Naz star ready to start NFL career with Vikings

By Jeff Vorva

J.J. McCarthy poses with a Minnesota Vikings hat after he was drafted on April 25. Photo courtesy of the McCarthy family

While many members of Nazareth Nation gathered in the Stadium in McCook for a J.J. McCarthy watch party on the night of the NFL Draft, they were nervous and anxiously awaiting to find out where their hero would go and to what team.

Meanwhile, McCarthy was with friends and family in Michigan. And if you think the patrons at the Stadium Club on April 25 were nervous…

“I woke up that morning, and I felt like my stomach was in my throat,” McCarthy said. “It was just one of those big days for all of us that were going through this process. It’s once in a lifetime, and you try to soak it all in.”

Yes, all ended well. The LaGrange Park native was taken 10th  by Minnesota.

“You know, when that phone call came around, it was something different,” he said at his introductory press conference in Minnesota. “The feeling is something you can’t describe. It was overwhelming emotions of joy.”

After the announcement, there were cheers and yelling with the McCarthy family. There were cheers and yelling with his extended family in McCook.

“Now I have to root against the Bears a couple of times,” said his former Nazareth offensive coordinator, Casey Moran. “I think this will be good for him. He’s going to make anything work. He’s so on top of everything. He’ll be in the playbook as soon as he can. It’s going to be good. I’m excited for him.”

McCarthy is a rare breed in that he left the school and transferred to IMG Academy in Florida and is still a popular figure among the Nazareth faithful. Usually, transfers are not treated as well. However, McCarthy left the school because of the uncertainty surrounding football during the pandemic. So, his transfer was not treated as an act
of betrayal.

And, because he comes back and visits, he is always welcomed with open arms.

“I remember him being involved in more things than football, for sure,” Nazareth President Deborah Tracy said. “He was very smart in the classroom. Very kind. Very considerate. Very respectful. He has carried that through on every visit back home. He comes back. He helps with the camps. He talks to the boys. He helps with the younger kids. He’ll sign every autograph. He never forgets where he came from.”

Kids from LaGrange Park react when JJ McCarthy’s name is called during the NFL Draft at a watch party at the Stadium Club in McCook. Photo by Jeff Vorva

McCarthy had a stellar career at Michigan, and he helped the Wolverines win the national championship. Throughout the season, his NFL stock rose. In the weeks leading up to the draft, there were dozens of theories – some sound and some crazy — of where he would end up. Some even thought the Chicago Bears would make him their No. 1 pick. That was one of the crazy theories.

Moran knew the Roadrunners had something special in McCarthy from Day 1 and maybe even before Day 1.

“I saw him play youth football when he was younger,” he said. “He used to come around and watch us when he was younger. He would kind of hang around our quarterback (Carson Bartels) at the time and talk with him. They got along. And then to see him come to Nazareth – I taught him when he was a freshman in math class, and I had the pleasure of coaching him on the football team.”

Predicting an NFL career, however, is an inexact science.

“We’ve had a lot of good athletes, and we’ve had a lot of good players,” Moran said. “There’s always those kids who you look at and say, ‘they have the talent to play at that level.’ We knew very quickly that he had the talent to play Division I football and big-time football. Like anything else, you have to have some luck. You have to have some health. There’s a lot that goes into it. We definitely knew that it was a possibility, and as time went on, it looked like things were working out for him. It’s getting more and more exciting.”

In May, McCarthy participated in rookie camp for the Vikings. He will be fighting with veteran Sam Darnold for playing time. McCarthy told the media after his first session that he felt comfortable.“It didn’t feel like my first day – we’ve been going over the offense for a long time now,” he said. “But to go out and perform and execute it – that’s new. But it was nothing that was overwhelming.

“This is a dream come true, and you live your dream. Take in the moment.”

Nazareth shows its love for J.J. McCarthy on draft night.
Photo by Jeff Vorva