Recruiting Roundup: Quarterbacks

I am a bad Michigan fan, because I have been unable to watch the last two Michigan games (Purdue and Wisconsin). It's not for a lack of desire, but our varsity football team had its regular season finale (loss) and its first round playoff game (win) the last two Saturdays, both of which were played at 1:00 p.m. It would be ridiculous of me to analyze a game based on highlights and box scores, so that's why you haven't seen write-ups for either of those games.

But as the season is winding down, so is recruiting, so I thought I'd do a series of posts outlining where we are with regards to recruiting each position. First up - quarterbacks.

Michigan currently holds two commitments at the quarterback position, Devin Gardner (Inkster, MI) and Cornelius Jones (Spartanburg, SC). Gardner ranks as the top overall quarterback to Rivals. A solid commitment, Gardner hopes to enroll in January if he can get all his academic ducks in a row. Gardner's mechanics are questionable, but his athleticism is off the charts. I used to think he was a sure-fire redshirt, but now I think it all depends on Denard Robinson. If Robinson can improve enough in the offseason to warrant staying at quarterback, then Gardner should redshirt in order to put two years between him and incumbent starter Tate Forcier. But it seems the coaches have realized that Denard isn't a competent passer at this point, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him change positions by 2011.

Cornelius Jones is a bit more of a project. In fact, recent newspaper articles from South Carolina have stated that Jones committed to Michigan as a defensive back. While I don't think that's true, it goes to show what most people think of his abilities. Whether he plays quarterback or safety at Michigan, he's probably headed for a redshirt in 2010.

The other prospects remaining on the board are Jeffrey Godfrey (Miami, FL) and Christian Green (Tampa, FL). Godfrey was considered a Michigan lean early in the process, but Michigan took two quarterbacks and Godfrey still hasn't pulled the trigger. He's another diminutive quarterback when Michigan already has two (Forcier, Robinson) on the roster. Meanwhile, Green has maintained that he wants to play wide receiver in college, and he'll probably take his talents to Florida State.

VERDICT
Barring any postseason coaching staff shake-ups, Michigan is done at the quarterback position. The Wolverines were still recruiting Munchie Legaux until he recently committed to Colorado, but from this point on, they'll concentrate mostly on defense.