J.J. McCarthy reveals Ryan Day might’ve brought on Ohio State’s undoing in rivalry

Ryan Day’s decision to not aggressively recruit Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy out of high school could contribute to his eventual undoing at Ohio State.

Although Ryan Day has had a great run since taking over the Ohio State program from Urban Meyer, J.J. McCarthy’s continued success quarterbacking Michigan serves as an ever-present reminder of what could have been in Columbus.

McCarthy grew up in Chicagoland, and admitted to Michigan alum Rich Eisen last week that he actually rooted more for the Buckeyes in his youth. Though both bitter Big Ten rivals made the College Football Playoff, the Wolverines have won the last two meetings over Ohio State in The Game. McCarthy has a great chance to become the best Michigan quarterback since Tom Brady.

So why didn’t McCarthy go to Ohio State when the Buckeyes could have used his five-star talent coming over from a nearby Midwestern state? As it turns out, McCarthy was closer to the former Ohio State head coach than he was with Day. The latter decided to go in a different direction at quarterback. McCarthy would commit to play for Jim Harbaugh at Michigan, and that was that.

Here is what McCarthy said on The Rich Eisen Show last week about his Ohio State recruitment.

"“Urban Meyer left, and he was the guy recruiting me,” said McCarthy on The Rich Eisen Show last week. “After he left, it was Coach Day’s show. Coach Day wanted to go a different route at the quarterback position for the 2021 class. I respect him for his decision, but that was something that jumpstarted a little fire in me. You really think you know it all, and you think you know what’s best for you, but God knows what’s best for you, and he’s going to put you in the right situation. I came here a week and a half later, and Coach Harbaugh showed nothing but love. It was an instantaneous family feel where you felt comfortable right away. That’s hard to feel at a lot of places when you’re on these college visits because a lot of it’s ingenuine and there’s a lot of shiny glitz and glamor.”"

Here is the entire segment in which McCarthy appeared on The Rich Eisen Show last week.

Although this is McCarthy’s first season as the Michigan starter, the Wolverines have won back-to-back Big Ten titles with him being a prominent part of the passing attack under Harbaugh.

J.J. McCarthy chose Michigan over Ohio State because of Ryan Day’s decision

Admittedly, you cannot really ding Day too bad for essentially punting on McCarthy when he has had great quarterback play throughout his Ohio State tenure. His first quarterback of note was former Georgia transfer Justin Fields, who led the Buckeyes to a national title bout and then became a top-12 pick by the Chicago Bears in the 2021 NFL Draft. Day also has had C.J. Stroud…

Over the last few years, Day and Ohio State have had the upper hand at quarterback. Although a Buckeyes signal-caller has not won the Heisman Trophy under his watch, plenty of Ohio State quarterbacking legends have been finalists for the award over the last 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 one more year of high-quality play to be a serious first-round pick. He could turn pro after next season, but his ETA for the NFL is probably closer to 2025 than it is to 2024. Given that Stroud will be a top-10 pick this spring, Ohio State might actually be at a quarterbacking deficit in The Game vs. McCarthy and Michigan next season and the year after that.

Frankly, Michigan is in its best spot as a program since the peak Lloyd Carr days. Although it will not be easy, Michigan has the roster capable of winning the 2023 College Football Playoff. Should the Wolverines come up short vs. TCU in the Fiesta Bowl or vs. Georgia in the national championship, they are still probably on the shortlist of teams who can win it all again next year.

Ultimately, Michigan is in a fantastic spot as a program, especially with McCarthy hitting his stride as a star underclassman quarterback. As far as Ohio State is concerned, a national semifinal exit to Georgia in the Peach Bowl, coupled with a third straight loss to Michigan in The Game next season, and you may begin to see the cracks emerge in the foundation of Day’s strong Buckeyes program.

Meyer opting to go with the late Dwayne Haskins over Joe Burrow out of spring practice was one thing, but having McCarthy be the reason Michigan wins its first national title since Charles Woodson was dominating on the gridiron in Ann Arbor is a totally different animal. McCarthy is proof that letting a one-prized recruit slip through the cracks and go to a bitter rival is never ideal.

Should Michigan and Ohio State win on Saturday, they will play for a national title in Los Angeles…

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