J.J. McCarthy calls Roman Wilson ‘one of the most special players in the country’

Michigan’s 30-3 win over East Carolina featured quarterback J.J. McCarthy and wide receiver Roman Wilson connecting in the end zone.

Not once, not twice, but three times. McCarthy found Wilson for touchdown passes of 14, 10, and 15 yards. McCarthy was 26-of-30 through the air for 280 yards and three touchdowns. While McCarthy distributed the ball to other offensive playmakers, it’s clear Wilson’s his go-to guy. In all, Wilson had six receptions for 78 yards and three touchdown grabs.

Following the game, McCarthy had the highest of praise for Wilson.

“That man right there is one of the most special players in the country — I’ll say it right here, right now. There’s not many DBs or corners or safeties, any of them that could guard that guy,” McCarthy said.

Wilson switched to jersey No. 1 for the 2023 season, and jersey number aside, he looked every bit the part of a No. 1 wideout. Wilson utilized his speed to get open deep, he was shifty when necessary in the slot and even showcased great hands and body positioning on one of his three touchdowns. Then there’s this whole chemistry thing, it’s quite important. Knowing when the quarterback is going to throw it and the quarterback knowing where the receiver is going to be — McCarthy and Wilson might have that down pat and then some.

“What he did today was everything that I saw this offseason. He’s gaining separation, he’s making the tough catches, he’s going up and getting it,” McCarthy explained. “It’s a tremendous honor to have all my receivers on my team, but especially number one.”

Wilson said that in an offense that features two elite running backs like Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards he knows he has to take advantage of every opportunity he gets out there. With East Carolina opting to stack the box to snuff out the run, Wilson had opportunities, and he cashed in on them.

“I was just doing my job out there,” Wilson said humbly. “Run my route how I ran it in practice. “If you put the ball in near me, I gotta catch it.”

As long as Wilson keeps catching it like he did on Saturday and McCarthy keeps slinging it like he did, Michigan will be catching a lot of victories this season.