Michigan Coach Speaks Out On JJ McCarthy Going To Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings selected University of Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy in the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday night, and newly installed Wolverines head coach Sherrone Moore thinks it will be a great fit for him.

“It’s been a long process to see it happen but I knew that’s where he wanted to go,” Moore said during an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show. “I mean the weapons that they have on offense, the offensive line, the receivers obviously. JJ throwing to JJ (Justin Jefferson) now and you know Aaron Jones being there at running back, and knew they were stocked and Coach O’Connell does such a great job developing quarterbacks, so he was so excited for him, and you know, JJ fell in love with that and kind of knew he wanted to go there from the start.”

McCarthy’s coach at Michigan was actually Jim Harbaugh, who jumped back into the NFL to coach the Los Angeles Chargers this season.

Moore had previously been serving as the Wolverines’ offensive coordinator.

The Vikings are certainly a great start for McCarthy. They have one of the best receivers in football in Jefferson (as Moore pointed out) and recently added Jones in free agency.

Minnesota went 7-10 this past season, so it’s not like the Vikings were a bad team, either.

McCarthy is coming off of a 2023 campaign in which he led Michigan to a national championship, throwing for 2,991 yards, 22 touchdowns and four interceptions while completing 72.3 percent of his passes. He also rushed for 202 yards and three scores.

The 21-year-old is a polarizing player, as some love his intangibles and others have expressed concern over his physical limitations.

We’ll see what J.J. McCarthy can do in Minnesota in Year 1.