Following Michigan football's Rose Bowl win over Alabama football, coach Jim Harbaugh made a bold statement by calling J.J. McCarthy the “greatest quarterback in University of Michigan college football history.”

The claim was met with a lot of pushback, with many pointing out that Tom Brady was once the quarterback at Michigan. However, even Brady agreed with Harbaugh, stating, “Go Blue!!! No Doubt!!!” via Adam Schefter.

The declaration isn't as bold as it sounds on paper. While Brady is of course the greatest NFL quarterback to come out of Michigan, he didn't really have the opportunity to be the best quarterback at Michigan. Brady had to work just to beat out Drew Henson for the starting job. Once he earned it, he ultimately had a successful college career going 20-5 while completing 61.9% of his passes for 4,773 yards with 30 touchdowns and 17 interceptions.

Meanwhile, McCarthy has the best record for a Michigan quarterback, posting a 26-1 record as a starter. Over his Wolverines career, McCarthy has completed 67.9% of his passes for 6,086 yards with 49 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He pretty much beats Brady in every statistical category from their time at Michigan, and McCarthy can solidify that lead with a national championship victory.

He can also solidify his place in Michigan football history if he decides to return to the Wolverines in 2024. McCarthy currently ranks fourth in career passing touchdowns and sixth in passing yards. He could at the very least climb the list with another season.

Outside of Brady and McCarthy, Chad Henne, Brian Griese and John Navarre have reasonable cases for their place in Michigan football history. Henne is first in completions, touchdowns and passing yards while Navarre is second. However, Henne was 0-4 against Ohio State, compared to McCarthy, who is 2-0. Griese comes closer to matching McCarthy's winning success — Griese was 17-5 as a starter, won the national championship and 3-0 versus Ohio State — but he does not come close to the statistical achievements of the other quarterbacks.

When taking in consideration these metrics, Jim Harbaugh has a pretty solid case that J.J. McCarthy is Michigan's greatest quarterback.