Michigan Offense: Quarterback

For the first time in Rich Rodriguez’s tenure in Ann Arbor he will have experienced talent returning at the quarterback position.  Both Tate Forcier and Denard Robinson will return for their second collegiate season.

Following the 2009 season, it seemed like a given that Forcier would return as the starting quarterback for the 2010 Wolverines after throwing for over 2,000 yards and 13 touchdowns as a true freshman.  Despite turnover issues that reminded Michigan fans he was just a freshman, Forcier gave Wolverine fans plenty of reason to cheer early on in 2009 when he led last minute comeback victories against Notre Dame and Indiana. 

However, Forcier’s well-documented absence at voluntary workouts and other summer activities (as mentioned by Troy Woolfolk at Big Ten Media Days) over the past summer, along with the rapid emergence of Robinson, have seemingly pushed Forcier down the depth chart.

Robinson had an extremely strong spring practice session and his talents were on display for Michigan fans to see in the annual Spring Game.  Robinson displayed a much more effective grasp of the offensive system and an improved ability to throw the football on both timing routes and down the field.  Robinson’s most vital improvement however, was his newfound ability to make the proper read on the zone-read option.  The read option turned Pat White into a college star and we can only hope that Robinson can execute the offense half as well as White did at West Virginia.

The dark horse in the 2010 quarterback race is the five star early enrollee Devin Gardner.  Gardner has prototypical NFL quarterback size, combined with spread option quarterback speed. Gardner has continued to impress the coaching staff with his raw talent and it is becoming increasingly likely that he will see some snaps this fall and will not take a redshirt year.

Upshot for 2010:

Robinson’s game breaking speed, combined with the ability to throw the ball downfield to keep defenses honest, could result in plenty of big plays for the offense in 2010.  The best case scenario would be for Robinson to do his best Pat White impression and take the college football world by storm like White did as a redshirt Freshman.  Expect to see both Forcier and Gardner get snaps early with Gardner having the potential to become more of a factor as he gets accustomed to the speed of the college game.