Ryan Day’s decision not to recruit Michigan powerhouse quarterback JJ McCarthy out of high school may contribute to Ohio State’s eventual decline.
Although Ryan Day has seen great success since taking over the Ohio State program from Urban Meyer, JJ McCarthy’s continued success conquering quarterbacks at Michigan is a constant reminder of what could have been in Columbus.
McCarthy grew up in Chicagoland, and admitted last week to University of Michigan senior Rich Eisen that he actually rooted the most for the Buckeyes in his youth. Although both bitter Big Ten rivals made the College Football Playoff, the Wolverines have won their last two meetings over Ohio State in The Game. McCarthy has a great chance to become Michigan’s best quarterback since Tom Brady.
So why didn’t McCarthy go to Ohio when the Buckeyes could use his five-star talent coming from a nearby Midwestern state? As it turned out, McCarthy was closer to the former Ohio State coach than he was to Day. The latter decided to go in a different quarterback direction. McCarthy would stick with Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh, and that was it.
McCarthy said The Rich Eisen Show last week About being recruited to Ohio.
“Urban Meyer left, and he was the guy recruiting me,” McCarthy said. The Rich Eisen Show last week. After he left, it was the Coach Day Show. Coach Day wanted to go a different route at quarterback for the class of 2021. I respect him for his decision, but that was something that shot in me. You really think you know everything, you think you know what’s best for you, But God knows what’s best for you, and He’ll put you in the right position. Came here after a week and a half, and Coach Harbaugh showed nothing but love. It was an instant homely feeling as I immediately felt at ease. It’s hard to feel like that in a lot of places when you’re in These college hits because a lot of them are original and there’s a lot of glitz and glamour.”
Here’s the entire clip featuring McCarthy The Rich Eisen Show last week.
Although this is McCarthy’s first season as a starter at Michigan, the Wolverines have won back-to-back Big Ten titles with him being a prominent part of the passing offense under Harbaugh.
JJ McCarthy chose Michigan over Ohio State because of Ryan Day’s decision
Admittedly, you can’t really knock Day too bad for basically hitting McCarthy when he was playing quarterback during his tenure at Ohio State. The starting quarterback was former Georgia transfer Justin Fields, who led the Buckeyes to a national title game and then became a top 12 selection for the Chicago Bears in the 2021 NFL Draft. Day was also C.J. Stroud…
Over the past few years, Day and Ohio State have had the upper hand at quarterback. Although the Buckeyes signal caller has yet to win a Heisman Trophy under his watch, plenty of Ohio State quarterback legends have been finalists for the award over the past half decade or so. What this really comes down to is what happens in the next year or so with McCarthy still at Michigan.
McCarthy needs at least another year of quality play to be a serious first-round pick. He could turn pro after next season, but his estimated time in the NFL will probably be closer to 2025 than it is to 2024. And given that Stroud will be a top 10 player this spring, Ohio State might actually be Have a quarterback deficit in the game versus McCarthy and Michigan next season and the year after that.
Frankly, Michigan is in its best place as a program since Lloyd Carr’s heyday. Although it won’t be easy, Michigan has a capable roster to win the 2023 College Football Playoff game. If the Wolverines fall out of TCU competition in the Fiesta Bowl or against Georgia in the national championship, they will likely be on the shortlist of teams that can win it again next year.
Ultimately, Michigan is in a great place as a program, especially with McCarthy making his breakthrough as a top-notch star quarterback. As far as Ohio State is concerned, a national semifinal exit to Georgia in the Peach Bowl, along with a third straight loss to Michigan in The Game next season, you may start to see cracks appearing in the foundation of the Buckeyes’ strong program on Day.
Meyer’s choice to go with the late Dwayne Haskins over Joe Borough out of spring training was one thing, but McCarthy’s presence as the reason Michigan won its first national title since Charles Woodson dominated the Marines in Ann Arbor is a different animal entirely. McCarthy is proof that letting a single-value recruit slip through the cracks and go for a bitter competitor is never ideal.
Should Ohio State and Michigan win on Saturday, they will play for a national title in Los Angeles…
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