Positional Analysis-QB

Quarterback is a pretty big position of need in this year’s recruiting cycle. Hoke, Borges, and company need to get a guy that fits their system. After striking out on Zeke Pike, I decided to do an in-depth analysis of the quarterback position.

The Incumbents

Denard Robinson is one of the most exciting players in college football. He is probably too small to be a starting NFL quarterback, but he should be the starter in 2011 and 2012.

Devin Gardner was 7/10 for 85 yards as a true freshman in 2010. He will enter 2011 as either a redshirt freshman or true sophomore (his medical redshirt status is still up in the air) and the clear cut backup. Many are saying he is pushing Robinson this spring with his outstanding performance. He should see significant time the next two years since Robinson can’t stay healthy, and take over in 2013.

Russell Bellomy was the lone QB recruit in the 2011 class. He was “snake oiled” from Purdue less than two weeks before National Signing Day. He was the #39 QB recruit in the country, and should be a depth guy for his career at Michigan. Of course, me writing this means he will win back-to-back Heisman trophies.

The only other quarterbacks on the spring roster are walk-ons Steve Wilson and Jack Kennedy. I’m not sure what happened to a personal favorite of mine, Nader Furrha.

So Michigan is fairly set until Gardner graduates/gets picked number 1 overall in the NFL draft by the Raiders. But most recruiting gurus say you should take a quarterback every year. After Pike, there are a few quality recruits left and some fallback options. I will use the Touch The Banner offer list along with scout.com to put together a list.

The Blue-chippers

Gunner Kiel- The number 1 quarterback in the nation according to Scout, Kiel has offers from everyone that matters in college football. He is 6’4’’ 200 lbs. and is from Indiana. Most people believe he is Notre Dame’s to lose, which brings me to…

Maty Mauk-The other top quarterback with Michigan interest, Mauk is 6’2’’ 190. He is from Kenton, OH and is the brother of former Cincinnati QB Ben Mauk. Ben Mauk was coached by now-ND coach Brian Kelly. So Maty has ties to ND as well. He also put up video game numbers as a junior, amassing 5670 passing yards and 69 TDs.

Zeke Pike-I will still include him here because I have serious issues with letting go. That, and there are still 9 months or so until signing day. Anything can happen between now and then, especially with Auburns situation regarding Cam and Cecil Newton.

Bart Houston-Michigan hasn’t offered Houston yet for reasons I can’t understand. He plays for a famous high school, and has the size/arm that fit Al Borges’ system. I’m guessing he is offered at some point, I just hope it’s not too late. Hoke recruited him when he was at SDSU.

It might come down to getting Notre Dame’s sloppy seconds this year. In this instance, I would take it and be happy. The thinking is if Kiel doesn’t go to ND, he will go to the SEC. Mauk is more likely to stay in the Midwest regardless of which school he picks. In the event that Mauk picks ND, Kiel goes to Bama or USC, and Pike sticks with Auburn, there are some other good options in the 2012 class.

The Other Guys

Let me start by saying I mean no disrespect to anyone in this section. I am grouping them based on the recruiting sites. They will need big senior seasons or good camp showings to get a Michigan offer in most cases. I will list them alphabetically.

Austin Appleby- Big Kid from North Canton, OH with only MAC offers to this point. He has good size, and will likely receive BCS level interest by the time he finishes high school.

Chad Kelly-Former NFL QB Jim Kelly's nephew, he has offers from Alabama, Florida State, Michigan State, and Louisville. No Michigan offer yet, but he will probably be visiting soon.

Cyler Miles-I will list Miles because he is from the same school as Steve Watson and seems like a guy Michigan could swoop in on and get an official visit from. He’s a BCS level talent, and could fit in well.

Tyler O'Connor-Another kid with MAC level offers so far (plus Indiana and Vandy, which are MAC –level) from Ohio, he is probably a long-shot since he plans to decide by the end of July. If he decides to delay his decision, Michigan may become a factor if other options fall through.

