JACKSON MEMORIAL’S COLLIN MCCARTHY’S STILL TERRORIZING OPPOSING QUARTERBACKS

JACKSON MEMORIAL’S COLLIN MCCARTHY’S STILL TERRORIZING OPPOSING QUARTERBACKS

JACKSON – When Vinnie Mistretta took over as Jackson Memorial head coach in 2017, he was vaguely familiar with this rangy defensive end named Collin McCarthy, who had spent most of the previous season on the freshman team battling a foot injury before getting some exposure on the varsity level late in the season on special teams. 
 
“Between his freshman and sophomore years he had a huge growth spurt and just became a dude,” said Mistretta. “He was always a weight-room guy and he went from six-foot-two to six-foot-six that summer and all of a sudden it’s like ‘Holy Cow,’ this is something special. 
 
“Honestly, when I took over you don’t really ever look at a sophomore and say, ‘Alright, we don’t have to worry about that position anymore,’ but with him there was never any debate or doubt. He was doing his job and dominated the position as a sophomore and he’s made it real easy for me having him there the last three years. He’s been a cornerstone there and it will be tough next year when we have to replace him.”  
 
McCarthy’s transformation was astronomical going from a scrawny freshman to a gangly sophomore in a matter of a year. 
 
“When I came in my freshman year I was like five-foot-10 and by the beginning of sophomore year I was six-foot-six; it was kind of awkward,” said McCarthy. “I was like a 185 pounds so you can just imagine a toothpick with arms. I hit the weight room pretty hard and put on a lot of weight and by my sophomore year I was around 210 pounds.”
 
McCarthy had a breakout sophomore campaign recording 66 tackles (46 solo), 12 tackles for loss, four sacks and a forced fumble on his way to being named first- team All-Division.
 
“My sophomore year they needed someone to step up and I thought why not me,” McCarthy said. “And it kind of just took off from there.” 
 
Two years later, McCarthy was now listed as a 6-foot-7, 240-pound, three-star recruit and the 48th top prospect in New Jersey, as well as the 117th rated strong-side defensive end in the nation by 247 Sports. 
 
Following McCarthy’s junior year, he was a unanimous first-team All-Shore selection after putting up huge numbers consisting of 82 tackles and 43 tackles for a loss, which ranked No. 1 in New Jersey and 24th in the nation. McCarthy’s 11 sacks led the Shore Conference and ranked 12th in New Jersey and he also had a forced fumble and fumble recovery to his resume. 
 
“To be completely honest, I didn’t,” said McCarthy when asked if he ever thought he’d blossom into the player he is today. “I was always little and skinny. My dad honestly didn’t think I’d play any college sports. Then all of a sudden I put on weight and started playing good.” 
 
That is definitely an understatement!
 
“I think last year I made a pretty good statement on what kind of player I am,” McCarthy added. “I think my stats were an eye opener to people that I was the real deal.” 
 
“He was just making game-changing plays time and time again,” said Mistretta. “His athleticism just jumps out; it doesn’t matter who the competition is or who he’s up against – he’s something special and the heart and soul of our defense.”  
 
Apparently, the University of Connecticut saw what Mistretta saw in McCarthy. 
 
Last June following his prodigious junior year, McCarthy gave the University of Connecticut his verbal commitment to continue his academic and athletic career there. McCarthy is following in the footsteps of his father, Mike, who was a star defensive lineman for the Huskies, graduating in 1994. 
 
“Coach Edsall (Connecticut head coach Randy Edsall) and I developed a pretty good bond,” said McCarthy. “He would call me and we would talk about fishing because we both like to fish. And I think it’s kind of cool walking down the hallways and seeing pictures of my dad on the wall so I’m really proud to be able to continue his legacy there and start my own.” 
 
He had interest from numerous FBS schools, including Pitt, Rutgers, Virginia Tech and Alabama, which he took an official recruiting trip to.  
 
This season, despite being double- and triple-teamed on a game-by-game basis and with teams running away from him, McCarthy has continued his assault on opposing offenses. 
 
After seven games he has 52 tackles (35 solo), 29 tackles for loss, 13 sacks, 29 quarterback pressures and a forced fumble. 
 
His 29 TFL are No. 1 in New Jersey and 19th nationally while his 13 sacks lead the state and are 48th in the nation according to MaxPrep.com.
 
“It can be frustrating getting tripled-teamed all the time but when teams keep running away from me it makes me lose my mind,” said McCarthy. “But I get really mad at all the holding, that’s my big thing. If you’re going to put three guys on me at least don’t hold me.”  
 
Mistretta agrees, “He’s getting doubled and tripled every single play and we’re never a team that complains about holding calls, but I’ll tell you what, it’s comical some of things we see on film that is going on against him. He’s putting up all these numbers when everybody knows Collin McCarthy is coming and number 50 is the one you have to worry about, and he’s still performing at this level – that’s pretty incredible.” 
 
Asked to play offensive tackle again this year out of necessity, McCarthy has developed into a standout offensive lineman. He’s opening holes for running back Will Towns, who has developed into one of the top backs in the Shore rushing for 1065 yards and 15 touchdowns averaging 152.1 yards per game this season. 
 
“I’m definitely a lot better at it. Last year I kind of just got thrown into it and I really didn’t even know my plays,” said McCarthy. “I know what I’m doing now and it all kind of makes sense and it’s nice to be able to help out the team where they need me. Me and  Sean (Keeler) go with the flow and we know what we’re doing. Will’s so fast he’s by you before you know it.” 
 
“He’s more comfortable on the defensive line where he can use his athleticism,” said Mistretta. “But overall he’s grading out as one of the best on our offensive line. So, he’s coming along and really showing he knows what he’s doing – I’ve been impressed.”
 
As good as a football player McCarthy is, Mistretta feels he’s an even better person. 
 
“Collin is a throwback kid,” said Mistretta. “He goes home and he’s fishing or hunting, he’s just loves the outdoors. He’s not into a lot of the stuff today’s kids are all about and that’s a credit to him. He’s an interesting kid, a very nice kid and very humble kid off the field. He’s an extremely hard worker, a captain on the team and a leader, that’s the key.” 
 
The Jaguars are 5-2 and ranked tenth in the Shore with one game remaining against No. 4 Rumson-Fair Haven, following a bye this week as the regular season winds down and thoughts turn to the playoffs. 
 
“We’re looking forward to the playoffs and that’s our goal here every year,” said Mistretta. “We don’t even account for having off time in the first couple of weeks in November. We’re a playoff team traditionally and that’s where we want to live.”  
 
“First of all we need to get all our injured guys healthy,” said McCarthy when asked about a playoff run. “That’s probably the most important thing and then we have to do our assignments and execute the way coach wants us to.” 
 
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