The Michigan Wolverines football program is currently facing an NCAA investigation into allegations of illegal sign and signal stealing, and it sounds like that investigation could impact the Heisman Trophy chances of Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
In a column published this week, college football writer Gregg Doyel of the Indianapolis Star, who is a Heisman Trophy voter, revealed that he will not be including Michigan Wolverines quarterback J.J. McCarthy on his Heisman Trophy ballot this year, explaining that he believes McCarthy had an unfair advantage because Michigan knew his opponent’s signals.
“The most important thing about playing quarterback happens before the snap, when he tries to decipher what the opposing defense will do. Why do so many high school quarterbacks with huge physical ability and statistics fail in college? Same reason that some of the best college QB’s fail in the NFL: Because the more confusing it gets, standing there at the line of scrimmage studying the defense, the harder it is to play the position,” Doyel wrote for the Indianapolis Star.
“McCarthy’s coaches knew what the defense was doing, which allowed them to call the perfect play. J.J. McCarthy had to execute it, yes, but the heaviest lifting had already been done by Connor Stalions.”
Doyel acknowledged that McCarthy likely isn’t to blame for this scandal and probably isn’t involved, but he still had an unfair advantage as a result of the coaching staff.
“This is not J.J. McCarthy’s fault,” Doyel wrote. “But thanks to the Michigan coaching staff, he will pay the price. At least on my ballot. Because unlike Jim Harbaugh, I plan to sleep tonight with a clear conscience.”
