Plain and simple, Michigan star quarterback J.J. McCarthy takes care of the people who take care of him.
Now in his second full season as the Wolverines' starter, it is once again College Football Playoff or bust for Michigan. This is the No. 2 team in the nation for a reason, as well as being the presumptive favorite to get to Indianapolis, win there and make the final four-team field in December.
Although McCarthy could return to Ann Arbor for one more season after this, if he so chooses, there is a halfway decent chance that he is the third quarterback taken in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft. No, he is not coming off the board before USC's Caleb Williams or North Carolina's Drake Maye, but McCarthy could be selected before the likes of Quinn Ewers, Bo Nix and Michael Penix Jr. next spring.
So with a promising NFL future ahead of him, it makes all the sense in the world that McCarthy would use his robust NIL money for the greater good. Apparently, McCarthy donates some of his NIL money to his offensive linemen. Not only is he financially able to take care of his people, but it demonstrates the type of character the face of an NFL franchise will need to have should McCarthy become one.
As long as the Wolverines keep on winning, more and more people will pay attention to McCarthy.
At this point, anything short of a national championship appearance will be disappointing for them.
J.J. McCarthy takes care of his Michigan offensive linemen with NIL
It may not seem like much, but this is a huge deal. Michigan might be good enough to win the national title anyway, but McCarthy's generosity shows that everyone and everything associated with Michigan football is pulling in the same direction. Of course, the Wolverines need to play faster while making fewer mistakes during their national semifinal games. Everything else has been so very easy.
Given that arch-rival Ohio State is in a bit of transition at the quarterback position, as well as Penn State still being largely seen as unproven, it would not be shocking for McCarthy to emerge as the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year. If he plays up to his standard and if Michigan is 13-0 and playoff-bound, he probably will be making the trip to New York City as part of the Heisman Trophy ceremony.
And while many of his Michigan linemen teammates will be going pro as well in due time, none of them carry the same kind of national gravitas as their star quarterback. It is why he is the one getting the robust NIL compensation over them. The good news is McCarthy seems to have the necessary self-awareness, as well as the demeanor, to not only win big in college but possibly in the NFL as well.
He may not be the only college quarterback who does this, but it is not the least bit shocking either.
