J.J. McCarthy health update, team outlook in 2022

One of the big questions for Michigan football this offseason naturally starts at the quarterback position — who will start this fall? Will it be incumbent Cade McNamara or upstart J.J. McCarthy?

That’s a question that wasn’t able to be answered this spring, as McCarthy’s throwing shoulder precluded him from partaking in the offseason sessions — at least at full capacity. He didn’t require surgery and got a little more than mental reps, as he still took snaps and didn’t throw, but he didn’t quite get the opportunity to work to supplant McNamara.

This weekend, appearing in Traverse City for ‘Wolverines Weekend,’ McCarthy caught up with WXYZ’s Brad Galli and told him he’s nearly back to full strength.

“Very close, very, very close,” McCarthy said. “It’s a matter of a couple weeks now before I’ll be 100%, so I’m super thrilled.”

Naturally, in this day and age of college football, some fans have been skeptical about what happens should McNamara retain the starting job — not just this season, but for the future.

The college football landscape has changed dramatically with the one-time transfer exception essentially transforming the sport into having a free agency. When players don’t get to start right away, they often seek so-called greener pastures.

But McCarthy isn’t that type of player. If he doesn’t win the starting job in 2022, he has no intention of going anywhere. Because in a modern age where patience and resilience aren’t key tenets, the second-year former five-star is something of a throwback, recognizing it’s a meritocracy, no matter his grand potential.

“Because it’s the journey. So many kids my age and kids these days always focus on the destination of starting and being the guy,” McCarthy said. “I’m just falling in love with the process and falling in love with getting better every single day. At the end of the day, it’s up to me. If I want to start, I have to prove that I’m able to start…