Brandon Peters (image via Sporting News)
Name: Brandon Peters
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 220 lbs.
High school: Avon (IN) Avon
Position: Quarterback
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #18
Last year: I ranked Peters #21 and said he would be a backup quarterback (LINK). He started four games and completed 57/108 passes (52.8%) for 672 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions.
TTB Rating: 90
My oh my, how crazy 2017 seems in retrospect. Looking back at the 2017 countdown, it’s odd to think how the quarterback situation seemed to be in such good hands. I never loved Wilton Speight, but he had a solid year of starting experience under his belt, backup John O’Korn had played well in spot duty, and Peters was the young up-and-comer who looked pretty good in the spring game.
Then all hell broke loose.
Speight got hurt, and O’Korn backslid after an amazing performance against Purdue. Peters managed the games well when he entered against Rutgers and then started against Minnesota and Maryland. In fact, he completed 66.7% of his passes in those first two games, and in his first five games of the year, he threw 4 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. Michigan relied on its defense and run game to win all but the Wisconsin game, in which Peters got knocked out (literally). He missed Ohio State week, and he looked shell-shocked against South Carolina in the bowl game, throwing 2 interceptions.
Now Speight is gone to UCLA, O’Korn is probably campaigning to be the top QB taken in the 2019 NFL Draft, and in their place is . . . Shea Patterson, a transfer from Ole Miss.
This spring there were rumors that Dylan McCaffrey had passed Brandon Peters in the pecking order at quarterback, but reports said Peters overtook McCaffrey again by the end of spring. That seems to me to be the right position for those guys at the moment, but Peters obviously doesn’t have a stranglehold on that #2 spot. Everyone expects Patterson to start, and Michigan fans hope he stays healthy. Peters should at least be able to be a game manager again, and hopefully he can be better if he needs to be. I have concerns that he will revert to looking shaken like he did against South Carolina, but I think some people forget that Peters was only a redshirt freshman in 2017. In ye olden days, he either wouldn’t have been on the field, or people would have expected trouble because he was so young. Now we want kids to grow up immediately when they hit a college campus. Hopefully Peters continues to grow and mature on the trajectory we used to expect from quarterbacks in the 1990s.
Prediction: Backup quarterback
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Solid prediction. The gap between Patterson and Peters is like the Grand Canyon.
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My biggest concern with Peters has been what we DON’T hear. It’s always about potential, not ever about his intangibles. Even Mac & Milton have been the subject of laudatory comments on their work ethic, time in the film room, and improvements
For all the hype that never comes to fruition, it’s something that Peters doesn’t have his share
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With our OL play I would rank Peters a bit higher.
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Yep, same. I don’t foresee Patterson taking every critical snap. He’ll be like rudock, and miss parts of games
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Fair enough, and I thought about it. Patterson is more elusive than Speight, and with the rumors that McCaffrey was ahead of Peters (at least for a little while), I’m not sure how big the dropoff is between Peters and McCaffrey.
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Peters had the proverbial golden opportunity last year and just did not capitalize. He admittedly sulked after the spring ‘17 competition and failed to gain JH’s trust. Still got his number called. He is young, but you have to be ready to go after 20+ months in the program. Will be surprised if he gets another opportunity like last year (especially the bowl game).
In general, I think year two is the critical year for most players to establish their cred with the coaches. Just seems like a lot of guys are given that opportunity in year 2 and you either gain or lose the coaches’ trust for good. Some guys still emerge later under certain circumstances, but showing well early is critical. So I’d be surprised if the coaches are not already looking past Peters to some extent.
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