Michigan QB JJ McCarthy opens up about mental health struggles ahead of national championship game - “I was going through depression”

Michigan Wolverines quarterback JJ McCarthy is on the cusp of greatness with only the Washington Huskies standing between him and the national championship title.

He is all geared up to lead the Wolverines out on the field on Monday in pursuit of just that. But just days ahead of the big game, the Michigan QB opened up about his mental health struggles.

Michigan will be up against Washington on Monday night at the NRG Stadium after a dominant season as a whole. McCarthy has been the key to their success, having put up some spectacular numbers throughout the year.

He talked about how he was in depression during his high school days and how he overcame the issue.

Here is what the Michigan Wolverines quarterback JJ McCarthy said about his battle with depression during his senior year at the IMG Academy.

“My senior year at IMG Academy, I was going through depression. I was in a deep rut for myself, studying all the athletes, their mindsets, trying to adopt them in every way to forge the ultimate mindset as a competitor. I just kept going further from myself and my true nature. I feel like it just - I was in a deep rut for about a month or two and I was like, something has to change,” McCarthy said during a media interaction.

McCarthy revealed that it was meditation that helped him get over his mental health issues and he found the method after researching different ways to deal with this situation.

"It's a beautiful practice. It's really hard at first, but I recommend that people continue to press on with it and stay disciplined because the effects are tremendous,” he added.

The Michigan QB has been the biggest performer for the team this year, winning the Wolverines’ team MVP of the year award. Here is a look at his season in numbers.

JJ McCarthy: A look back at the journey to the CFP championship game

JJ McCarthy threw for 2,851 passing yards in 230 completions. This is a career-high stat for the quarterback. He scored 22 passing touchdowns for the team in the season and led them to an unbeaten 13-0 record before the playoff semi-final game. This included a Big Ten conference title blowout against the Iowa Hawkeyes.

The Wolverines met Nick Saban's Alabama Crimson Tide in the Rose Bowl and prevailed over them in overtime. The 27-20 victory paved their way to Houston, where Michigan has a chance to win their first national title since 1997.

Can the best quarterback in program history, according to head coach Jim Harbaugh, take the team to glory against the Huskies?