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2015 Position Grades: Quarterback

Jake Rudock

STATS
Jake Rudock: 13 starts, 249/389 (64%), 3,017 yards, 20 TDs, 9 INTs, 141.5 PER
Wilton Speight: 0 starts, 9/25 (36%), 73 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 65.7 PER

STORY
Jake Rudock joined Michigan as a graduate transfer from Iowa in the summer of 2015. That meant that he missed all of the spring practice session, as well as a chance to do voluntary workouts over the summer with his future teammates. When he started Michigan’s season opener against Utah on September 3, he had only been in the system for approximately one month. Because of that, it was a bit of a rough start to the year. There’s a good chance that Michigan would have turned that 24-17 loss to Utah into a victory if Rudock was in late-season form, but that’s how football goes. His passer efficiency rating topped 120 only twice during the first seven games, and those two were contests when the run game carried the day (Rudock had 1 TD and 0 INTs vs. BYU and Northwestern). In the final six games, the running game bogged down, but his PER never dipped below 124. In the first seven games, he threw 5 TDs and 6 INTS; in the final six, he threw 16 TDs and 3 INTS. He finished second in the conference in passer rating, #3 in yards per attempt, and #4 in touchdowns. It was a fantastic turnaround when Michigan needed him most, and with the way he finished the season, people are now talking about his prospects as an NFL player.

Early in the year, Shane Morris was the second quarterback on the depth chart, but Michigan hoped to redshirt him and kept him off the field. As the season wore on, Jim Harbaugh reported that Wilton Speight passed Morris on the depth chart. Speight wasn’t needed for any important playing time until Rudock got hurt against Minnesota; Speight went 3/6 for 29 yards and the game-winning TD. He also stepped in against Ohio State for a stretch, but his non-Minnesota performances were subpar. The backup situation was concerning, but it never cost Michigan a game.

GRADE: B+

2016 DEPTH CHART BY CLASS: Shane Morris (RS Jr.), John O’Korn (RS Jr.), Wilton Speight (RS So.), Zach Gentry (RS Fr.), Alex Malzone (RS Fr.), Brandon Peters (Fr.)

National Championship: Alabama vs. Clemson players to watch

The national championship game will be played tonight. It starts at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN. Here are some roster notes. If you’re like me at all, you might want to keep an eye on a few guys who were recruited by Michigan.

ALABAMA

• DE Jonathan Allen, QB Blake Barnett, CB Minkah Fitzpatrick, LB Reuben Foster, WR Robert Foster, DE Da’Shawn Hand, RB Damien Harris, TE Hale Hentges, CB Cyrus Jones, C Ryan Kelly, LB Dillon Lee, S Geno Matias-Smith, LB Joshua McMillon, OT Cam Robinson, RB Bo Scarbrough, CB Kendall Sheffield, CB Maurice Smith, LB Adonis Thomas, DE Dalvin Tomlinson
• RB Damien Harris is a former Michigan commit
• Player from the state of Michigan: walk-on OL Chris Posa from Orchard Lake (MI) St. Mary’s

CLEMSON

• DE Clelin Ferrell, OT Jake Fruhmorgen, C Zach Giella, OT Mitch Hyatt, WR Ray-Ray McCloud III, S Tanner Muse, LB Dorian O’Daniel, DT Scott Pagano, WR Charone Peake, WR Artavis Scott
• Zero Clemson Tigers are from the state of Michigan
• Clemson has just six (6!) players on their roster from north of North Carolina. There are 2 from Maryland, 2 from Virginia, 1 from New York, and 1 from Massachusetts.

FINAL PREDICTION

• Alabama 30, Clemson 21

Starters are in bold

Recruiting Update: January 11, 2016

Egg Harbor City (NJ) Cedar Creek RB Bo Melton

COMMITMENT
Rancho Santa Margarita (CA) Catholic wide receiver Dylan Crawford committed to Michigan at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl (LINK).

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2016
Paintsville (KY) Paintsville linebacker Kash Daniel, a Kentucky commit, was offered by Michigan. Daniel is a 6’1″, 227 lb. prospect who’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #14 inside linebacker, and #400 overall. Daniel played in the Army All-American Bowl. He committed to Kentucky on this past Fourth of July, and as an early enrollee, he said he’s solid with the Wildcats.

Sachse (TX) Sachse cornerback Jared Mayden decommitted from Oregon. Mayden is a 6’1″, 190 lb. prospect who is heavily considering Florida State and LSU at this point. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #10 cornerback, and #128 overall. Mayden committed to Oregon in July and took an official visit to Michigan in September, but it does not appear the Wolverines are an option at this point. He played in the Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl last week.

Hit the jump for another 2016 player added to the board, some new 2017 offers, some guys who committed elsewhere, and some random bits.

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Thoughts on U.S. Army All-American Bowl

David Long, Jr.

QUARTERBACK
I think the best passer in the game was Shea Patterson (Ole Miss), who looked the smoothest throwing the ball and the most in command of the offense; he can also run pretty well. Jacob Eason (Georgia) made some nice throws and has a cannon for an arm, but he’s a little bit wild and doesn’t know when to take something off of his throws. As for Michigan commit Brandon Peters, he looked okay. His release is too long, so he’s going to take some extra hits until he gets rid of the ball quicker. He did make some nice throws, including a seam route to Donnie Corley and a short screen pass under pressure; however, both of the deep balls he threw sailed a little bit, and one was almost intercepted because of it. If I’m being objective, I don’t see Peters competing for the starting job next year. He needs a lot of work, and his footwork is basically non-existent. He finished the game 4/16 for 74 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. K.J. Costello (Stanford) did a good job overall, too, and I can’t for the life of me understand why Brady Hoke took Messiah DeWeaver’s commitment when Michigan had a good shot at Costello.

Hit the jump for thoughts on the rest of the position groups.

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2016 East-West Shrine Game

Jake Rudock

The East-West Shrine Game will be held on January 23, 2016, at 4:00 p.m. EST. The broadcast will be on NFL Network. This is a chance for seniors to showcase themselves prior to the NFL Combine and Draft.

The East team will be coached by head coach Charlie Weis, QB coach Brady Quinn, WR coach Troy Brown, RB coach Mike Alstott, DB coach Sam Madison, and others. The West team will be headed by June Jones with a bunch of former Atlanta Falcons players and coaches.

Michigan seniors Joe Bolden, Graham Glasgow, and Jake Rudock will be participating. Various others from the Big Ten or from Michigan’s recruiting past will be participating. Hit the jump for the rest of the list:

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