The Fence the Mitten Project: Quarterbacks

Tag: fence the mitten


13Apr 2020
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The Fence the Mitten Project: Quarterbacks

Alex Malzone (image via Maize ‘n’ Brew)

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There are constant arguments on message boards, recruiting sites, and Twitter about whether Michigan should offer certain in-state targets, and it has always been a curiosity of mine to see whether Michigan could field a competitive team of only in-state players. I realize this is not a realistic goal, but it might shed some light on just how deep Michigan could go with in-state offers before the results become severely sub-optimal.

So here’s what I did: I pretended that the top 25 players from within the State of Michigan (according to the 247 Composite) all were offered by and signed with the Wolverines over the past five recruiting classes. How would those players and that position fare while wearing the winged helmet? Naturally, this experiment assumes that Michigan State, MAC programs, and other out-of-state schools are limited to players ranked #26 and lower, which is completely and utterly unrealistic. That type of things doesn’t happen in any state, including California, Florida, Georgia, and Texas, all of which are talent-laden states.

A couple mechanics:

  • If a player transferred from his original school or otherwise retired, he is crossed off the list since he probably wouldn’t have lasted at Michigan, either.
  • If a player left early for the draft, he is also crossed off the list since he would not be on the roster for 2019.

Starting with top-25 in-state quarterbacks from 2015-2019…

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