JJ McCarthy Named Florida Player Of The Year

The highly rated quarterback took his talents to IMG Academy for his senior year and the move paid off in a big way.

With uncertainty in the state of Illinois amid the Coronavirus Pandemic, JJ McCarthy made the difficult decision to transfer from La Grange Park (Ill.) Nazareth Academy to Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy for his final year of High School football.

The move paid off in a big way.  The newest member of the Michigan Wolverine quarterback room led IMG Academy to an 8-0 record, a GEICO High School Bowl Series title, a National Championship and finished with a final ranking of the No. 1 team nationally. The highly rated quarterback capped off his senior year going 91-157 for 1,440 passing yards and 16 touchdowns with zero interceptions. McCarthy also added 104 rushing yards and one touchdown.

IMG Academy was dominant through the entire season, winning every game on it’s schedule by 27 points or more en route to the Academy’s first football national championship. McCarthy began the 2020 season going 23-39 for 341 yards and five touchdowns as he led the Ascenders to a week one victory over Venice by a score of 49-13. In what was considered one of IMG’s biggest games of the season, McCarthy went 19-28 for 256 yards and three touchdowns as IMG defeated Duncanville (Texas) by a score of 41-14..

For his efforts, McCarthy was named as the 2020 MaxPreps Florida High School Football Play of the Year - an annual award given out to the top player in each state.

After spending a season playing with - and against - some of the nation's top prospects, McCarthy feels prepared to take the next step at Michigan.

“It was a four-month mental challenge,” McCarthy said in an interview with the Chicago Sun Times. “I feel just much more prepared (for college). I really gained a huge perspective on football and life. It just helped me in the developmental process of everything I was going through.

With his high school career in the rearview mirror, the 6-3, 195 pound quarterback now begins the biggest challenge of his young football career - battling for the starting spot at the University of Michigan. McCarthy enters a football program that is still searching for its top quarterback, providing him with a legitimate shot to become just the third true freshman quarterback in Michigan Football history to start on opening day - potentially joining former Michigan Greats Chad Henne (2004) and Rick Leach (1975).