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The pandemic brought about plenty of change. For Michigan QB JJ McCarthy it meant a move from his hometown of Chicago to Florida so he could play his senior season...

As noted in a Sports Illustrated article:

With uncertainty in the state of Illinois amid the Coronavirus Pandemic, JJ McCarthy made the difficult decision to transfer from La Grange Park (Ill.) Nazareth Academy to Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy for his final year of High School football.

The move paid off in a big way. The newest member of the Michigan Wolverine quarterback room led IMG Academy to an 8-0 record, a GEICO High School Bowl Series title, a National Championship and finished with a final ranking of the No. 1 team nationally. The highly rated quarterback capped off his senior year going 91-157 for 1,440 passing yards and 16 touchdowns with zero interceptions. McCarthy also added 104 rushing yards and one touchdown.

It’s been fun to watch JJ McCarthy over the past two seasons as he’s helped UM to two Big Ten championships and now to the National Championship game.

The reality of the pandemic meant there was little time to get players ready, especially new players to the team, but IMG Head Coach Bobby Acosta was creative in his approach.

Coach Acosta used a process called “Teach the Teacher” with his quarterbacks.  It’s also something known as the “protégé effect.”

What is the protégé effect?

The protégé effect occurs when someone puts in more effort to learn information when they know they’re going to teach it to someone else, as opposed to the effort they would put in if they were only learning it for themselves. (https://www.ausmed.com/publish/handover/learning-theories/what-is-the-protege-effect)

We’ve worked with Coach Acosta to put togeher a the video of JJ talking about how football is really the only thing he thinks about. It's part of the entire offensive system which Coach Acosta has shared.

First, Coach Acosta shares his “10 Quarterback Commandments” with the group. McCarthy certainly embodies these commandments. 

Then he turns the zoom over to JJ who teaches the IMG “Caddy” concept which is a Y-Cross concept.  He talks about what he likes best and why. This is a great glimpse into the thought process of McCarthy and his approach to the game. As a high school QB he even had a big whiteboard in his room at home. He draws on the board to teach the “Caddy” concept.

The video should also show you the value of stepping back as the teacher and allowing your players to teach the group. There are plenty of benefits to this approach. The method can be used throughout the year, and your next spring ball will be a great time to start this.

As we progress through clinic season, we will be sharing more on coaching and teaching methods related to classroom time.

Speaking of clinic season, I will be at AFCA this weekend. Please let me know if you will be there. I’d love to connect with you. Reply to this email or dm me on X @CoachKGrabowski and I will be sure you have my mobile #.

Here's the video of JJ McCarthy. Enjoy!

Video: JJ McCarthy Teaching “Caddy”

Always be growing!

Coach Grabowski