Several Big Ten coaches believe that Michigan quarterback JJ McCarthy has changed after his team stopped (allegedly) stealing signs from the opposition as the Wolverines get ready to play Alabama in the College Football Playoffs on January 1.

McCarthy’s production fell down a cliff in the second half of the season after Jim Harbaugh was suspended for the Michigan football sign-stealing incident. In the first seven games of this season, the quarterback threw 14 touchdown passes with an average of 10.6 yards per attempt. In his final five games, McCarthy did, however, only manage one touchdown pass at an average of 7.04 yards per attempt.

Observing this boundary, Big Ten coaches tell The Athletic they question whether Michigan’s quarterback is as excellent as they believed him to be in the absence of the football program’s sign-stealing.

“It certainly raises questions,” remarked a defensive analyst whose club played Michigan in the last month of the campaign. I believed he was one of the finest players in the nation coming into our match. I changed my mind after that. He simply hasn’t looked the same since all of that. I’m not sure if he’s injured. He struck me as a potential Heisman contender. QBs that are Heisman Trophy winners do not complete eight passes in a game. Prior to that, he seemed prepared and self-assured.

While a number of coaches have questioned McCarthy on the sign-stealing, others have acknowledged that McCarthy’s statistical downturn may have been caused by the Jim Harbaugh suspension, an ailment that is still relatively unknown, or the quality of the Wolverines’ schedule in the second half.

Whatever the case, the quarterback’s tenure as a Wolverine may be coming to an early end if JJ McCarthy can’t come up with a solution by the time Michigan and Alabama square off in the College Football Playoffs.