Competition Just Getting Started at Quarterback

-
Returning Leader:

Shane Morris
  • Shane Morris 6'3" 209 lbs - Morris is the only returning player at the position with any chance of becoming the starter in 2015. He looked good enough in the spring game to give me hope for his future after Hoke and company left him beaten-down, broken, and lacking any confidence. Nothing should remedy his ailments better than the arrival of Jim Harbaugh as head coach and Jedd Fisch as the passing-game coordinator. A healthy influx of talent to compete won't hurt either. Despite what a lot of fans might think though, Morris is the leading candidate to be the guy this fall as he is learning to control that canon of a left arm he has on him. He also has some surprisingly quick feet to get out of trouble in a hurry if needed.


 2015 Additions:

Jake Rudock
  • Jake Rudock 6'3" 208 lbs - A graduate transfer from Iowa, Rudock has 25 starts for a Big Ten team under his belt already. That makes him by far the most experienced passer on the roster for 2015. His career stats, including a 60% completion rate and 2:1 TD to INT ratio, is a welcome addition to the competition. He will immediately be in the thick of it all when he arrives this summer, and the trickle-down effect will allow for the younger guys who have just arrived to have time to refine their own games before being thrown to any wolves on Saturdays this fall.
  • QB Alex Malzone 6'2" 205 lbs - Carries a lot of confidence and was nothing but a winner in high school. Can make up for a lack of arm strength with a high I.Q. and decision-making ability. Didn't look great in the spring game but did enough to make me think he will has a bright future as a starter or quality backup in Ann Arbor.  Give him some credit for going up against a very good group of returning players on defense, including CB's Jourdan Lewis and Blake Countess. The kid should still be in high school right now. With Rudock on board Malzone should get a red-shirt this year, which will only benefit the younger passer in the long run.
  • QB Zach Gentry 6'7" 230 lbs - Is big and athletic. Has the arm strength to make all the throws and the feet to escape when needed. Will need some time to develop and adapt but is one of the best QB recruits to sign on since the Lloyd Carr era. Could play TE or WR eventually, but is too intriguing of a prospect at QB to consider moving him any time soon. Is simply a big wild card with big upside potential. Expect a red-shirt on him this fall.
  • QB Brandon Peters 6'5" 205 lbs - The recent commitment of Peters to the 2016 class pretty much seals up any further immediate need to add talent to the position. He has all the size, arm strength, and smarts you could ask for in a junior prospect, and could elevate his stock with a big senior season. He plans on enrolling in January as well in order to get a head-start on his college career. 

My Opinion: I just can't imagine a quality starter not emerging from this group. I think Morris will win the job in fall camp and one of the new guys will be ready to take the job after he leaves in 2017. 

Needless to say, this summer and fall will be very interesting for Wolverine fans.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

2020 Recruiting Class Among the Top in the Nation (whether you believe it or not).

-
Jim Harbaugh and his Michigan coaching staff are wrapping things up for the 2020 recruiting class to mixed reviews. It's hard to argue against the talent they did acquire, but most detractors point to the lack of 5-Stars and the few big whiffs on top recruits to end the cycle. The simple fact of the matter is that it is another class by Harbaugh that ranks among the top 10% of college programs. In other words, with a 12th ranked rectuiting class, they were still better than 118 of the other 129 teams out there. Anyway I look at it, it still amazes me how people can be upset about it. Yes, it is true that they are not landing the big-time top-heavy classes that Ohio State, Alabama, and Clemson continue to land, but that is okay. It has to be okay because that's just not where the Wolverines are at right now. It is still a lot better than most though. And just ask Texas, UCLA, Tennessee, USC, and Nebraska fans how they would feel about the prospect of playing the Crimson Tide
Read more

The Must-Get Prospects of 2022 - UPDATED By Position

-
High Priorities:  Defensive Secondary: One of the most important position groups to focus on in this cycle. Michigan only signed two DB's last year, so there could be as many as six DB prospects taken in this round of recruiting. It's a good thing that there are a lot of quality prospects in play here and it's even better than some of them are already committed.  Will Johnson 5-Star (Gross Pointe, MI) Grade: 98 - COMMITTED The 2022 recruiting class is loaded with top-notch prospects at corner. Johnson is by all measures a top 15 overall recruit and being that he is an in-state legacy prospect, one couldn't find a bigger "must-get" player in any cycle. Wherever he goes he should immediately be competing for playing time and he has the raw skills to become a shutdown player at the next level. He is the number one player on Michigan's board, period.  Chace Biddle 4-Star (Garland, TX) Grade: 86 - Is a big name out of Texas that is high on the Michigan bo
Read more

Recruiting Class, 2021 - The Final Positional Grades

-
 Quarterback  J.J. McCarthy  5-Star  (6'3"/190lbs) Grade: 92 - Not the biggest kid or the passer with the strongest arm. He's just the best QB prospect that Harbaugh has brought to Michigan so far, and he is enrolled early to learn the offense this spring. Positional Grade: A- Running Back Donovan Edwards 5 -Star  (5'11"/190lbs) Grade: 92 - Not only did Harbaugh sign the best quarterback of his Michigan head coaching career but he also signed the best running back so far too. Edwards brings a ton of speed to the table and can take it to the house on any given play. He was just awarded First Team All-American by Max Preps will get reps as a freshman after enrolling early too. Tavierre Dunlap  4-Star  (6'0"/195lbs) Grade: 79 - A very solid back that could compliment Edwards well. He is a bit bigger and has some decent wheels in his own right, though he is not as fast as Edwards. He could be a starter someday too. He too is enrolled early. Positional  Grad
Read more