2021 QB JJ McCarthy Looking Forward To Competing At Notre Dame

Nazareth Academy might ring a bell for some Notre Dame fans as All-American cornerback Julian Love came from the LaGrange (Ill.) program. 

Notre Dame will host 2021 Nazareth Academy quarterback JJ McCarthy‍ for the final Elite Skills Camp of the summer on June 22 after quarterbacks coach Tom Rees invite the 6-foot-1,175-pounder.

“Coach Rees got in contact with my head coach,” McCarthy told Irish Sports Daily. “We talked about coming out to camp and seeing how things go from there.” 

McCarthy already holds offers from Cincinnati, Indiana and Iowa State, but Notre Dame inquiring about him caught him by surprise. 

“It was shocking Notre Dame was checking on me,” said McCarthy. “It was kind of a relief because I have worked so hard over the offseason. It’s a complete honor.” 

The chance to compete is something McCarthy always embraces as he has had quite the schedule over the last few weeks and will continue his aggressive tour by attending a few more camps this summer. 

“I already attended camps at Cincinnati, Indiana, Minnesota, Northwestern, South Carolina and the North Central camp with a ton of schools there,” stated McCarthy. “I’ll also be camping at Notre Dame, Stanford and Wisconsin.

“I love it. I love the game of football. It’s the greatest game on earth. Being able to go play it almost every day is awesome.” 

If Notre Dame does offer McCarthy at some point, the Irish might be tough to beat for the Illinois native.

“I have gone to a bunch of Notre Dame games,” McCarthy said. “It would be truly amazing to play for them.” 

As he prepares for this sophomore season, McCarthy is focused on the small details of his game, while making sure he gains the trust of his teammates. 

“Watching film has been big for me because I haven’t watched much film previously,” said McCarthy. “I’m working on identifying coverages, but I’m also making sure I build relationships with my teammates. That’s important coming up as a sophomore starting on varsity. 

“I want to build a relationship with my teammates so they can trust me on the final play of the game with the ball in my hands.”