Recruiting Down the Stretch: Quarterback
With the regular season in the rear view mirror and only a bowl game (or maybe playoff) between now and National Signing Day, I thought I would do a rundown of the position groups. This should not be confused with my “If I Had My Druthers…” posts, which rank remaining recruits. With football season wrapping up and the holidays, I haven’t had a ton of time to pore over film. So here’s a look at Michigan’s quarterback recruiting situation in 2017.
COMMITMENTS
Littleton (CO) Valor Christian’s Dylan McCaffrey is a 6’5″, 196 lb. Army All-American. He’s a part of the famed McCaffrey clan. You might have heard of his brother, who won an Olympic medal. No, wait. His dad won an Olympic medal. Or was that his grandfather? Okay, okay, his brother was an NFL receiver for the Broncos. Right? No, that was the mom. The whole family’s just so athletic that I can’t keep things straight. Anyway, Dylan is a 247 Composite 4-star, the #4 pro-style quarterback, and #53 overall in the class. He can run a little bit and has a very similar athletic profile to that of last year’s QB recruit, Brandon Peters.
UNCOMMITTED PLAYERS
- Jackson Gibbs
COMMITTED ELSEWHERE
- Chase Brice (Clemson)
- Jack Coan (Wisconsin)
- Kasim Hill (Maryland)
- Bailey Hockman (Florida State)
- Hunter Johnson (Clemson)
- Tate Martell (Ohio State)
- Davis Mills (Stanford)
- Shawn Robinson (TCU)
- Jelani Woods (Oklahoma State)
RETURNING ROSTER PLAYERS
- Shane Morris (5th)
- John O’Korn (5th)
- Wilton Speight (RS Jr.)*
- Alex Malzone (RS So.)
- Brandon Peters (RS Fr.)
OUTLOOK FOR MICHIGAN
Generally, you want to aim to have about five scholarship quarterbacks on the roster, preferably one in each class to spread out the talent and experience. Including McCaffrey, six are scheduled to be on the roster in 2017. That will almost certainly not be the case when August rolls around. The most glaring reason is that Michigan would have two fifth-year seniors on the roster, neither of whom would likely be starting. With Speight locking down the starting job for the duration of 2016, it would be an upset for one of his elders to win the gig. Expect one or both of Morris and O’Korn to transfer, at the very least. As for the recruiting aspect, Michigan has not been pursuing quarterbacks for months and will stick with only McCaffrey unless something weird happens, like a mass transfer at the position. Gibbs isn’t a serious option for Michigan, and his only chance to join the team would be as a walk-on.
*Returning starter
