Coming off a disappointing finish in the 2022 College Football Playoff, Michigan football is starting to get more hype as the 2023 season nears. The usual powerhouses had been sparking the luster in the eyes of those predicting the next year. But as the season approaches, many are asking, ‘Why not Michigan?’
Fox Sports sideline reporter and The Athletic columnist Bruce Feldman went on a very Wolverines-friendly show on Wednesday, sitting down with alumnus Rich Eisen. For Feldman, Michigan’s potential success hinges strongly on the man who will touch the ball every offensive snap: J.J. McCarthy.
“One of those five-star guys that they do have, J.J. McCarthy, didn’t play when they played against Georgia — he wasn’t the starter, Cade McNamara, obviously, was,” Feldman said. “J.J. is really, really gifted. We saw that certainly against Ohio State, when the backfield — there was almost no Blake Corum. He played, but — even though Donovan Edwards had two great runs, he was playing injured in the game, as well — playing hurt. And McCarthy made big plays.”
But will that be enough to get the Wolverines to the promised land?
Even the aforementioned McNamara got the maize and blue to the College Football Playoff after beating Ohio State. McCarthy, essentially, just replicated his success. However, there are several more gears McCarthy has that many quarterbacks do not. For Feldman, he and another player are part of why he believes a championship is possible in Ann Arbor.
“If J.J. McCarthy plays like all the people who are evaluating him think he has that talent, I do think they can win a national title,” Feldman said. “Because they have really good leadership, they obviously have a terrific offensive line, they have dynamic running backs. Some of these guys have blossomed.
“Kris Jenkins, his dad was a former NFL star, he was a three-star guy, he was 240 pounds when he came to Michigan. He’s 302, and Jim Harbaugh told me, ‘I think he’ll be a top 10 pick.’ He is the kind of guy that Georgia and Alabama are playing with. They don’t have eight of him, but they do have a few. And it helps them that this is the year that three of the most talented teams quote-unquote — are (starting) new quarterbacks. And two of them were in the top of the draft and the third guy they’re probably gonna build a statue of him in Athens.”
Beyond that discussion, Feldman and Eisen discuss many different facets of the 2023 Michigan football team. Watch the entire exchange here:
They've made the #CFBPlayoff each of the last two seasons but is this the year @UMichFootball wins the whole thing?@BruceFeldmanCFB on how real #GoBlue title chances are for 2023: pic.twitter.com/eYdWg72k5I
— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) August 2, 2023
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