Is J.J. McCarthy a senior? Michigan QB's College and NFL draft eligibility explored

Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy has stolen several headlines this season with his sensational performances week after week, leading the Wolverines to an unbeaten start to the season.

McCarthy has injected himself into the conversations about the best college football quarterback alongside titans like USC's Caleb Williams and Oregon's Bo Nix.

McCarthy made his Michigan debut in 2021 and this is his third season in college football.

He is a junior and is eligible for the quarterback-heavy draft class of 2024 or he can complete his junior year and return for a senior year next season since he will still be eligible.

On an appearance on WXYZ TV, Jim Harbaugh, J.J. McCarthy's coach recently compared him to USC quarterback Caleb Williams, who is the projected No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL draft by many analysts.

“I think it would be obvious for anybody, right?” Harbaugh said. “I get to see J.J. every day. Caleb Williams, I get to see him in his games. He’s a fabulous player. J.J.’s a fabulous player. I don’t think I’m going out on any limb saying those are the two best that I’ve seen in college football. It’s great. Wouldn’t it be something if we were to meet up this year? That would be really cool, you start thinking of things like that.”

The growth of J.J. McCarthy

J.J. McCarthy has the best QBR in college football as per ESPN. His completion percentage (.782) and passing efficiency (195.2) rank him No. 2 nationally in both categories.

Jim Harbaugh made a surprising claim about J.J. McCarthy during his weekly press conference considering the fact that Tom Brady played for the Wolverines.

“J.J. has shown to be on the path to be the best quarterback in Michigan history,” Harbaugh said. “He’s had 213 drives, we’ve scored on 130 of those drives. Ninety-six have been touchdowns, 34 field goals — 61%. It’s really remarkable."

"There’s no statistic that demonstrates the quality of quarterback play more than that statistic in my mind. I think going forward, J.J. will be the quarterback that all future quarterbacks are compared to," he added.

On3 analyst Chris Balas recently gave a surprising update about McCarthy's future.

“JJ McCarthy, there is still talk that he might want to come back for his senior year, believe it or not,” Balas said.

With the high praise from his coach and the possibility of being even better and being picked even higher during the 2025 draft, Michigan fans will be hoping that J.J. McCarthy opts to return for an extra season at Ann Arbor.