PASADENA, Calif. — In 2021 as their senior year of high school wrapped up at IMG Academy and JC Latham, Greg Crippen and J.J. McCarthy all went their separate ways Latham made a bold prediction.
Following his 2019 visit to Ann Arbor to watch the Wolverines fall 56-27 to Ohio State, Latham, now a star offensive lineman at Alabama, had decided that Michigan’s troubles were not due to a lack of talent, but something deeper. And as he and his high school teammates split up — with Crippen and MCarthy headed to the Wolverines he texted them to say that with their presence, he suspected it wouldn’t be for long.
“I told them, ‘You guys aren’t losing because of a lack of talent or anything of that nature, It’s just a lack of discipline,’ ” Latham said. “And I told them, ‘Eventually I expect to see you guys down the line.’ I know who Greg (Crippen) is and I know who J.J. (McCarthy) is. … So I said, ‘I wouldn’t be shocked to see you guys in the playoffs or the National Championship
And three years later, as Latham and his linemate Tyler Booker prepare to face off against junior Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy and junior center Greg Crippen, Latham’s suspicion has come to fruition. When the Wolverines and the Crimson Tide take the field in the Tournament of Roses on Monday, the bond the four of them share may not be at the top of their minds. But nonetheless for each of them, it still feels like a full-circle moment.
“I actually texted a little group chat with me, (Latham) and (Booker) after they got picked like ‘Oh here we go,’ Crippen told The Michigan Daily. “(Latham) was like ‘I told you it was going to happen someday.”
In the 2020-2021 high school football season, as the COVID-19 pandemic was in full effect, McCarthy and Booker transferred into IMG Academy in Florida. Before they could go on to post a perfect 8-0 season and finish the year ranked No. 1 nationally, McCarthy needed an offensive line. And two weeks before the season — following what Latham described as a “crazy anomaly” in which “like four” offensive lineman got hurt playing basketball in a week — Latham and Booker switched from the defensive line to the offensive line.
Now in a new position and protecting McCarthy, Booker and Latham faced a quick learning curve. Part of that process involved Crippen — Booker’s roommate.
“Greg really did a great job of helping me learn the playbook and getting me adjusted to the offense to play as a lineman,” Booker told The Daily. “That was a big transition for us, but (Latham and I) ended up being blue chip offensive lineman … (Crippen) was by our side the whole way.”
As Latham and Booker adjusted to, and excelled within, the offense with Crippen, the trio of lineman ended up giving McCarthy more time in the pocket than he ever could’ve imagined. So much time that it almost felt awkward for him.
“I’m not gonna lie,” McCarthy said Friday. “It was like uncomfortable how comfortable I was back there.”
With three highly-touted lineman who now weigh an average of 340 pounds, McCarthy was given a lot by his line. But in his own way, McCarthy taught Booker and Latham lessons that they still carry to this day.
“He’s the ultimate leader,” Booker said of McCarthy Thursday. “He really taught me how to lead. There was one game where I was all hyped up ‘rah rah’ and I ended up cramping because I was so hyped up. He was like, ‘Book, you can lead like that, but you also gotta balance it out. You’ve got to level it out.’ So learning how to balance and control my emotions, I kind of learned that from him”
At IMG, the group of four enjoyed great success. Two of them found their positions, McCarthy was uncomfortably comfortable and they all learned different lessons from each other. But there were still a few mistakes sprinkled in, one which causes all four of them to laugh, even to this day.