Jake Rodrigues-The number 41 QB recruit currently to Scout, Rodrigues holds offers from Michigan and Washington, and lists USC, Oregon, and Boise State as other schools he’s interested in. It’s rarely a good sign when a California kid lists all west coast schools…..and Michigan. I’m guessing this is a residual thing from the SDSU days.

I wouldn’t be shocked to see one of these guys in maize and blue at some point in the future.

The Could Have Beens

The players in this section were better fits for the Rich Rodriguez offense, so they probably won’t end up at Michigan, at least not at QB. Alphabetical order as always.

Brian Blackburn-I will admit I haven’t heard much about Blackburn’s recruitment. He has good size at 6’6’’, but only has one offer (CMU) to date. He is from Detroit Crockett, so Michigan has that advantage if they develop interest.

Bennie Coney-He has offers from some high-major programs including Auburn, Florida State, LSU, and Notre Dame. He also has off the field issues, and is more of dual-threat QB than a pocket passer. I would be shocked if he leaves the south.

Devin Fuller-He is the #9 QB according to Scout, and holds offers from Alabama, Florida State, Notre Dame, and UCLA. He is only 6’ and 185, so his future at Michigan is probably at defensive back. I figure someone will give him a shot at QB, so I doubt he even visits.

Robert Gregory-Gregory is intriguing because he is teammates with 2011 signee Chris Bryant and 2012 recruit Jordan Diamond. I would guess that he only gets an offer to help lure Diamond to Ann Arbor. He would have been great in the old offense.

Nick Patti-Nick Patti would probably be a commit right now if RR was still around. He was teammates with WR/TE/Super Recruiter Ricardo Miller when he played in Florida. He was also a teammate of one-time Michigan commitment Dee Hart. He visited numerous times with Hart, and reportedly loved it here. But we all know what happened. Rich was fired, Hart went to Bama, and Patti never got an offer. I’m not sure if he’s a high-level quarterback, but Dr. Phillips high school is a nice place to have a recruiting pipeline.

I wouldn’t rule out these guys becoming Wolverines, I just wouldn’t bet much on it. Only Coney and Fuller hold offers right now, so they would be the most likely of the group. There is also a chance that Borges really takes a liking to having Denard, and adapts his offense to be more dual threat friendly. Who knows?

Looking (Farther) Ahead

If Michigan misses out on all the above guys, don’t fret. 2013 recruiting is already underway as well. Michigan has already offered 2 players from the class.

Riley Ferguson-Ferguson already holds offers from Michigan and LSU. He should be one of the top players in the ’13 class. He also attends the same school as former Wolverine Jamar Adams and swimsuit model Brooklyn Decker (I will not link to anything for her, this is a family friendly establishment)

Shane Morris-Morris is the top sophomore QB in Michigan (and probably top QB period) and will probably be a top 10 QB in the nation. He attends Warren De La Salle high school. I would be shocked if he isn’t a Wolverine.

Overview

Michigan is in pretty good shape at QB. Denard Robinson is a Heisman candidate with two years of eligibility remaining, and Devin Gardner can handle the position after he leaves. While a big recruit like Kiel or Mauk would be great, it isn’t necessary this year. Morris should be a Michigan lean when he is able to be formally offered.

I’m guessing a lot will depend on the on-the-field results for the top guys. If Michigan can get back to a bowl game, and show that Hoke is bringing the Wolverines back, they should be able to get the top quarterbacks again. Their history speaks for itself. Brady, Henne, Greise, Todd Collins…. Those are just some of the more recent examples.

If I had to guess, I would say either Mauk or Appleby join the class or 2012, and Morris is the first commitment in the 2013 class. Either way, the future is pretty bright.

(I also want to applaud myself for resisting the urge to call this “Assume the Position: Quarterback” since every blogger who has done a piece like this uses that title)