have been.