The Michigan-Ohio State rivalry is alive and well, even in the NFL. At a Minnesota Vikings practice, rookie offensive lineman Donovan Jackson, a former Ohio State Buckeye, delivered a highlight-reel play with multiple pancake blocks.Teammate and former Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy was asked about it during a media session on Friday. He couldn’t help but take a playful jab at Jackson’s college roots.“I absolutely love it,” McCarthy said. “You know, us Michigan guys, we get a little skeptical of the kind of mentality and the tough guy-ness of Ohio State, but he absolutely proved it. It was a sight to see, and I just love how fired up he got after that too. He's going to be a great player.”J.J. McCarthy, who went 3-0 against Ohio State as a Michigan player and 2-0 as a QB1, is now the Vikings’ projected starting quarterback after missing his rookie season due to injury. He and Jackson, a first-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft, are expected to be cornerstone players in Minnesota’s rebuild.J.J. McCarthy’s comments came before NCAA’s verdict on Michigan’s sign-stealing scandalAcross all his games against Ohio State, J.J. McCarthy completed 29 of 45 passes for 442 yards and four touchdowns, also rushing for 60 yards. He was a cornerstone player during the Wolverines’ championship run in 2023.His comments about Donovan Jackson and Ohio State came right before the NCAA announced penalties for Michigan following a lengthy investigation into the program’s sign-stealing scandal during Jim Harbaugh’s time there.The situation, which arose in October 2023, involved former staff member Connor Stalions, who was found to have purchased tickets to future opponents’ games and sent people to record signals on the sidelines.While the NCAA decided not to strip Michigan of any of its wins during the season or implement a postseason ban, citing the need to avoid punishing current players not involved, the program was hit with several financial penalties expected to exceed $20 million.The organization also issued recruiting restrictions and show-cause penalties to several individuals, including current coach Sherrone Moore, who was alleged to have deleted text messages exchanged with Stalions before they were recovered. He was an offensive coordinator during the time of the scandal.