Jim Harbaugh stepped down from his coaching role at No. 1 Michigan last week to take up the head coaching job at the Los Angeles Chargers. He led the Wolverines to the national championship title in his final season with the team and has heaped praise on quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
While speaking to Colin Cowherd on Friday's edition of "The Herd," Harbaugh waxed lyrical on McCarthy, who is set to enter the 2024 NFL draft after a stellar season with Michigan. The new Chargers coach also made a bold prediction about how high the young quarterback can go in the upcoming draft.
“Arm talent, athleticism, ‘it’ factor, winning with numbing repetition," Harbaugh said. "Don’t be surprised when he — if/when he goes to — he’s the No. 1 quarterback off the board.
"That’s my prediction right now. When people get a load of J.J., and how he can throw the ball, how he spins it, his athleticism, his intelligence. Talk about ‘it’ factor. He’s got it. The competitiveness that he has. And they get around him, and they really start digging in, and they start talking to him. Yeah, that’s an early prediction for the 2024 NFL draft."
Jim Harbaugh, who is worth a reported $35 million, might be eager to work with McCarthy in the NFL after developing him at the collegiate level. The Chargers hold the fifth overall pick and could move for the former Michigan signal-caller in the first round.
McCarthy had a fabulous 2023 with the Wolverines, racking up 2,991 yards and 22 touchdowns on 244 passes in the regular season. He also ran for 202 yards and three touchdowns as Michigan clinched the Big Ten championship.
McCarthy threw for 221 yards and three touchdowns on 17 passes to help Michigan beat No. 4 Alabama 27-20 in overtime at the College Football Playoff semifinal. The quarterback completed 10 of 18 passes for 140 yards against No. 2 Washington in the national championship game to guide the Wolverines to a 34-13 win in the postseason finale.
In his two years as a starter at Michigan, McCarthy posted a 27-1 record. He earned Second-team All-Big Ten honors in 2022 and First-team All-Big Ten honors in 2023.
What was Jim Harbaugh's record at Michigan?
Jim Harbaugh was appointed Michigan coach in 2015 after he left the San Francisco 49ers. Across eight seasons with the Wolverines, he compiled an impressive 74-25 record.
Harbaugh led Michigan to five 10-win seasons and seven bowl games. He left the team on a high by winning the national championship, the school's first since 1997.
LA Chargers Nation! Check out the latest Chargers Schedule and dive into the Los Angeles Chargers Depth Chart for NFL Season 2024-25.