Michigan's J.J. McCarthy wasn't named team captain in 2023 for one reason

When Michigan's team captains were announced on Thursday, some had raised a fair question about why junior quarterback J.J. McCarthy was not included in the group of six captains voted on by the players this season.

The answer lies above and it's hiding in plain sight.

While some might assume the worst when it comes to a quarterback not being named a team captain, the reason is much more simple than that.

He simply wasn't eligible to be named captain and that won't take away from the fact that he is still a leader of the team, just without a title.

"J.J. wasn’t eligible to be a captain,” U-M offensive lineman Zak Zinter told reporters. “So, it’s only seniors, fifth-year, sixth-year guys. So he wasn’t on the ballot this year. But he’s definitely one of the biggest leaders on our team. He knows that and we know that and he’s just as much leader as any of us.”

The Wolverines had potential candidates as captains in abundance before the votes were cast, so someone was bound to be snubbed by the players who were eligible to be selected.

With McCarthy not being eligible, it will still likely bring on rivalry fodder moving forward but those people can easily be shot down by stating the rules.

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