On Thursday, Michigan Wolverines standout quarterback J.J. McCarthy was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the 2024 NFL draft.
McCarthy, 21, recently led Michigan to its tenth college football national title after defeating the Washington Huskies. He scored 22 touchdowns and gained 2,991 yards in the 2023 season.
The quarterback trait was something that McCarthy always had with him -- even before he was born.
On Wednesday, McCarthy appeared on the Rich Eisen Show, where he shared that his father, Jim McCarthy, manifested J.J.'s quarterback abilities while he was still in the womb via a camcorder.
Potential Top 5 pick @jjmccarthy09 shared an unbelievable home video from just before his birth that in a way ordained his football future - have some tissues nearby:#NFL #NFLDraft #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/bfNo3HfodU
— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) April 24, 2024
"We're going to call you J.J., you're going to be daddy's little quarterback," Jim said while recording his mother, Megan.
J.J. also touched on a gameday superstition he had during his high school career -- drawing a smiley face on his hand.
During his sophomore year at Nazareth Academy, J.J. lost his first of two high school games against the rival Marist Redhawks. He said he "had a bad game."
After the game, J.J. signed autographs and met a young girl, who asked him questions concerning his body language and why he didn't seem like he was having fun. After he explained that he was having a bad game, the 7-year-old girl left him with a memorable piece of advice.
"She goes like, 'You need to smile more,' and then drew the smiley face on my hand," J.J. said.