JJ McCarthy is a beloved figure around Ann Arbor after leading Michigan to a second consecutive College Football Playoff appearance in his first year as a starter. However, he came close to wearing his rival’s colors during his recruitment.

McCarthy was being heavily recruited by Urban Meyer at Ohio State, but that all changed when Meyer left the school and Ryan Day took over, the quarterback told the Rich Eisen Show.

“Urban Meyer left, and he was the guy recruiting me. After he left, it was coach Day’s show,” McCarthy said. “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.”

Day ended that recruiting class with 5-star QBs Quinn Ewers and Kyle McCord. Though Ewers transferred this past season, Day might have gotten his guy for the future, but Day’s loss was Jim Harbaugh’s treasure.

“I came here a week and a half later, and Coach Harbaugh showed nothing but love,” McCarthy said. “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.”

Now, McCarthy and the Wolverines look to make a run at their first national championship since 1997.

(H/T 247 Sports)