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Photos Courtesy of University of Michigan Photography

Todd Collins fires a spiral against Michigan State as a Wolverine in the early 1990s.

J.J. McCarthy eyes his passing target this season against East Carolina at Michigan Stadium.

By Steve Kornacki

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – J.J. McCarthy moved into sixth place on Michigan’s career passing yards list in the Big Ten Championship Game win over Iowa, pushing his total to 5,865 yards.

That’s 7 yards more than Todd Collins had for the Wolverines, 1991-94, when he established the program’s passing completion record at 64.3 percent. McCarthy also recently bumped Collins into second place with his 68.0 percent accuracy mark.

So, it was a good time to call Collins, a 16-year NFL veteran now serving as offensive coordinator at his high school alma mater, Walpole (Mass.) High.

What impresses him most about McCarthy, who leads No. 1 Michigan into a Rose Bowl showdown with No. 4 Alabama in a national semi-final?

“Probably just the way he carries himself,” said Collins. “He’s in control.”

That thought reminded him of something Terry Shea, the former Rutgers head coach who learned from Bill Walsh at Stanford and was the Kansas City Chiefs’ quarterbacks coach when Collins played for them, stressed to him.

Collins recalled Shea’s message: “Don’t be afraid to bring your personality to the field.”

He continued, “J.J. seems to be really comfortable with himself – with the meditation before the games – he just seems to really be in control of his emotions.”

Collins was a second-round draft pick by the Buffalo Bills in 1995 and eclipsed the NFL longevity record for Wolverine quarterbacks held by current head coach Jim Harbaugh, who played there for 14 years, 1987-2000.

Tom Brady passed Collins during his 23-year GOAT run, 2000 to 2022.

Collins, who had just one full season as a starter, didn’t accumulate the statistics Harbaugh and Brady did. But you stick in the NFL that long because you make teams better, supply a veteran presence and possess an acute awareness of what works.

And McCarthy has made a great impression on him.

“His quarterbacking skills are so evident,” said Collins. “But, like I said before, what’s so special about himself is the way he carries himself. Harbaugh says he has all the intangibles, and Harbaugh thinks the world of.

“J.J. is playing with great ‘command’ of the offense, and having fun while doing it.”

Collins sees McCarthy – now 25-1 as a starter -- as the final link to making a run at the national championship:

“These last two years --- I mean, that’s a hell of a football team they’re on. The defense is reminiscent of the 1997 [Michigan national champions], and then the offense three years ago became dedicated to this power running game.

“Now, J.J. McCarthy, this kid comes in and he’s got a lot of energy. And he’s a great leader. You can just tell the other players want to rally and get behind him. He can make plays with his feet. His passing skills and his accuracy have really improved.”

Collins was asked about McCarthy surpassing his completion percentage standard.

“I guess we have that in common,” said Collins. “We played a different offense, a different style. But he’s an accurate thrower who’s able to play in an offense where they aren’t behind much.”

He’s particularly impressed with the tight windows McCarthy completes passes into, and pointed to a throw tight end Colston Loveland caught against Iowa.

“There was two-deep coverage,” said Collins. “So, they were trying to [cover] the No. 2 receiver, which is the tight end down the middle with the inside [line]backer. You see that throw a lot in the NFL. We used to get [tight end] Tony Gonzalez for the Kansas City Chiefs matched up with Miami Dolphins linebacker Zach Taylor – and they’re both in the [Pro Football] Hall of Fame now.

“That was the throw J.J. made to Loveland in that Iowa game. It was an NFL-type throw.”

How well will McCarthy’s talents transfer to the NFL?

“It’s always so hard to tell,” said Collins. “He obviously has the skills. He throws the ball so well, but more importantly you need to be accurate and get rid of the ball quickly. But he doesn’t turn the ball over a lot and appears to be a good decision maker. And what’s nice is he can create plays on his own with his feet [with a 4.4 or 4.5 second time in the 40-yard dash].”

Collins noted that doing so is crucial at the next level, where defenders become swifter.

“And he’ll also be impacted by what talent he has around him,” Collins noted of McCarthy’s NFL future. “And, who’s your coaching staff?”

McCarthy hasn’t decided yet whether or not he will return to the Wolverines in 2024 or enter the draft, where he’d become a high first-round pick.

Collins, now 52 and raising three sons with Andrea, his high school sweetheart and wife of 23 years, made enough in the NFL to do whatever he wants. He credited the smart business approach learned from his parents as a factor in allowing him to do that.

Photo Courtesy of Collins Family

Todd and Andrea Collins, who met in fourth grade and were married after his fifth season in the NFL, outside their family home in Walpole, Mass.

Todd Collins, during his quarterback career at Michigan, 1990-94, was part of three Big Ten championship teams. He was redshirted as a freshman in 1990.

Collins has been his high school’s offensive coordinator for a dozen years, and Walpole lost a state championship game this season at Gillette Stadium in nearby Foxboro. Oldest son, Max, 18, is a freshman wide receiver at Assumption University in Worcester, Mass. Jack, 16, is on the cheer squad and is a tumbler. “The best athlete in the family,” said Dad. Toby, 10, is a running back-defensive end on a fourth grade team that won a championship this season.

Life is good for Collins, who is excited about the Rose Bowl, a game in which he completed one-of-two passes for 3 yards backing up Elvis Grbac against Washington there on Jan. 1, 1992.

Collins engineered a magical drive at Notre Dame to set up Remy Hamilton’s game-winning field goal in 1994, and was the offensive MVP of the 1994 Holiday Bowl win against Colorado State.

“We had a lot of nice moments,” said Collins. “The win at Notre Dame, winning the first time we went to Penn State [in 1993] was a great experience. We shut out Ohio State (28-0) my junior year.

“I had a great experience at Michigan. I met some great people.”

He still often goes fishing, skiing or on adventures with Wolverine classmate and four-year roommate Gannon Dudlar.

And he watches Michigan nearly every game.

“I’m just enjoying watching J.J. play and the whole team play,” said Collins. “It doesn’t seem like a team with many weaknesses.”

McCarthy is a quarterback’s quarterback to him, and that’s high praise coming from one of the best signal callers the Wolverines have ever had.

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